Jeff Birney
The Dodgers wrapped a winning homestand Sunday, taking two of three from Arizona after a sweep of St Louis and a series win over San Diego. Although not throwing out the offensive numbers we’ve been accustomed to, solid starting pitching and an improved bullpen have kept the small leads intact.
Yet we can’t mention that without also having a few words about one integral piece of the bullpen – Kenley Jansen.
Jansen blew a two-run lead in the ninth against Arizona Friday, allowing a two-run home run to Carson Kelly, who then took Juilo Urias yard in extras to put the D-backs on top. Word on the Twittersphere is Jansen just needs more work. Maybe so – he did come back Saturday with the Dodgers up 4-0 in the ninth and held fast for the win.
Things got a bit scrappy Friday night following a *very* questionable call on A.J. Pollock (yeah he got hit – no doubt). Former Pollock teammate Archie Bradley plunked Pollock on the wrist. Drama ensued at the close of the game with a benches-clearing near-brawl. The brouhaha was left on the field with no retaliatory actions the rest of the series. At least Bradley didn’t poop his pants…
Back to Jansen though: there’s no question his velocity is down and the cutter just doesn’t cut like it used to. A quick review of Jansen’s pitch use the last few seasons shows how much he moved to using the slider and change up. Is it just a matter of getting more work in? If so we would expect to see more of Jansen in late-inning, non-save situations.
In other Dodgers pitching news, Hyun-Jin Ryu threw seven shutout innings for the final win of the homestand, which was his first outing after a stint on the IL. He got out of a few jams while giving up five hits, striking out four and allowing just one free pass.
The Dodgers head east today, matching up again the Marlins and Braves for three a-piece before heading back home for interleague play against Toronto and the Yankees. They finish off August against Arizona once again after a 3-game series in San Diego.
