Dave Roberts' Comments Don't Exactly Endorse Kenley Jansen After Latest Blown Save
By Sean Facey
The Dodgers escaped with another walk-off win on Wednesday, but the reason why they had to go to extra innings to take home a victory wasn't lost upon Dave Roberts.
Los Angeles' skipper seemed hesitant to commit to having Kenley Jansen as the team's full-time closer after he blew his sixth save of the year against the Blue Jays.
Dave Roberts In Kenley Jansen: “If there’s a save situation, he’ll be back out there.”
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) August 22, 2019
“It’s good to have options, but right now Kenley is our closer.”
"If there's a save situation, he'll be back out there," Roberts maintained, but he was quick to add in the fact that "it's good to have options."
On the surface, it might look like a vote of support, but he seems more keen on keeping his options open rather than committing to using Jansen as the team's closer from here on out.
It's hard to blame him for not doubling down on his closer. Jansen has struggled to be his usual dominant self this year. Following last night's mishap, he now sports a 3.70 ERA and has allowed eight home runs, the second-most he's ever allowed in a single season.
Kenley Jansen's 3.70 ERA, 3.58 xFIP, and 3.01 SIERA are all career-highs. 1.48 HR/9 also stands out. Not bad, but nowhere near the type of elite numbers you'd expect from him.
— Baseball Focus (@baseball_focus) August 22, 2019
Even while holding the best record in the National League, every game is important, and Roberts knows full well that he needs to have more than one guy he can turn to when the game is late and close.
That's especially imperative with Jansen struggling to lock things down on a consistent basis. A few more hiccups like he had against Toronto, and the 31-year-old closer likely won't be the team's sole ninth-inning option anymore.
Which isn't great, considering the lack of reliable back-end arms they've got surrounding him. The Felipe Vazquez non-trade looms large once again.