Dodgers Dave Roberts: Wheels Came Off with Kenley Jansen in Win Over Nationals
The Dodgers broke out from a 1-1 tie with a 3 run home run from Justin Turner and the game felt safe all the way up to the top of the 9th with 2 outs and Kenley Jansen facing Trea Turner.
Dave Roberts gave his thoughts on Kenley’s performance:
He was one strike away from having a clean inning. After the two strike base hit off the bat of turner, it just umm . . the wheels came off, really quite frankly.
He’s a guy that always had command, but after then he hit Eaton with that cut fastball and from that point on, he just couldn’t find it.
Tonight wasn’t a good night. – Dave Roberts
Kenley walked in a run before striking out Howie Kendrick with the bases loaded to get his 25th save of the season.
Good friend, teammate and hero of the game, Justin Turner, also gave his thougths on Kenley’s performance:
“We’re all so confident in him,” Turner said. “We want him to have the ball in the ninth inning and he knows it. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” – FOXsports.com
After the game, Orel Hershiser suggested that Kenley take the day off tomorrow to reset and from what we can tell on social media, that would be a great idea.
Leave your thoughts below in the comment section on what the Dodgers need to do to fix the bullpen situation.
We need a new closer, Kenley Jansen is no longer trustworthy with the role. We need to get to the world series and win it this time.
Maybe we need two guys in the pen. Jansen has lost his famous command
Too bad you can’t take the next game off to reset during the postseason
We’ll never win the WS with Jansen as the closer. His ERA is now almost 4.00. Too inconsistent. tendency to give up homers and doesn’t rise to the occasion. Personally I believe he’s been overrated all the way along.
The Dodgers can’t expect to win a WS with this bullpen. If changes aren’t made we’re going to be the Buffalo Bills of baseball. Just embarrassing they haven’t been able to address this glaring need. No one else remembers Kenley’s past WS performances ? And he hasn’t got better.
Dave has to make the tough decision to come get him when he sees him struggling like this. Dave’s strategy to live or die by Kenley isn’t going to work this post season. Everyone but Dave see’s it!
Kenley’s days as a closer are done for a team that needs to win a World Series! He is not the answer anymore. No confidence
Kenley has been inconsistent w Locarion most of the last 2 years and is no longer dominant, but he gets a liot of opportunity for saves . Good teams will be patient hitting against him and force him to throw hittable balls over the plate. It doesnt get easier in the playoffs. only harder vs Tough talent every night.
Jansen is not healthy……….between the ears. You can sense his lack of confidence from warming up in the bullpen, his walk out to the mound, deer-in-the-headlights stare looking in for the sign. Instant implosion when a runner gets on.
Time for a new bullpen calculus.
Instead of building a bridge to Jansen in the ninth, keep him at the toll plaza for a bit and Fast Track Urias.
It’s unfortunate the team waited this long to try to address the BP. Now they have little to no leverage in any negotiations and teams know they’re probably desperate. Teams will ask for guys like Ruiz, May and Lux in groups and knowing Friedman’s tendency to hold on to the top prospects, nothing major will be done before the deadline. Unfortunately they’re going to have to ride with this inconsistent group and probably fail miserably. Not sure if a postseason fail this year will be tolerated.
Jansen has lost his command, change is needed or plan on losing more tight games, he dosen’t have it anymore, you can’t keep giving him a chance at winning, soon you’ll hopefully be in the playoffs, you can’t trust the fact that he will get the job done please let him go, please please, please don’t say i said so
Frankly I think it’s time to trade Jansen, he seems too comfortable no matter the situation: good or bad. It make cost us the WS but I wish him the best.
trade? at this point, you’ll give him away.
Roberts is really concerned and is saying things I would have never expected him to say. Everyone gets it, Jansen is done as a dominant closer completely unreliable.
Dodgers are afraid of Jansen because he pouts if he doesn’t get his way. He doesn’t realize he’s on the decline
Jansen is suffering the Darvish Syndrome.
Make KJ the set up man for Urias or trade for Felipe Vaqueze of the Pirates and KJ can be the set up man for him. His mental psyche is gone
He got the save
He’s always on the verge of blowing it. I think by the playoffs he’ll be completely broken down and will blow games. Plus his ERA is not only bad for a closer but also for any reliever in a bullpen
The official scorer should have stepped in and given it to Baez. Jansen should have been charged with a blown save
Let Jansen go! Everytime he comes I get ?? I’m so so done with him.
If only he was a team player and willing to be moved around like almost everyone else on this team who’s willing to do so. We could go and get a reliever who can close and set up. But Jansens ego won’t allow this to happen. It would be great to have 2 closers who are willing to take turns and come in in different situations depending on what’s best for the team on that given day. To me this is the best solution but it can’t happen and it’s unfortunate
Jansen should not be a closer, rather a set up man….trade for a closer please!
Maybe the Dodgers shouldn’t have wasted the peak years of Jansen and Kershaw. You’re starting to see the fast decline and it just so happened to come when this finally started making it to the World Series. Bad timing, should’ve won one years ago now it’s going to be super hard with an unreliable closer and Kershaw serving up bombs in the World Series
He is single handedly going to cost us suffering Dodger fans a 3rd World Series If only Friedman step in and do something before it s too late!
I personally think he still has it, he is just going through a rough stretch. If he’s at his best or not we won’t win it if we don’t add another reliever. He’s been our guy for the past 5 years I still trust him.
I wonder if he’s still dealing with the health issues that came to be at the end of last season.
I have never seen a closer doing what Jansen does when a runner gets to second base and that is to balk intentionally to move the runner to third base so he doesn’t steal signs from the catcher!!!! And he’s done it twice already and Dave Roberts allows him to do that!!! VERY STUPID AND CARELESS!!!! And Jansen is not the same guy anymore and I agree with Art Gamst above, time to get another closer because After tonight, we as fans do not trust him anymore!!!!
I dont think he is the same Jansen we all knew. I think he has lost a little and is not dealing with the pressure and responsibilities he once was so able to. Dodgers need to really invest on another top closer to relieve the pressure on Jansen and to ensure success loving forward. Most especially if they want to win the world series.
Baseball is a business that’s supported by the fans. Jansen is not getting the job done that we the fans expect from a top closer in the league. Most especially from a club like the Dodgers. He MUST be REPLACED by a REAL closer thats much more reliable!
Dodgers go nowhere in the playoffs with Jansen as the closer. If the Dodgers don’t pickup a quality reliever at the deadline,I would make Urias the closer this year and a starter next year.I really think the Dodgers should acquire a starter. Can’t count on Hill coming back fully healthy and Stripling will not cut against quality playoff teams.
Definetly agree Jansen won’t get it done whatever it takes they need to aquire someone else or they won’t win it all again
it is now past the time to wait and watch, it’s now to act decisively and get a “closer” and another “top tier” pitcher, otherwise, it’ll be another very disappointing bitter WS lost. Dodgers gotta give up some prospects to do so. Dodgers are at a crossroad, win now or “wait till next year” trite cliche.
Lifelong Dodgers Fan since the 1960’s… My L.A. Dodgers, unfortunately will never win it all with the egomaniac/panicky combo character, that Manager Dave Roberts, has most definitely proven to be… talk about overrated?
Kudos to Turner for being politically correct. As a good teammate should be. This was not the first time this happens this year. Jansen thank you for the years of service but you can’t close anymore. C’mon Roberts, front office, who ever is managing the team – open your eyes, this cannot continue to happen. We need a bullpen and a closer. Thank God Baez had a great outing last night and for the umpire calling strikes on two high pitches to Howie. AS ALWAYS GO DODGERS!!
To be ready for postseason is the focal point . It’s not to soon to dial in on this. Smith being brought up is a great move. The only other issue is the bullpen. K.J. is not going to be enough as a closer has to be. Not anymore. And a second tier name wont be enough either. Only atop shelf closer/ set up man with closer potential will make the necessary difference required. It must be done. The World Series is no place for shakey ground.
the competition will only get tougher and in the playoff, Dodgers will face tougher elevated competition and talents. fill-in the holes now, or end a promising season in failure. it is now time to face reality, it is WS or bust. no more next year.
I hol;d my breath every time Jansen comes in to pitch. His time as a closer is finished. Sorry, no WS win with Kensly.
Definetly agree Jansen won’t get it done whatever it takes they need to aquire someone else or they won’t win it all again
Well, yes Jansen has had some blown saves and some ugly close calls including last night. It is very concerning. But if Jansen was not on the team this year, we probably wouldn’t be in first place.
Yes the bullpen has been excruciating to watch in 2019 so far, but this team without Jansen would not be in 1st place. Obviously Jansen is not quite as dominant this year as in the past, but for what this guy has meant to LA over his career, I am eternally grateful.
As to the bullpen in general, I do not think that we have the closers that will get us to winning a World Series in 2019. I pray we address this by the trading deadline.
And finally, the first half of this year has been amazing. The team has been on fire. It seemed that we were racking up victories so easily. But since right before the All Star game, our overall play has been very spotty, our hitting has struggled, and we have been getting lots of errors. I don’t know if this is fatigue or if the players are just chilling with a huge lead in the division. But watching the Dodgers since the all star break has been difficult and I worry mightily that if they are fortunate to even make the World Series, they might have no shot against the Yankees or Astros. The games they played against the Angels this year were unwatchable.
Dodgers need to get rid of all the under achieve so called picture they have and get more or either just say your not gonna win this World Series either if they even make that far frankly because it’s seem to me no matter how many lead they have the reliever except one or two can’t come in and get outs frankly,I’ve been a Dodger fan all my life as I can remember but this bull pen I the worst that include Kenley Jansen he had problem with his heart haven’t been same since I’m hoping the upper management can see that the team need a closer period amount starter as well because they can win everything with great pitching starting 5 and a few reliever even if the used starter in bull pen.
Everybody complains about the bullpen. They’re the first team to 20,30,40,50,60 and 70 wins WITH THAT SAME BULLPEN. “They need to trade for an ace.” We did that the last 2 years and did it get us a World Series Win? Half the roster is pitchers. We have good pitchers, Coach Roberts will find the right combo by end of September.
The most prominent LA Dodger starters should tell management trade Jansen or trade us