Dodgers need to relieve themselves of Kenley Jansen

It’s time to close the book on Kenley Jansen.

His time as the Dodgers closer is at the end. It was a good run. He had his moments. 

When he is on, he is one of the best relief pitchers in the league.

But when he is struggling, he costs the Dodgers games. Important games. At crucial times during the season.

Last week was a good example.

He blew two saves against the surprising San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers were within striking distance of first place in the National League West standings when the series between the Dodgers and Giants started on Monday. The Dodgers were one game back and starting a four-game set against the first-place Giants.

In the third game of the series, with the Dodgers up 2-1 in the ninth inning, Jansen gave up three runs including a go-ahead, two-run home run to Wilmer Flores, and the Dodgers lost the game, 4-2.

The next night, Jansen gave up four runs in the ninth inning and blew a two-run lead. The Giants won that game, 5-3, and the Dodgers fell to three games out of first place as the series came to a close.

Without Jansen, the Dodgers probably don’t have the second best record in the majors. He was unhittable in June, gave up zero earned runs, zero runs of any sort, and was 8-for-8 in save opportunities. His June numbers were All Star worthy, even though he was not an All Star. He had 10 strikeouts in 11 games and 10.1 innings. He walked only four batters in those 11 appearances and lowered his ERA to 1.38 at one point.

But July has been a much different story.

Jansen has surrendered eight earned runs in 6.2 innings. He has eight strikeouts and seven walks in that stretch. He is 2-for-5 in save opportunities, and two of his three blown saves came against the Giants when the Dodgers had a chance to close the gap in the standings. 

Bad timing. Bad performances. Bad news.

Jansen’s ERA went from 1.38 in June to 3.05 in July. It begs the question, what are the Dodgers options with Jansen?

There are three possibilities. 

One is to replace him with another closer. There are a few options: Blake Treinen, Joe Kelly, David Price. But it doesn’t look like manager Dave Roberts is going to choose any of those relievers over Jansen. Jansen closed out the game against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night. The Dodgers had a 1-0 lead and Roberts brought in Jansen to pitch the ninth inning. Even though Jansen walked a batter with two outs, he delivered with his 22nd save of the season.

Whew!

But every game that Jansen has appeared in recent weeks has been too close for comfort.

The second option is to trade for a closer. The Chicago Cubs are selling and their closer, Craig Kimbrel, is one of the players the Cubs are considering trading. Are the Dodgers willing to pay the price for a legitimate closer like Kimbrel? What is the asking price? Are the Dodgers willing to bring in a pitcher that will ultimately destroy Jansen’s confidence? The answer to all those questions will surface by the end of the month. July 31 is the trade deadline.

The third option is to stand pat. The Dodgers have a couple reliable relievers expected to return off the injured list. Corey Knebel is the most intriguing of the pitchers. He is definitely an option at closer if he returns at 100%. The other reliever who will make an impact is Jimmy Nelson. He is not only a reliable arm out of the bullpen, but he can make a spot start here and there. The starting rotation is becoming another glaring hole as the trade deadline nears. 

But that’s another topic for another day. 

Dodgers starting pitching power rankings:

1. Walker Buehler
2. Julio Urias
3. Tony Gonsolin
4. Josiah Gray
5. David Price 

The Dodgers played their 101st game on Sunday, a 3-2 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Kelly pitched the ninth inning to earn the save, an unexpected surprise for sure. The season is about two-thirds over and it doesn’t look like the Giants are going to fade anytime soon. It also looks like the Dodgers are in the fight for a wild-card spot in the playoffs. That also means those pesky San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are all of a sudden threats to the Dodgers repeating as World Series champions.

The Dodgers (61-40) start a three-game series against the first-place Giants on Tuesday. The Dodgers have another chance to make up some ground, even take over first place in the NL West standings. It will take a sweep, but the opportunity is there. The Dodgers end the week with a series against the lowly Diamondbacks in Arizona starting on Friday.