The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to need Kenley Jansen to work through his struggles if they want to make a playoff push down the stretch, but they aren’t going to get any help from the right-hander on Sunday.
After Jansen blew a save against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher will be unavailable for the series finale.
Dave Roberts said that Kenley Jansen will be down tomorrow. One reason he pulled Maeda is that he wanted Maeda available again tomorrow. Seems as if Maeda might get the ninth in a save situation.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) August 26, 2018
Jansen also allowed two home runs when he entered in a tie game on Monday in his first outing since returning from the disabled list. He then came on in another tie game on Wednesday and allowed a two-run homer to Paul DeJong, dropping his record to 0-5 on the season.
Jansen returned quicker than expected after he was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat on Aug. 9. He posted a career-low 1.32 ERA last season while helping to lead the Dodgers on a deep postseason run, and he has been critical to the team’s success. It makes sense that getting him right is a priority for Roberts.
