Prior to being placed on the 10-day disabled list for an irregular heartbeat on August 10, Dodgers three-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen had converted 32 of his then 35 save opportunities. Since returning from the DL exactly 10 days later on August 20, the 30-year-old Willemstad, Curacao native has converted none. In fact, he has blown one save and lost two of the three games in which he appeared after his return.

But wait, there’s more.

Prior to going on the DL, Jansen had allowed only six home runs the entire season and none after July 23. Since returning from the DL he has given up four.

In the simplest of terms and whether he is willing to admit it or not, there is something wrong with Kenley Jansen – be it physical, mental, or mechanical – in a bullpen that is loaded to the gills with struggling relievers.

After his latest appearance on Saturday night against the NL West last place San Diego Padres at a sold out Dodger Stadium, Jansen blew a 4-3 Dodgers lead in the top of the ninth inning when he gave up a one-out, game-tying solo home run to Padres catcher Austin Hedges on a pitch that couldn’t have been more over the heart of the plate and belt high than if it were sitting on a tee. It was arguably the single-worst pitch that the extremely popular Dodgers closer has ever made … ever.

Although Jansen managed to escape the remainder of the inning without further damage, the game went into extra innings until Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner did what Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner always seems to do; he blooped a game-winning, walk-off single to short right field to score pinch-hitter Matt Kemp (who had drawn a leadoff walk off of Padres right-hander Robert Stock and had been sacrifice bunted over to second base by Dodgers replacement center fielder Kiké Hernandez) to give the Dodgers – and left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson – the eventual 5-4 win in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Immediately after the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that his star closer is having some issues, although as he often does, he minimized it.

“The stuff was good. The command, where the bar is at, it’s not there,” Roberts said. “I still thought there was some swing-and-miss in there, [but] you look at that pitch to Hedges, that was middle-middle, right in his nitro zone.”

That would be “the nitro zone.”
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

And what did Jansen himself have to say about his latest disaster? Pretty much what you might expect from a guy with his fire and competitiveness would say.

“You can’t control life,” Jansen told reporters. “Everything was going so well. The reality hits your mind and starts to slow you down. You just have to get back to it.”

Jansen, who insists he has no lingering effects from his irregular heartbeat and claims to be 100 percent healthy, said that he had already spoken with Roberts and that he would be given the day off on Sunday (which is followed by a scheduled day off on Monday), but plans to work on his command, either during a bullpen session or while throwing on flat ground. He added that he will be ready to go when the team opens a two-game interleague series with the Texas Rangers in Arlington.

“I don’t need a mental break. I’m fine,” Jansen insisted. “I just need to figure out some stuff. I think tomorrow will be a great day to figure out my stuff, sharpen up, and be ready. It’s not the first time I’ve had a blown save.

“It’s hard to explain. When the ball is running so much like that, I have to figure out, either maybe to stay back, drive a little bit more, or cut myself short. It’s a matter of being consistent. I’m not making an excuse, it just sucks,” he added.

“I’m not making an excuse, it just sucks.” – Kenley Jansen
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

As for the suggestion that his struggles are mental more than mechanical, the 6′-5″ / 255-pound gentle giant made it abundantly clear to the contrary.

“I’m fine. I’m good. I don’t need a mental break,” Jansen insisted. “Nothing bothers me. It will be over with today before I go home with my family. I probably won’t even think about it anymore. That’s what you have to do, figure out a way to leave everything here, go home and live a normal life, then come back the next day and you will figure it out.”

Physical, mental, or mechanical, Roberts said that he will indeed be giving his All-Star closer a break.

“To come back after down 10 days and to put him into the fire like we have, to give him two days to reset, across the board, is a good thing,” said the Dodger skipper.

The unfortunate recipient of Jansen’s blown save was Dodgers future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who was once again absolutely brilliant. In his 8.0 innings of work on Saturday night, Kershaw allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts, doing so on 92 pitches of which 52 were strikes.

But as you would expect, even Kershaw had nothing but praise for the man who has done so much for the team in his nine seasons with the Dodgers.

“We all believe in him. You look at the stuff and what he’s doing, it’s not far off from where he’s been in the past,” said Kershaw. “Kenley when he’s right he’ll be just fine. A couple missed locations the last few games. The velocity is there, the cut if there. It’s just a matter of time for him.”

The obvious problem is that after Sunday’s series finale with the Padres at Dodger Stadium, and after Monday’s much-needed off day, the Dodgers have exactly 32 games remaining in the regular season. And, as MLB Network Radio’s Jim Bowden said on Sunday morning – “The Dodgers won’t be playing in October if Jansen isn’t Jansen.”

Word.