It’s no secret that Dodgers All-Star closer Kenley Jansen has had a rough season in 2018. But after a slow start and a very serious health concern, it appears that the soon-to-be 31-year-old (on September 30) Willemstad, Curacao native and three-time All-Star is back to the same Kenley Jansen that we all know and love … and just in the nick of time.

Although many Dodger fans were quick to give up on the hard-throwing right-hander, there is one guy who did not … not ever – Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“Kenley all year, in and out, has been fighting his delivery, and so there was something that he and one of the pitching coaches felt [was wrong] with his lower half,” Roberts told reporters prior to Sunday’s 14-0 blowout win over the San Diego Padres. “And so it sort of clicked and he took it into the game and the swings showed that it worked.

“I think with Kenley, I’ve always had confidence in Kenley, and I think that at times the results haven’t been there, the consistency for Kenley. But I do realize that for us to win the division and beyond, we’re going to need him at the back-end. So I think a big part of it is the manager has to have confidence in him.”

Sure enough, about two weeks ago, something indeed “clicked.” The ‘Big Man,’ as Jansen is affectionately known, suddenly appeared to be back to his old dominating self. In fact, since August 31, Jansen has converted all five of his save opportunities and even picked up a win along the way. And even though he is 1-5 on the season, has given up 17 walks, and has allowed a career-high 10 home runs this season, Jansen still has an excellent 2.78 ERA. Additionally, as of this writing, he has 37 saves on the season – second most in the National League behind only Rockies closer Wade Davis, who has 41.

There are few thing more comforting for Dodger fans than seeing this guy on the mound.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

What does Jansen’s sudden return to form do for the Dodgers confidence, not just the bullpen guys, but for the entire team that is on the cusp of winning a franchise-record-setting sixth consecutive division title?

“It’s huge, and he understands that,” Robert answered. “If a closer has a bad day, you lose the game typically. And so he understands the weight of that, the responsibility. And so for him to have real confidence, has performance supporting that,  it kind of trickles down to all of us.”

With a magic number of six and six games left to play in the regular season, including a huge three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning tonight at a less-than-friendly Chase Field, having ‘the best closer in the game today,’ (as Kenley Jansen has often been called) back and at 100 percent, you’ve certainly got to like the Dodgers chances of winning that sixth consecutive division title, perhaps even as early as Wednesday evening.

…and we all know how the Dodgers like to celebrate at Chase Field (wink, wink).

When the Dbacks asked the Dodgers not celebrate on their field after winning the 2013 NL West division title, they didn’t say anything about celebrating in their pool. Since then, the Dbacks now utilize mounted police officers to prevent the Dodgers from doing so again. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Play Ball!