October 14th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka As Dodger fans slowly recover from their team’s abrupt ending to the 2019 season, a season during which they won a franchise-record-setting 106 games and were predicted by many to ‘Go all the way,’ the perception that three-time All-Star Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is angry with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts for not handing him the ball in the top of the 10th inning of Game-5 of the 2019 National League Division Series and instead allowed Joe (‘Grand Slam’) Kelly to go back out to pitch after having retired the side in order in the top of the ninth, might be a bit skewed.
…at least publically.
Kelly, as you undoubtedly (and painfully) recall, led off the 10th by walking Nationals right fielder Adam Eaton, gave up a double to third baseman Anthony Rendon, intentionally walked left fielder Juan Soto and then gave up a game and season-ending grand slam home run to former Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick, all while Jansen watched from behind the bullpen gate.
(Video capture courtesy of TBS)
Kelly finally got Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman to fly out to left field for the first out of the inning, but then gave up a single to catcher Yan Gomes before Roberts finally brought in his ‘closer,’ who promptly retired the side on six pitches.
“My role always is when I get in the playoffs, it doesn’t matter if it’s a save situation,” a politically correct Jansen told reporters after the game in a very somber Dodgers clubhouse. “That’s how we’ve done it the last three years. Sometimes I come in earlier, anything happens in the postseason. You’ve just got to be ready when your name is called. Sometimes the best situation is for me to pitch in the seventh, sometimes it’s the eighth, sometimes it’s the ninth.
“I was ready for all of them,” Jansen added. “It’s tough, because thinking about it, you’re supposed to still be playing. You don’t know what to do right now. It’s a shocking moment. It’s not how we planned it.”
…or was it?
By every indication, Roberts’ decision to send Kelly back out for the 10th may have been entirely predicated by what Kelly did against the Dodgers last season during the 2018 World Series, when the 33-year-old Anaheim, CA native was a member of the Boston Red Sox.
(Video capture courtesy of Dodger Blue 1958)
To his credit, the 32-year-old Willemstad, Curaçao native took the high road and did not throw his heavily criticized manager under the bus, as he easily could have.
“You can’t look back and think, ‘What if?'” Jansen said, of not being allowed to enter the game sooner. “That’s how this game is. One thing that I know is we gave everything we have. This whole year we battled.”
Despite his struggles and inconsistencies for most of the regular season, Jansen actually enjoyed a rather successful September, during which he won one game and earned six saves, while blowing one. He also relied heavily on his previous successes against the Nationals, including having retired all five batters he had faced to that point during the Division Series, striking out two of them in his two appearances, although neither was a save situation.
Ironically, the guy who is at the end of his five-year / $35 million contract is Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. However, according to reports, Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten has already indicated that he fully expects that Friedman will remain with the Dodgers, this despite repeated outcries from fans that he be let go.
“I am completely certain of that, yes,” Kasten answered, when asked if Friedman would be retained nearly a month ago.
Then again, that was before the Dodgers were knocked out of the 2019 postseason in the very first round. In other words…
Stay tuned…
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Author’s Note: Friedman is scheduled to meet with reporters on Monday morning at Dodger Stadium. ThinkBlue LA will report on that meeting shortly thereafter.
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We have to remember back to last off season how the dodgers wanted to “reset the luxury tax, get under it and had to proceed with those handcuffs on which made it very difficult to add players. Freidman brought in Kelly which everyone thought was a great idea. Additionally who could have predicted the drop off to the extent that it happened with K Jansen. Move on!!!!!
Now to win a championship the dodgers have to use the huge savings in payroll
to fix the bullpen and transform it from a weakness to a strength. We need two
one from each side lock down late inning relievers and we have a ton of money to spend. Look at the Yankees pen as an example.
I think with freidman we are on the right track to win a championship and look forward to this offseason.
I don’t believe Jansen will opt out and walk away from a guaranteed $38MM for the next two seasons, but will not be surprised if he asks the Dodgers to trade him. Kenley seems to be a sensitive young man and being boo’d by home fans in Dodger Stadium, and the way he was “used” in the post season may be the last straw.
Your’e most likely correct on that one, SoCal. Of course if it gets publicly known Jansen wants and asks to be dealt, it does put Dodgers in a situation where they may not get much for him if teams feel Dodgers are pressured in some way to move him.. As far as how he and the other pitchers were used, well that falls in the lap of Roberts so WSS.
Does Kenley want out? Perhaps, jobs aren’t always perfect, but Kenley’s current gig pays awfully well. He aint opting out!
My hope is Kenley will be better next year. Easy to forget the kid went through a 5 and 1/2 hour heart operation less than a year ago. That could have hindered him this year.
Regarding “Grand Slam Kelly” I put that on Roberts. Kelly pitched very little over the last month of the season with some unknown ailment. Stretching him out in a game five playoff game wasn’t a good idea. Even if you think he’s got one more inning in him after a dominant ninth inning, after he walked the first guy in the tenth, PULL HIM.
Kelly is a hard one for me. His stuff looks as unhittable as can be. Hope he is better next year. In any event, his contract isn’t going to cripple the Dodgers going forward.
First things first, resign Friedman ASAP.
I’d start a couple of innings earlier on Doc’s mismanaging the pitching staff. After Rendon’s HR out guys led 3-2, Soto coming up. In the bullpen we have a guy who has dominated Soto. So, Kolarec handles him again, Kenta finishes the eighth and then we have Kenley for the ninth. A half hour from now I’m watching the Dodgers vs. the Cardinals.
Kersh is still good, but not the dominating pitcher he used to be. At his best his record in the post-season was suspect. Leaving him in did not give our guys the best chance to win.
I’m not suddenly anti-Robers or anti-Kershaw. I want to see both, along with Kenley and Hyun-Jin in Dodger blue next year.
In this case, IMHO, the pitching was handled all wrong.
YES! THIS!!
although he still could have used kelly in the ninth and the game is over 3-2
Yes, but Kenley is the closer and in the last month he’s shown that he’s still got it (or has got it back if you prefer).
So tired everyone blaming Kerch. The whole team had a part in losing NO ONE WAS HITTING, EVERYONE CHOKED!!!
Time to move on…
I don’t see where anyone is blaming Kersh.
Roberts should have brought in Adam Kloreck to pitch to rendon and soto in the 8th and then bring in Maeda to close out the game. I’m just sick to my stomache on dave Roberts and the often bad decisions hes made far as his bullpen pitchers and who he brings into the game.
Rendon is right-handed, not Kolorek’s strength. As the inning started there was no reason to believe Kersh couldn’t handle him.
As a life-long Dodger fan from SoFl, I’m as devastated as everyone else over the way our season ended. But, considering the Nationals have run off 3 straight games against the Cardinals (a team the Dodgers lost all 3 games in St.Louis earlier in the year), perhaps we should give credit to the NATS for their success in NLDS. Dodgers didn’t get key hits and left too many men on base. I think if we can solidify the bullpen in 2020, I think we’ll be fine. I bleed Dodger blue, but let’s show humility and pull for the NATS.
You’re absolutely right, the Nats have turned into a runaway train. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Dodgers were in position to win game five if the pitching had been properly managed.
Right on, Bob. But then again, things may have also ended up differently had the Dodger hitters not strikeout 64 times in the 5 games!
Sign Cole and lefty reliever Will Smith and it will be a successful off season. AF will have money from Freese retiring, letting Hill and Ryu go and trying to sign Martin at a discount. Also I would trade Peterson ,Stripling, Barnes, and Kiki for a right handed bat. Maybe Texas will take Kershaw if we eat some of the salary now that they’re opening the new ball park and Kershaw is from Texas. Maybe AF can work his magic. Hopefully Kenley opts out but that’s wishful thinking.
I think Hill is done. A 40 year old pitcher with a history of injuries isn’t going to be in demand.
Letting Ryu go would be a mistake. This year was no fluke. He had an ERA below 2 last year, the first time he pitched on this side of the pond with a healthy shoulder. They won’t regret giving him a three year contract. Please remember that I’m the guy who argued with almost everybody on two sites that he’d make it back from shoulder surgery, “as good or better than he was before”.
Kersh is not the dominating pitcher he once was, but he’s still good (top 10 ERA).
Kenley won’t opt out, and that’s a good thing.
We ALL know Kershaw isn’t the pitcher he was in his Cy Young days. I think even he knows that.
My question is: Does he adopt a new approach ala Greg Maddux? – Interestingly, Maddux was briefly a teammate and may have made an impression on a younger Kershaw with his thorough preparation and dominance with far less than overpowering stuff.
To me, on a World Championship aspiring team, Kershaw is now a No. 3 pitcher at best. I kind doubt Ryu will be given as long term a contract as he would like so I wonder if he’ll be back? Besides, 2019 was a career year for him so no one should expect the same level of performance. I also wonder what May and Gonsolin (others in the minors?) will mature into!