Jansen faced the music after a loss
Baseball is a game of failure and you can learn a lot about a player when he stumbles.
Kenley Jensen had a one-pitch loss against the Giants last Saturday, giving up a home run to J.D. Davis leading off the bottom of the ninth inning. He seemed stunned coming off the mound.
It was the first time in his long career that Jansen had a one-pitch outing.
After the game, Jansen told reporters he would be with them shortly and a few minutes later stood in the center of the visitors’ clubhouse at Oracle Park to take questions.
He credited Davis with taking a good swing and offered no excuses.
“I missed my location and I paid for it,” Jansen said. “That’s how baseball works sometimes. You have to own it and move on to the next one.”
Jansen took every question. “Part of the job, man,” he said the next day.
Jansen wasn’t trying to impress anybody. But as he spoke, Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski, and some other young pitchers were paying attention.
Jansen has pitched well in his first season with the Sox. He’s also provided a template for others with his daily work ethic and professionalism that will impact the organization for years to come.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
■ Pardon my cynicism, but if the
Red Sox were indeed involved in the talks for Justin Verlander, it had to be only as an attempt to drive up the price. Even with the Mets supplementing his salary, it’s hard to imagine the Sox parting with two of their top five prospects for Verlander. Or that Verlander would approve a deal to a team with little chance of winning the World Series this season.
■ No matter how many baseball games you watch, there are always days when you see something for the first time.
Most recently that was Monday when Nick Pivetta started against Seattle. After doing his usual warm-up routine, Pivetta stayed in the bullpen and came into the game from there, jogging to the mound from left field.
Pivetta had pitched successfully in relief for the previous 10 weeks and didn’t want to change that up when he went back into the rotation.
Good idea. He allowed three runs on five hits over 7‚ innings and struck out 10 without a walk. Pivetta took the loss but keeping the reliever mind-set worked for him.
Pivetta had 43 strikeouts in July with only one start. It was the most strikeouts by a pitcher with one or fewer starts in a month since Dick Radatz had 45 in May of 1964.
“The Monster” appeared in 17 games that month and pitched 32„ innings. He was 3-3 with seven saves and allowed seven earned runs on 15 hits.
Radatz averaged 65 appearances and 122„ innings from 1962-66.
■ Chris Martin’s two-year, $17.5 million deal looked a bit hefty when it was agreed to in December. But it has proven astute.
Martin has a 1.32 ERA since coming off the injured list May 1 while holding hitters to a microscopic .488 OPS. His 2.0 bWAR is second on the team only to Brayan Bello (2.6) among pitchers.
■ Zack Kelly, who appeared to suffer a season-ending elbow injury April 12, threw off the mound Thursday at Fenway South. It’s uncertain if he can return this season, but Kelly has done well to get this far after a surgeon repositioned a nerve in his elbow.
Kelly has pitched well for the Sox in 19 relief appearances since 2022.
■ In the end, the Phillies returned Noah Song to the Sox after taking him in the Rule 5 Draft. Song is 26 and it’s uncertain if his window has closed. But it still seems strange Boston risked losing a player with his potential while keeping Frank German, Kaleb Ort, and Darwinzon Hernandez on the 40-man roster.
■ If you’re looking to get to Polar Park, here’s your chance. The Woo Sox start a 13-game homestand Tuesday. That gives you time to make a “Free Bobby Dalbec” banner.
■ Bianca Smith, a minor league coach with the Sox from 2021-22, is heading to Japan to coach school-age kids in Hokkaido as part of an exchange program.