Jansen was fired up to face former Dodgers teammates
ATLANTA » Something looked different about Kenley Jansen this weekend. And it wasn’t just the Braves uniform he now wears.
“I don’t remember seeing a 97 (mph) — and multiples,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Jansen closed out the Braves win Saturday night, striking out the side in the ninth inning with more velocity than he had displayed in his last few seasons with the Dodgers.
“I think there was a little bit more behind it. It was coming in hot.”
One of Jansen’s strikeout victims, Cody Bellinger, said it was “weird” stepping in the batter’s box against Jansen. But the extra heat didn’t surprise him.
“I kind of expected it,” Bellinger said. “We knew he had it in the tank. He’s shown it this year. And obviously — big game, great crowd, I knew he was coming at 95 plus.”
After three seasons when his average fastball velocity dipped below 92.5 mph, Jansen is average velocity this season (93.8 mph) is essentially the same as last year (93.9), his final season with the Dodgers. But he averaged 95.6 mph on his cutter and 96.9 mph on his sinker against the Dodgers Saturday night and acknowledged there was extra motivation facing his former team.
“Of course,” he said Sunday. “I mean, you’re facing your old teammates. I know how great they are as hitters, man. You can’t make mistakes with those guys. For me, they know me so well I’m going to come out firing.”
Even with their recent postseason history, Jansen wouldn’t call the DodgersBraves matchups a rivalry. “Rivalry will be the Giants forever for me,” he said. But he did say all the crossover of players (Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel and himself) makes it interesting.
“It’s more of a family reunion for me, watching my guys that I played with for a long time,” he said.
With both teams among the National League’s best, there could be another reunion in October. If it happens, it would be the fourth time in the past five years that the Dodgers and Braves met in the postseason.
“I would love it,” Jansen said. “It would be a dream come true. Why not? Facing my old teammates? Why not? It would be a great fight. I think the league wants it too. See the two champions (from the past two seasons) battle in either the National League championship or division or whatever. I think that would be good for baseball.”
Betts progresses
Mookie Betts was given permission to leave the team and attend a wedding over the weekend. He headed back to Los Angeles and won’t make the trip to Colorado for the series there.
Roberts said Betts’ status is “the same.” He has not been cleared to start baseball activities and might not be any time soon. The Dodgers manager acknowledged his early optimism about Betts possibly returning in two to three weeks — using Bellinger’s 11-game absence with his own rib fracture last season as a benchmark — was unrealistic.
Betts was the leading AllStar vote-getter among all National League players in the first results announced by MLB last week. But his ability to heal in time to play in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19 has to be considered questionable.
Also
Left-hander Caleb Ferguson threw to hitters Sunday. On the injured list with forearm tendinitis, Ferguson is heading back to L.A. along with Blake Treinen to continue his rehab there. … Zach McKinstry was in Sunday’s original lineup, playing right field, but he was a late scratch with neck stiffness. Trayce Thompson started in his place.