Bullpen regains its toughness
A source of consternation and the butt of jokes in the first month and a half of the season has become a strength for the Dodgers in the last two weeks.
A bullpen that absorbed its share of beatings in April and early May entered Saturday night with a 1.30 earned-run average, a .107 batting average-against and an 0.60 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) in 13 games since May 21, all major league lows.
“We’ve had more consistency,” said closer Kenley Jansen, who has anchored the relief corps with a 1.29 ERA and 16 saves in 18 opportunities in his first 22 appearances.
“We know we have to stay mentally tough. We have to stay consistent as long as we can. If we focus on those two things … those are the keys to the bullpen, and we’re showing them right now.”
Jansen, the seven-year veteran, has been the one constant in the bullpen, a right-hander who holds the same job he began the season with. But the bridge between the starter and closer has undergone major renovations since April.
Out as primary setup man is struggling righthander Chris Hatcher (5.24 ERA in 23 games). J.P. Howell (5.82 ERA in 20 games) lost his primary left-handed relief role in mid-April.
Former Angels castoff Joe Blanton and Louis Coleman, who opened the season as long and middle relievers, have thrived in setup roles. Blanton has a 2.51 ERA and is holding opponents to a .128 average in 25 games and Coleman has a 2.28 ERA and is holding opponents to a .154 average in 25 games.
Adam Liberatore, who opened the season at triple A, replaced Howell as the team’s primary left-handed reliever and has a 1.08 ERA in 22 games, and right-hander Pedro Baez has steadied himself since mid-May, lowering his ERA from 4.86 to 3.86 in his last eight appearances before Saturday.
“To have guys in various roles getting outs makes for a much cleaner game,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “We believed that consistency, and finding a way to get the ball to Kenley, was in there. To see that on a consistent basis has been good for all of us.”
Youth movement
Corey Seager, who turned 22 on April 27, on Friday became the youngest player in 50 years to hit three homers in a game. Only Al Kaline (1955), Eddie Mathews (1952), Mel Ott (1930), Hal Trosky (1934) and Boog Powell (1963) had three-homer games at a younger age.
Seager began Saturday with a .317 average, 10 homers and 19 runs batted in since May 3, and he led the Dodgers in hits (62), homers (12), doubles (12), runs (36) and RBIs (31).
“The temperament, the pulse, the mechanics of his swing, pitch recognition … all of these things make a good player a great player,” Roberts said. “I saw him a little bit last year, and you hear a lot of things from scouts, but he was a prospect with under a year of [big league] service.
“So to watch him day to day, to get to know him as a person and a ballplayer, we’re very lucky to have him. He’s just a kid who is unfazed. Whether it’s in a big spot, or the notoriety or the celebrity, he just wants to play baseball.”