Standing in front of his locker Saturday night, Kenley Jansen wore a smile as broad as his shoulders.
Jansen earned his 21st save in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres, against whom he gave up three runs in a walk-off defeat the previous night.
“I wanted to get back out there,” Jansen said. “Talking to the players, I was telling them, ‘Just get me back out there,’ so I could turn the page. That’s exactly what happened.”
Jansen said the adjustments he made were more mechanical than mental.
In the wake of the loss on Friday night, assistant pitching coach Ken Howell and bullpen coach Chuck Crim broke down tape of Jansen’s recent performances and found some problems in Jansen’s delivery.
Before the game Saturday, Jansen threw a bullpen session under their watch.
“I’ve been pulling my head a little too early and my arm kept dragging and the ball didn’t cut as much, the ball was flat and straight,” Jansen said. “We went back to the old tapes and saw how I threw last year.”
Jansen gave up a one-out infield single to Yasmani Grandal, but was otherwise perfect. Jansen ended the game by striking out Chris Denorfia.
“That closer has to be able to clean the slate,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “You’ve seen it over the years: Guys are going to give up games. It’s just the way it is. The key is to bounce back. That’s where Kenley’s been pretty good. He seems to keep confidence, especially since he’s grown up in this role a little bit.”