Kenley Jansen, the Los Angeles Dodgers closer, was bursting with excitement a month ago after learning that his team was trading for star infielder Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles. He also dropped a hint to the front office.
“Hopefully we could get a few pieces in our bullpen, and it’s go time,” Jansen said by his locker in Washington after the All-Star Game. “It’s going to be a fun, fun second half.”
So much for that. The Dodgers made only minimal additions to their bullpen in July, a decision that burned them repeatedly in one of the most agonizing six-day stretches in recent history.
Jansen went on the disabled list Aug. 10 with an irregular heartbeat, a recurring condition for which he was prescribed blood thinners in 2011. The next year he underwent a procedure called catheter ablation to stabilize his heart rhythm; last week, he told reporters that he may need a similar surgery this offseason. Jansen said he would have a better idea of his pitching schedule after a follow-up appointment this Monday.
“Right now I’m going to keep taking my blood thinners, and hopefully there are no side effects from the medication I’m taking,” he said. “And I am pretty confident I will be back sooner than later.”
The Dodgers felt Jansen’s absence acutely in their first two series without him. For six games in a row, a different reliever allowed a tying or go-ahead run in the seventh inning or later: Zac Rosscup, J.T. Chargois, Dylan Floro, Scott Alexander, Kenta Maeda and then Caleb Ferguson.
The Dodgers lost the first five of those games — three in Colorado, two to San Francisco — to squander their share of first place in the National League West. Fortunately for them, some other NL contenders have had similar struggles. Seven teams besides the Dodgers stood within three games of a playoff spot through Wednesday, and their bullpens could make the difference down the stretch.
Arizona: The Diamondbacks had the NL’s best bullpen ERA through Wednesday (3.14), despite the second-slowest average fastball (92.2 mph, ahead of only San Diego). But Archie Bradley, who had a 1.97 ERA before the All-Star break, had a 10.13 mark in his first 10 games after it.
Atlanta: The newly acquired Brad Brach and Jonny Venters had thrown seven scoreless innings apiece for the Braves through Wednesday, and the rookie closer A.J. Minter had converted 11 of 12 saves. Two other rookies, Jesse Biddle and Dan Winkler, have helped make this a quietly effective bullpen.
Chicago: The Cubs got a dominant first half from closer Brandon Morrow, who pitched in all seven World Series games for the Dodgers last fall, but he has missed more than a month with a biceps injury and has no clear timetable for a return. The always-aggressive Cubs have added Jesse Chavez, Brandon Kintzler and Jorge De La Rosa in his absence and gotten strong work from Pedro Strop and others.
Colorado: The Rockies spent $106 million last winter on free-agent contracts for Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee, who had combined for a 6.00 ERA through Wednesday — unsightly at any altitude. Newcomer Seunghwan Oh, acquired in July from Toronto, has been mostly solid so far.
Milwaukee: The Brewers seemed to have an overpowering bullpen, but Corey Knebel has lost the closer’s role and the team’s major July pitching acquisition, Joakim Soria, is out with a thigh injury. The Brewers still have two All-Star relievers — Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress — but depth is especially crucial to them because their rotation rarely offers much certainty.
Philadelphia: While the Phillies’ relievers ranked 21st in innings through Wednesday, the team ranked fifth in individual relief appearances. In other words, manager Gabe Kapler heavily favors brief relief outings based on matchups. The rookie closer Seranthony Dominguez has blown two saves this month, but he subdued the Boston Red Sox in a four-out save on Wednesday.
St. Louis: As the Cardinals have surged into the pennant race under their interim manager, Mike Shildt, they have released Greg Holland, added the former Yankee Chasen Shreve and installed the rookies Dakota Hudson and Daniel Poncedeleon in the bullpen. More help could be coming for closer Bud Norris and their hard-throwing setup man, Jordan Hicks: Starter Carlos Martinez, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, will be used in relief if he returns.