The Los Angeles Dodgers held their first National League Division Series workout at Globe Life Field over the weekend in preparation of their Game 1 matchup against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Several pitchers got some work in by facing batters, including Kenley Jansen, who looked considerably better than his last appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers. “I thought he threw the baseball really well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“He along with seven or eight other guys threw to hitters. “I loved the exercise that our coaches came up with. Kenley threw the baseball really well.
“Like I said the other day, he’s our closer but there’s still opportunities — and I talked to Kenley [Saturday] — just to be on the same page, that there’s still going to be times I might need him in a different inning.
“He’s on board with whatever to help us win baseball games. It’s a title, but I think that in practice, there’s certain innings and parts of the lineup that I think he’s the best option. We’ll kind of proceed that way.”
Jansen made one appearance in the Wild Card Series, closing out the Dodgers’ 4-2 win against the Brewers. While the right-hander tossed a scoreless inning, he struggled with his command and saw his cutter velocity dip to as low as 86 mph.
Jansen was passed over for the save opportunity in Game 2, which Roberts gave to Brusdar Graterol. Like Jansen in the opener, he tossed a scoreless ninth inning, allowing just one baserunner.
Roberts explained Jansen was available but he thought it best to give the Brewers a different look from the night prior.
Graterol finding success with positive attitude
In the midst of his first season with the Dodgers, Graterol has expressed a willingness to take on any role asked of him, whether its serving as an opener or pitching the ninth inning.
“I’m really positive. I like having that kind of energy and excitement, because you never know what’s going to happen. I try to bring that and focus my energy toward my teammates as well,” Graterol recently said.
“My mentality and mindset is really aggressive (when pitching), but my personality and what I want is to be more toward the happy side of things. That’s what I bring to the field. I can incorporate both the aggressive side and having joy.”
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