Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Upset With Kenley Jansen’s Postgame Comments

“It’s a little bit of a tough pill to swallow,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Wednesday during his pregame interview before the Dodgers took on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Roberts comment refers to an incident that occurred on Tuesday when Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen told reporters in front of his locker postgame that he should have come out of the Dodgers 9-8 loss to the Phillies in which Jansen blew the save. After being struck in the foot on a ground ball by Phillies player Adam Haseley, Jansen told Roberts and the Dodgers team doctor that he was okay to continue pitching. Jansen later said that his ankle went numb after taking the ground ball shot and that he could not drive his ankle. By telling reporters after the game that he believes he should have come out, Roberts became a little irritated and upset with Jansen.

“I think I do a very good job of being honest with my guys,” Roberts said. “We’re all trying to win. We’re all trying to compete. But when you give certainty that you’re not compromising yourself for the team, then I’m going to trust it. So to then go back and say, ‘I should’ve come out of the game,’ it’s a little bit tough to swallow.”

“When we give him a baseball, I expect the game to be over,” Roberts said. “The results aren’t what they were in ’17. And you can say that about a lot of players. So I think it’s just one of those things that he’s just got to continue to make pitches. But he’s the best we have and I still have full confidence when we give him the baseball.”

Article by Jason Hirsch