What was Kenley Jansen doing on the mound at the end of Game 3?

Kenley Jansen

Kenley Jansen recorded the final out of Game 3, a non-save situation in the Dodgers’ 13-6 win. (Getty Images)

Don Mattingly‘s decision to use Kenley Jansen to record the final out of Game 3 of the National League Division Series has at least one detractor: Pedro Martinez.

Jansen struck out Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann on four pitches to close out a 13-6 win. To Martinez, who spent the first two years of his 18-year major-league career with the Dodgers, that was a sign of panic.

“With all due respect to [Dodgers manager] Mr. Mattingly, I did not see the need for [closer] Kenley Jansen to be in [Game 3],” Martinez said Sunday on TBS. “I did not see the need for Paco Rodriguez to face more than one batter, he’s a specialty lefty. I can only imagine seeing this kind of scenario in a World Series game, tied in the ninth inning. I don’t know what Mattingly is going to do [then] if he panics in a game with a seven-run lead. This looks like more of a panic-time than anything else.”

This entry was posted in JP on the Dodgers, Playoffs and tagged , by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.