There was a time, long before most Dodger fans had ever heard the name Kenley Jansen, that right-hander Pedro Baez was among those often called upon to finish games for their beloved team, not in the role of a closer, but as the last man standing on the mound for the Dodgers at game’s end – win or lose. In fact, in his five major league seasons with the Dodgers, Baez has has zero saves but has 32 Games Finished (GF) on his pitching résumé.

That being said, the (now) 30-year-old Bani, Dominican Republic native does have eight blown saves, along with a career record of 10-10 on that same résumé. However, contrary to the popular belief that Baez is an automatic loss or good for a blown save every time he enters a game (perhaps as a result of those 10 losses and/or those eight blown saves, which seems to be permanently embed in the memories of every Dodger fan on the planet), Baez also has an exceptionally good career earned run average of 2.96 … and yes, we’re talking about the same Pedro Baez.

To be brutally honest, Baez’s fall from Grace with Dodgers fans probably has more to do with his painfully slow delivery, which many believe is the reason for the recently-imposed pace-of-play rules. Additionally and undoubtedly unintentionally, the 6′-0 “/ 230-pound (very) hard throwing right-hander has a perpetual smug look on his face that most people perceive as a ‘I don’t give a ****’ attitude, which couldn’t be further from the truth. When you combine this painfully slow presentation and this permanent smug expression (coupled with the aforementioned losses and blown saves), it’s no wonder that he became the least-liked guy on the Dodgers roster and often received harsh boos whenever he entered a game.

There was a time when the mere mention of Pedro Baez’s name sent Dodger fans into sheer panic. Now, not so much. (Photo credit – Eric Risberg)

But while most Dodger fans lost all confidence in Baez, there was one guy who did not; not ever – Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who, to this day, is willing to go to the mat with anyone who openly criticizes his right-handed reliever. Oh sure, the Dodger skipper is very aware of Baez’s (seemingly frequent) past struggles, but he never, not once, gave up on Pedro, and would get visibly upset when Dodger fans booed him.

Enter 2018.

Although the 2018 campaign is but 16 games old, there are only two Dodger relievers with a better ERA than Baez, fellow right-handers Ross Stripling (0.79 in 11.1 innings pitched) and Josh Fields (1.00 in nine innings pitched). In his 8.2 innings of relief thus far this season, Baez is 0-0 with an outstanding 1.04 ERA. And while one can argue that 8.2 innings pitched is a ridiculously small sample size, he has allowed only one run on six hits while walking two and striking out 12 (which is tied for the team lead among all Dodger relievers with Stripling, Fields, and newcomer JT Chargois) through his first eight appearances.

During Tuesday’s eventual 7-3 win over the NL West last place San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Baez was called into the game with two outs and a runner on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Dodgers on top in the then 3-1 game. Baez promptly struck out Padres second baseman Carlos Asuaje on four pitches. He then came back out for the eighth inning and struck out Padres second baseman Cory Spangenberg, left fielder Jose Pirela, and shortstop Freddy Galvis on 12 total pitches. In other word, the guy once vilified by Dodger fans struck out all five batters he faced – four swinging and one looking – to pick up his first hold of the season.

In the simplest of terms, the guy who once reigned fear in hearts of Dodger fans is once again giving them confidence whenever the bullpen gate swings open and Pedro Baez enters the game. That being said, the guy who once reigned fear in the hearts of opposing batters, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, is causing Dodger fans to feel a little less confident when the man often called the best closer in the game is called upon to seal the deal.

In the seven games in which the Willemstad, Curacao native has appeared in this season – four of which were save opportunities – Jansen converted two of them and blew the other two. In fact, through those seven appearances thus far this season, the 6′-5″ / 275-pound right-hander with a Mariano Rivera-like cutter is 0-1 with an unsightly 8.10 ERA. And while he has struck out seven and walked three in the early goings of the 2018 season, he has also given up three home runs, including a solo shot to Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer on Tuesday night to leadoff the bottom of the ninth inning to pull the friars to within one of the Dodgers.

Jansen then struck out Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe and got third baseman Christian Villanueva to fly out to (deep) center, but issued a two-out walk to Padres center fielder Franchy Cordero, who promptly stole second base. Jansen then balked Cordero over to third base. The Dodgers closer was one strike away from giving the Dodgers their third consecutive win and guaranteeing them their first series win of the season (and from Jansen picking up his third save of 2018) when, on a 3-2 count, he gave up a devastating RBI double to Padres pinch-hitter Chase Headley, which tied the game 3-3 and gave Jansen his second blown save of the season. (Note: He blew only one in all of 2017). Jansen the struck out pinch-hitter Austin Hedges to retire the side, but the damage was done.

“Right now, he’s not right, with the way the ball is coming out of his hand,” said Roberts after the game. “When you have a two-run lead and have the best closer in baseball you don’t expect to use three other relievers.

“The velocity was good but the characteristics of his cutter just weren’t doing what it typically does,” Roberts added. “There were some good throws but there were others that were straight as a string. The one to Hosmer, the one to Villanueva.”

Fortunately and for the second night in a row, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal came up big in the top of the 12th inning with a two-run double into the left field corner to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead. Seemingly perennial extra-innings hero Kyle Farmer made it a 7-3 game (and eventual final score) with yet another extra-inning RBI double to left to seal the deal.

Per usual, the always brutally honest Jansen made no excuses for his bad outing.

“Today I missed location, I missed a lot,” Jansen said. “I just have to find it and be consistent. I just got to get better. I can’t let that get in my mind, what’s wrong with me or this and that. It’s early in the year. I’m never going to let that get to the confidence in my mind. No hitter is going to get in my mind. I have confidence in myself, I will find it. It’s a matter of time.

“Once I extend that’s when I have my best cut. Probably today that’s the one thing I misfired on,” Jansen added. “I just have to be consistent, stay behind the ball and make my spots. That’s when the ball cuts.”

He doesn’t do it often, but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen already has two blown saves after only seven appearances this season. He had only one in all of 2017. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

The point to all of this is, and in spite of his past struggles, Pedro Baez has – or at least should be – falling back into Grace with Dodger fans.

…and how can you not feel good about that.

Go Petey!