Dodgers Diaries

Yeah, yeah, Clayton Kershaw went eight scoreless, threw a gem against the Mets, kept them from scoring for what amounts to almost two straight games. Yeah, yeah, Russell Martin drove in a run so the blogosphere can overlook the fact that the Dodgers haven’t exactly been mashing the ball. Yeah, yeah, Casey Blake made a nice defensive play.

All I want to talk about is Kenley Jansen. Kenly who? The guy who started the season in Single A. The guy who was converted from catcher less than a year ago. The guy who is so new he’s still wearing No. 74 on his uniform. And the guy who has retired the first six batters he’s faced, four by the K. We’re going to be seeing a lot of KKKKKenley signs at Dodger Stadium pretty soon.

It’s still too early to anoint Jansen the next setup man much less the closer who has more grit and manliness than Jonathan Broxton. It’s still too early to ink him to any postseason plans. But the addition of a stud pitcher to a bullpen that sorely needed some fresh arms would be a highlight on any day. On a day where the team won 1-0 and the kid gets his first big league save, it’s a day to remember.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL