"He's leading the league in saves" - Atlanta Braves manager defends struggling Kenley Jansen, points out reliever's impressive stat line in 2022
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker has come out in defense of veteran reliever Kenley Jansen after his recent struggles in the league.
Jansen has made three blown saves over the last seven games, but Snitker believes that the 34-year-old will return to form, highlighting his impressive stat line in saves this campaign. In an interview with Bally Sports, Snitker responded to Jansen's recent struggles in the NL East division, saying:
"I don't know. In his last five outings, he has three saves. Pretty good Friday night [vs Mariners]. Just had a bad day, that's all. He's leading the league in saves."
"He's leading the league in saves."
Brian Snitker on Kenley Jansen ⤵️ https://t.co/swLmqH9Swi
Kenley Jansen currently leads the league with 33 saves this season, but has struggled for form in recent games. Moreover, his poor form continued after allowing a pair of ninth-inning home runs in a 8-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
Meanwhile, Mariners duo Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez notched up two-homer games each to pull off a narrow win. Jansen has blown seven out of 40 save opportunities and continues to face the heat with 22 games left. The loss also puts them 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets.
Kenley Jansen addresses concerns over poor form in Braves team
Despite his impressive stat line, Jansen's stock continues to drop going into the final leg of the season. Jansen spoke to the Braves media after their game last week. He said:
"I don't know what's going on. My delivery is whack right now. I can't get my cutter to the other side. So, we're going to work our way through it. Ain't going to let this get my confidence down. Never. I've been in this situation many times now."
"My delivery is out of whack right now."
Kenley Jansen discusses his latest outing ⤵️ https://t.co/FiHCKUrigd
The Braves have an option in trade deadline acquisition Raisel Iglesias, but Snitker seems to keep faith in Jansen, who ranks ninth all-time with 383 career saves. Jansen's ERA is close to four's, with seven blown saves being tied for second in the MLB.
The closer has a 11.12 ERA in his last seven games, including multiple blown saves. The poor form of Kenley Jansen is a huge concern for the Atlanta Braves, and this is the last thing that should happen in the quest to win a 17th division title in the National League East.