BALTIMORE — Standing in front of his locker with his sandy-colored California hair looking windblown, Casey Janssen paused and lamented.
Talking for several minutes after the Washington Nationals’ 7-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, Janssen explained that he was not satisfied with what he has done since joining the team. He’s trying to have a steadier spot in the bullpen. He’s trying to have consistent results on the mound. With the unofficial midway point of the season a day away, he’s unsettled. Not lost during the conversation was that his locker is next to that of David Carpenter, whom the team acquired in early June to bolster what has been an inconsistent bullpen.
His outing was productive. In front of an engaged crowd at Camden Yards with blended rooting interests, Janssen struck out two batters to open the eighth inning. A ground ball closed the inning. He was demonstrative following the strikeouts. A night after lasting just 1/3 of an inning, and being charged with an earned run for the third consecutive outing, Janssen’s effectiveness stirred his emotions.
“It has to do with me just not really contributing yet,” Janssen said. “I feel like there’s a place for me here and I’ve got to find my way, and I haven’t yet. It was a big spot. It was a spot where I got to build that trust — my teammates, staff, everybody. It was an opportunity for me to show them what I can do.”
A compelling facet of Janssen’s postgame discussion is that it came following a victory. Such laments are usually reserved for nights of failure. For Janssen, a bumpy July in which he allowed three runs in just 2 1/3 innings after allowing none in June was enough to bring his extended explanations. He said he was not surprised to be in a tight spot Saturday.
“It’s what I love to do,” Janssen said. “It’s hopefully why they brought me here. I want to embrace it. I want to show them that they don’t need to look anymore. But, that comes with success. I just got to continue to have innings like that and continue to show them that this is the guy they brought in. And, [to] trust me, it’s going to be all right.”
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Janssen, 33, didn’t become a closer until he was a 30-year-old pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays. For his career, he strikes out 6.6 batters per nine innings. Aroldis Chapman, he is not.
“I knew that was my one shot and if I didn’t be perfect for those three years, I was probably not going to get another opportunity because I wasn’t the prototypical flamethrowing guy,” Janssen said. “Every time out, I treat it like a tryout.”
He was effective enough for the Nationals sign him as a free agent in the offseason. That signing, in part, enabled them to trade Tyler Clippard for Yunel Escobar, who has been crucial to the perpetually injured roster.
But, Carpenter’s acquisition, Blake Treinen’s stuff and the recent return of Aaron Barrett give Nationals manager Matt Williams multiple late-inning options. Janssen hopes Saturday night provides him, and Williams, further evidence the Nationals’ offseason decision was proper. Finding stability is on his mind.
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