Andrew Friedman understood the question. He just didn't have much of an answer.
Do the Los Angeles Dodgers have a defined role for Kenley Jansen in the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves? Not really, according to the Dodgers' president of baseball operations.
"There are really good runs for different relievers and just how to deploy them and when," Friedman said Monday, no longer guaranteeing that the ninth inning belongs to the longtime closer. "Obviously, it depends on how certain games play out, but I do expect (Jansen) to be a big part in helping us win a championship."
Just maybe not as big a part as he once was expected to play.
Instead of having specific relief roles in a series that could require seven games in seven days, the Dodgers will let matchups dictate bullpen moves.
"We just have a really deep bullpen and guys that match up against different guys," Friedman said. "They complement one another."
Jansen has been struggling but isn't necessarily out of the picture. He's working through mechanical issues that plagued him during a shaky two-run, three-hit, 30-pitch appearance in Game 2 of the division series.
"There's some stuff in the delivery that I know Mark (Prior) and Connor (McGuiness) are kind of keying on," Friedman said of his pitching coaches. "But to his credit, all he is saying right now is, 'I want to be a part of helping us win a championship.' "
