Bucked by the horse, Jansen is money next time out

ANAHEIM -- Manager Ron Washington went up to the mound to get the ball from relief pitcher Brock Burke, who had allowed two runners to get into scoring position in the top of the ninth inning. By the time Washington looked up, Kenley Jansen was already out there.

“You saw how bad he wanted it,” Washington said of his closer. “... We told him if they got two on that he was coming in the game. And he wanted this opportunity again."

Part of Jansen’s eagerness to get on the mound on Saturday night to wrap up the Angels’ 5-2 victory over the Tigers at Angel Stadium was to close the door on the worst outing of his career the previous night. (He gave up six runs, and three home runs, to turn a 1-1 tie into a lopsided loss.

The other part of it was more simple: Jansen just wanted to help his team win.

“You just got to go back out there,” Jansen said. “... It’s a long season. If you’re doing it for a while, you’re going to continue to learn crazy things happen. You got to control it, stick to the process.

The process paid off. Not just for Jansen, but for the team as a whole as the 16-year veteran drew a groundout and a lineout for a three-pitch save, ending the Angels’ seven-game losing streak.

“He's a pro, and pros don't back down,” Washington said. “Pros accept whatever happens to them, and that's what we’re trying to do. We're trying to be pros, trying to accept what's happened to us and just keep working through it. Because when you look back, we've been in a lot of ballgames.

“You know the bottom line is to win them. I understand that, but we've been in a lot of ballgames and we're still learning how to win. We're going to have to start learning how to close ballgames down at the back end.

“Get the ball to Kenley, and that's something we just have to keep doing.”

It was a much-needed win for the Angels. It was a much-needed save for Jansen. But it was also a much-needed win for starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who in his previous start gave up seven runs on three hits and five walks in three innings against the Twins.

On Saturday though, Hendricks had a shutout going into the eighth before allowing his only run of the night -- a solo homer from Spencer Torkelson. Hendricks threw 7 2/3 innings -- his longest outing of the season -- and allowed four hits (two of which came in the eighth), three strikeouts and zero walks.

“At the end of the day, I felt much better about the ball coming out, deception stuff, a couple of things we changed mechanically,” Hendricks said before sharing credit with catcher Travis d’Arnaud. “Trav was so good tonight. Was fun throwing to him. Catchers [have] been really good for me, and it’s just a matter of execution and not tipping, so I felt like I cleaned a few things up and executed better.”

Hendricks, 35, earned his first victory since signing with the Angels in the offseason.

“Super special for the family, growing up here, coming to these ballgames,” said Hendricks, who grew up in nearby San Juan Capistrano. “It means a lot getting this one.”

Part of Hendricks’ success on Saturday was his sinker, which drew five of his 10 swings-and-misses. He credits d’Arnaud and the rest of the catchers for forcing him to go to his sinker early and often, since it isn’t a pitch that Hendricks is likely to throw himself.

Of course, it also helps when your offense scores four runs in the sixth inning to give you room for error.

“Appreciate the boys piling on there, getting the five-run lead and making the plays behind me,” Hendricks said. “There were a lot of balls in play, and they made every one.”

The Angels’ veterans pushed them to victory on Saturday. There was Hendricks’ shutdown start. There was Jansen’s save. And there was Luis Rengifo’s two-RBI single in the sixth inning.

It’s going to have to continue to be them, and the other veterans on the team. The Angels are young, and Saturday marked both a step in the right direction and a teachable moment.

“I just hope they learn from it,” Jansen said. “I don’t care how good you are or whatever, anybody’s going to suck [sometimes]. It’s a long season, and you can’t let that affect your mind. Go back out there and battle, trust your stuff, believe in yourself, and we’ll get it done.”