Closer Kenley Jansen’s one-two-three third inning ended with him badly fooling Jeff Mathis with a full-count slider that the catcher swung through for the third strike. Jansen, at the suggestion of former pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, is using a new slider grip. The pitch, which Jansen wants to throw near 80-mph, has a tighter spin and more sink than side-to-side action. “I feel consistent with it,” Jansen said. “I threw the first one for a strike today and the other was a put-away pitch on a full count.” Left-hander Adam Kolarek, who will have to face more right-handed batters with the institution of the new three-batter minimum rule, gave up five consecutive singles to right-handed hitters in a four-run fifth inning.
Kenley Jansen looks sharp in Dodgers’ exhibition loss to Rangers
