New Atlanta Braves' closer Kenley Jansen endured a rough start to his Braves career on Friday. Jansen entered a 7-3 game in the ninth inning. He went on to surrender three runs and almost blew the game. He was able to escape the jam with the lead and a Braves win, but the performance was not exactly what Atlanta was hoping to see from the former Dodgers star pitcher. Nonetheless, Braves manager Brian Snitker is not overly-concerned about Jansen's underwhelming debut.

“He's a big horse that just never stops pitching. I've seen him get in those jams before, playing against him. These relievers, it was a limited spring for them, too. They really haven't gotten the work that they normally would in a regular year with an extended spring training. … I'm glad we won the game. It wasn't all that bad for him to go out there and throw that many pitches, really.”

Kenley Jansen threw 30 pitches in the inning which is rare for most relievers. But Brian Snitker seems to believe that the extra work will not negatively affect the closer moving forward.

Jansen signed a 1-year, $16 million dollar contract with the Braves during the offseason. After spending his entire career with the Dodgers prior to 2022, he is starting a whole new chapter in Atlanta with the defending champs.

Jansen will likely not pitch on Saturday following the lengthy outing. But the Braves expect him to bounce back next time he is on the mound and lead their elite bullpen this season.