WASHINGTON – Jim Johnson has pitched superbly for 2 ½ months since returning from the disabled list, to the surprise of many who figured the 33-year-old reliever’s days as a top-shelf reliever had run out.
The explanation for his big improvement – he’s given up fewer runs in the past 10 weeks than he allowed in his last four appearances before the DL stint – is fairly simple and straightforward, Johnson said.
“A lot of it’s just being able to have my legs under me, being able to have a repeatable delivery, then you know where the ball’s going,” said Johnson, who was on the DL for nearly four weeks recovering from a right groin strain. “It all kind of goes hand in hand.”
Before going on the DL, the imposing sinkerballer gave up six hits, eight earned runs and two homers in three innings over his last four appearances through May 8 — a 24.00 ERA and .400 opponents’ average.
Since returning from the DL June 3, Johnson has a stingy 1.29 ERA in 29 appearances, allowing five earned runs and one homer in 29 2/3 innings with 28 strikeouts and 10 walks.
He’s been dominant while filling in for injured closer Arodys Vizcaino, converting eight of eight save opportunities while allowing just three hits and two walks with 13 strikeouts in nine scoreless innings over nine appearances.
Johnson spent four weeks on the DL working to regain the strength in his legs, which hadn’t been the same since he developed a hernia last season. He had hernia surgery after being released by the Dodgers in October, and Johnson, who re-signed with the Braves this winter, believes the groin strain was probably related to coming back from the hernia, which slowed him at the beginning of spring training.
“I mean, logically, yeah, I’m sure it all had something to do with each other,” he said. “It just wasn’t right.”
Since returning from the DL, he’s not looked like the pitcher who struggled mightily just before the DL stint, or the one who posted a 10.13 ERA in 23 appearances last season for the Dodgers after being traded by the Braves in late July.
Instead, he resembles the pitcher he was last season before the trade and the hernia, when he had a 2.25 ERA in 49 appearances for the Braves. Or, dare we say, Johnson is pitching a lot like he did in 2012-2013, when he produced consecutive 50-save seasons for the Orioles.
“It was major strength and power issues,” he says of the lower-body work he did during the DL stint. “I wasn’t able to generate any power in the lower body. I use the analogy of pitching being like building a house. You have to have strong foundation and so on. Pitching, you have to have your legs under you.”
Asked if he feels as good now as in his 50-save years, Johnson smiled. “Back then I was younger, so I just felt better.”
But when he’s going well, the modus operandi is still the same for Johnson.
“My goal is always to pound the strike zone, throw a lot of strikes and just make quality pitches,” he said. “And then just whatever the result is, is what the result is. I don’t get too much caught up in the stat part of it. If I’m executing the pitches the way I want to and how I want to, then that’s all I can do.”
Many thought his recent stretch assured he’d be traded, if not before the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline deal then after. But he wasn’t dealt before the deadline, and last week when Johnson was claimed on waivers by another, unidentified team, the Braves didn’t get a trade offer they deemed suitable and so they pulled him back and kept him.
Was Johnson, a free agent after the season, surprised he wasn’t dealt to a contender? Pleased he wasn’t traded?
“I was kind of neutral on the whole thing,” he said. “I don’t know why (traded) in one spot and why not in another spot. You’ve got to talk to the guys running the team (about) what their thought was. Certain situations, I don’t know. I’m sure they had their reasons.”
He’s enjoyed being back in the closer role in recent weeks, but what’s really pleased Johnson is being a leader of a bullpen that’s made significant improvement – even after a couple of rough recent games they have a 2.68 ERA in August – despite myriad personnel changes including trades.
“And we’ve dealt with a lot of injuries,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys. So there’s a lot of factors that work against us, but nobody is going to let up. You see what guys are really made of and have fun.
“I actually get enjoyment out of seeing, like, how Cabby (rookie Mauricio Cabrera) is evolving, figuring it out. And some of the other guys – (left-hander Ian) Krol, I played with him in Detroit, and I feel like he’s made leaps and bounds, a lot of changes, figured some things out and can be relied on. Just watching the group of guys evolve.”
