Bryce Harper doesn’t pay attention to the standings

From CSNWashington.com, we learn that Bryce Harper does not wake up each morning and check the standings. From the scene of last night’s playoff-clinching celebration:

“Everyone started going crazy and I looked at the fireworks and said ‘I guess we just did something.’ Someone handed me a playoff hat and a playoff shirt and I said ‘I guess we are going to the playoffs … I had no clue. I had no idea,” he said. When the guy handed me this shirt, he just handed it to me and I was wondering what it was and it said ‘playoffs.’ I was just wondering like, ‘what happened?’ I guess we clinched a playoff berth.”

For what it’s worth, I can’t remember what was going on in my head when I was 19 so I can’t sit here and judge.

When Kenley Jansen experienced an irregular heartbeat last week some speculated that he could miss a month. That won’t be the case if he has his way. He said yesterday that he expects to be back next week, assuming he suffers no side effects from his medication between now and then.

Jansen threw a successful bullpen session on Monday, did conditioning work yesterday, and is planning to throw to hitters today. He’ll then travel with the Dodgers to Seattle and face hitters again on Friday at which a point a decision will be made about activating him. Given that the Dodgers are struggling, particularly with the bullpen, that decision is likely to be affirmative unless there is any reason to be concerned with Jansen’s health between now and then. He’s currently on blood-thinners and says he’s responding well.

All of that said, Jansen told reporters yesterday that there’s a good chance he will need a heart procedure in the offseason, the sort of which he had after his last occurrence of an irregular heartbeat back in 2012.

Jansen’s 32 saves ties him for the NL lead with Wade Davis of the Rockies.

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