Janssen: "I love when everybody's against you"

VIERA, Fla. - On Thursday, Casey Janssen walked into a new team clubhouse for the first time in his career. Since being drafted in 2004, Janssen has spent the last 10 years in the Blue Jays organization. The right-hander said it was odd to put on new colors - Nationals red - but that he had heard from several friends around the game that assured him he made the right decision when he signed with Washington late last month.

"Coaches, guys on the team, guys on other teams that I'm familiar with," Janssen said. "They just said, 'Hey, you're just going to a great environment and a group of guys that really like each other and pull for each other.' That's exciting to hear and I'm looking forward creating those relationships and friendships as well."

Janssen has pitched in every situation since making his major league debut in 2006 with the Blue Jays, but the expectation is that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo brought him to D.C. to fill the eighth-inning relief role left by Tyler Clippard when he was shipped to Oakland last month.

"I definitely looked at Tyler's number and they're pretty impressive, so big shoes to fill if that were the case," said Janssen. "They said I'm going to pitch late. I'm going to help fill the seventh, eighth or potentially the ninth inning if Drew (Storen) needs a night off or something like that. For the most part, they said everything is just going to figure itself out through spring training."

The 33-year-old Janssen said his experience pitching in various roles leads him to be comfortably ready whenever Nationals manager Matt Williams chooses to use him.

"I was a starter my first year," Janssen said. "I was a long guy. I was a late-inning set-up guy and then I was a closer, as well. So I've pitched in any role and I think all those roles help you hold runners, field your position, do all those necessary things to pitch late in a game when your back is against the wall at times. I'm excited to embrace whatever role I have.

"I think it kind of works itself out and I think you start to get a feel for how the manager plans to use you. It's a great feeling when the phone rings and somebody already knows it's their time. With a strong 'pen and guys pitching to certain roles, I think it just plays itself out accordingly."

But it will be a bit of change for Janssen, who's been the closer in Toronto for the past few seasons. From 2011-13, Janssen was 11-2 with a 2.46 ERA while appearing in 173 games with 58 saves and 170 strikeouts.

There are some uncertainties about Janssen, though. The veteran had a bit of a roller coaster ride last season. Before the All-Star break, Janssen was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 23 games with 14 saves. But during the break he experienced a rough bout with food poisoning while on a trip in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and could never return to his previous form. His ERA ballooned to 6.46 in the second half.

"I lost like nine pounds ... in a night," Janssen said. "Yeah, it wasn't too much fun.

"It was just one of those things. We were in a race and I just wanted to pitch. I thought and I still believe that I could've gotten three outs regardless of how I felt and it didn't work that way. But it wasn't from a lack of effort. Just a lack of results."

Janssen will be looking forward to a smoother travel schedule after having spent an average of 90 minutes going through customs every time the Blue Jays went on a road trip. But it will also be a new league for Janssen with a new set of hitters. He provided a scouting report for opposing hitters that will dig into the batter's box against him in 2015.

"I am a command guy," Janssen said. "I attack the hitters. I throw four or five pitches. I'm comfortable throwing most of them at any situation. Guess I'm just trying to keep you off-balance, keep you off the barrel of the bat. I don't really care how I get you out. I just want to get you out. There's not really a method to my madness. Just more reading swings, reading counts and trying to figure out where the least amount of damage that they can do to me is possible and I'm going to try to attack that spot.

"I try to keep the ball down. I'd be lying if I didn't say my cutter's my pitch. I pitch off my fastball and my cutter. If I'm really trying to get some kind of strikeout, I've got a slower curveball. Just try to figure it out on the fly, I guess."

Janssen is also looking forward to pitching in National League ballparks. He seems to thrive in hostile situations.

"I love the road," Janssen said. "I love when everybody's against you and you're just the lone guy out there trying to shut everybody up. I just love the pressure of pitching on the road and trying to accomplish that."

The Blue Jays haven't made the postseason since 1993 so Janssen never had the opportunity to pitch in the playoffs. It's clear pitching in October was the main incentive for joining the Nationals.

"I want to win," he said. "I want to experience a postseason. I want to win a World Series. That was exciting for me that there's a strong opportunity for that to happen."

In the meantime, the newest Nats reliever is just trying not to get lost in Space Coast Stadium.

"I'm still learning names, stumbling over forgetting names, trying to figure out which field is which field and all that kind of stuff. I'll get there," Janssen said.