Irvin scores 10 for Atlanta:
Jake Irvin struck out a career-high 10 batters and threw 58 strikeouts on 90 pitches over six scoreless innings last night at Truist Park in Atlanta, but Braves starter Max Fried held the Nationals scoreless through the eighth inning in a pitching duel.
Washington’s offense went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position that night, losing the game 2-0. They allowed seven hits off Fried, but got two outs with baserunners and helped the starting pitcher with four double plays.
Irvin recorded 13 whiffs and 11 strikeouts on the night, walked just two and allowed just two total hits, lowering his ERA to 3.34 with a 3.32 FIP, 1.57 BB/9 and 7.71 K/9.
Did losing dampen your enthusiasm for your initial accomplishments?
“I’m doing my job to keep my team in the game, that’s my focus,” Irvin told reporters in his post-game press conference.
“At the end of the day, if they give me a chance to win, that’s my job and we go from there.”
Manager Davey Martinez said Irvin’s start has been “great.”
“The kid was good. Really good. Strike out 10 against that team, that’s pretty impressive.”
“He pitched really well. I talked to him after the sixth inning, 90 pitches. He gave it his all on that last pitch. So, he did a great job. Jake pitched really well.”
Jacob Burns took over for Irving in the seventh inning, got hit on a 2-2 cut ball in the zone and gave up a 413-foot home run to left field by Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna to make it 1-0.
Two singles later in the inning, sandwiched between a strikeout and a sacrifice fly, scored the home team’s second run and were enough to tie the game for Atlanta, which lost the series opener 8-4 on Monday.
“Jacob Burns was good,” Martinez said of his at-bat against Ozuna. “He didn’t pitch the ball well to Ozuna. Other than that. [Ozuna] He was up to bat with two strikes and then a fastball.
“I liked the fastball. [Matt] Olson [for the K]and other guys.”
Martinez also dismissed talk that Irvin’s efforts were “futile,” given the lack of support he received.
“You have to see the other side,” he explained.
“They have Fried, right? He pitched really well. We got the flow going. He got us out of trouble with double plays. We got four double plays. He pitched well, too.
“There was nothing I could do.”
Abrams HR:
C.J. Abrams pitched 22 games between his seventh and eighth homers, but this was a tough stretch. The 23-year-old shortstop went 19-for-90 (.211/.226/.256) with four doubles, one walk and 14 strikeouts in 93 at-bats to improve his batting average from a solid .297/.377/.634 to .257/.309/.455 this year.
Abrams hit his eighth and ninth home runs in consecutive games, in the series finale against Seattle in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon and the series opener in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday.
“Hopefully this will help him out a little bit,” manager Davey Martinez said after Abrams’ big hit Sunday. “It’s not that he’s swinging badly, he’s just not throwing the right pitches to hit. He’s got to learn how to walk. That’s the biggest thing for him right now. He’s ready to hit, but if they’re not throwing him a fastball or a pitch that’s close to hitting, he’s got to get on base. And when he gets on base, he’s going to wreak havoc.”
“But he’s learning and he’s playing well. … What I like is he doesn’t take his at-bats to the field. He’s playing really good defense, he really is.”
Martinez said Abrams’ struggles in recent weeks are an opportunity to understand what’s important to be successful at the plate and defensively.
“Just keep your feet on the ground and remember to swing for strikes,” Martinez said. “When you swing for strikes, he pitches really well. That’s the big key. Try to hit the liners and stay in the middle of the field when you need to. But he understands and we know he still has the power and can make plays like he did today.”
Abrams then went 2-for-4 in the first of four games against the Braves and hit his ninth home run of the year. He hit an 0-2 fastball from veteran Charlie Morton to right-center field for a solo homer on Monday.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“I had my sights set on the fastball the whole at-bat, but the ball came on the inside and I was able to make a good swing,” Abrams told reporters after the game. “I’ve been swinging for strikes the last few days and it showed.”
“He’s staying behind the ball a little bit,” the manager added. “He’s getting on the ball and getting the ball up in the air. But he’s again swinging the bat well. He got a hit to left field again today, which is great, but we need him to get on base. But when he’s on base and swinging for strikes, he’s hitting really well.”
