Irvin of Milwaukee:
Jake Irvin pitched in last night’s series opener at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is undefeated in his last 11 starts, pitching 60 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 5.27 FIP, and a .253 batting average. He had a record of .246/.312. That stretch.
Irvin, 26, had just finished pitching 88 pitches in six innings in LA’s game against Los Angeles. dodgers In D.C., the rookie starter allowed three hits and one run in a 7-6 win, but there was no decision.
“He was really, really good,” coach Davey Martinez told reporters. “And he’s getting more confident. You can see him growing. He’s attacking the zone. He’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s doing what he wants to do. I understand. He has a plan. He’s been great. This guy has made incredible progress from when we started dating him to where he is now. And… Like I said to all these guys, but I’m very proud of what he’s accomplished. Hopefully, if we can keep it up, and he can grow from it. Finish the season well and next year he’ll be the man.
“He was fine. Six innings, 88 pitches, great pitching.”
As with all young starters, the Nationals will be keeping a close eye on Irvin as the 2023 season winds down, trying to keep an eye on his workload as he prepares for a future where the team hopes to compete again. To win a division title or a postseason berth.
“He’s been practicing hard and I want to see how far we can push him,” Martinez said last week.
“The big thing is, if we can get him one or two more starts and get some more innings, we’re always talking about 25 percent going into next year. He should be able to go through a season without doing anything.” [any] worry. But we definitely have to keep an eye on him. ”
Irvin got off to a strong start in the series opener. brewerThey took the mound with a 3-0 lead and avoided a two-out walk, thanks to Lane Thomas’ home run (25), Carter Kieboom’s RBI double (2), and Ildemaro Vargas’ RBI double (12). . He homered in the first inning, had a leadoff single in the third inning, and walked two in the fourth inning.
Two more walks came in the bottom of the fifth, and Willson Contreras hit a first-pitch sinker 456 feet into left-center field for three runs, both scoring before the next batter, Carlos Santana, hit a double. A full-count sinker went low and outside to left-center, making the game 4-3 in favor of Milwaukee.
That was it for the starting pitcher, and the Nationals’ offense gave up a run in the first inning, leading to a 5-3 decision to start a three-game set at Wisconsin.
“It stinks, man,” Irvin said, Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN After suffering his first loss since July 3rd. “The offense did what they’ve done all year. They scored three early, but it’s my job to secure it and get us deep into that ballgame.
“And I didn’t do that today. It’s very frustrating.”
When asked what went wrong for the rookie, Martinez said, “The walks and the home runs.”
“That’s what got him into trouble. But he competed and got out of some traffic jams early.
“We wanted him to pitch until the fifth inning. The walk just appealed to him.”
The five walks were a season high for Irvin, but he managed to stay out of trouble early on. What did he do well early on?
“I mixed up his pitches,” Martinez explained. “But attacking the zone. I think he threw a lot of curveballs against them in a planned way, but when you start doing that, you fall behind and you start walking — these guys The guys are going to take their walks, and when that happens, you get yourself into trouble and they have some good hitters that hit home runs.”
“We tried to finish him in the fifth inning,” Martinez continued. “His production was still good in the mid-90s. We tried to get him over it. He allowed a home run to Contreras, but only got one more out to go 3-for-2. But Santana made another mistake and allowed another home run.
There are only a few more starts left, but what does the sixth-year captain expect from his starting pitchers in the next few innings?
“I want to see him bounce back after this game,” Martinez said. “He’s doing really well. He really is. He’s the only consistent pitcher for us that’s been pitching more than five or six innings, so tomorrow we’ll look at everything, see how he’s doing, and do everything. If everything goes well, I’ll try to be ready for the next start.”
