Irvin deals in return while O's offense, defense shine 

BALTIMORE -- Now that was more like the version of Cole Irvin the Orioles thought they were acquiring in January.

The 29-year-old left-hander returned to the big leagues Saturday evening at Camden Yards and promptly delivered his best start since being traded from Oakland to Baltimore. Irvin threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and the O’s notched their 40th win in their 64th game of the season by beating the Royals, 6-1.

“That’s a little bit more normal. It felt good,” said Irvin, who earned his first Orioles victory. “I’m just happy to be in the win column -- in this uniform, too.”

Irvin, who had a 4.11 ERA in 62 starts for the A’s over the previous two seasons, made Baltimore’s Opening Day rotation and then lost his spot after recording a 10.66 ERA over his first three outings of 2023. He showed he was ready for another chance by pitching to a 3.21 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Norfolk, an assignment he handled with great tact despite having not pitched in the Minors since ‘19 (excluding one injury rehab start in ‘22).

The Orioles provided a great landing spot for Irvin’s return. The Royals had lost seven of their previous eight games and scored only 19 total runs over that span. Plus, Irvin had fared quite well against Kansas City in the past.

That continued with Irvin scattering six hits, issuing no walks and notching five strikeouts while throwing 55 of his 72 pitches for strikes. He retired eight consecutive batters from the second out of the second to the end of the fourth, and his lone blemish came in the fifth, when he allowed a one-out RBI single to Freddy Fermin.

Irvin lowered his ERA vs. the Royals to 2.10 over five career starts against the team.

“He was more aggressive in the strike zone and pitching to contact,” manager Brandon Hyde said.

The biggest difference for Irvin, though? The exemplary command of all five of his pitches, most notably his sinker. He threw it 29 times, seven of which resulted in called strikes and four as whiffs.

“I just got back to throwing the ball the way I knew how,” Irvin said. “There was a little bit of nerves coming into today. I wanted to perform well and pitch, and I felt like I did that.”

Since the beginning of Spring Training, Irvin has been a popular presence in Baltimore’s clubhouse. His teammates want to see him have success, and they did everything they could Saturday to ensure that would happen.

The defense behind Irvin was exceptional. It began with a leaping catch made by Anthony Santander at the right-field wall for the final out of the first, which helped Irvin strand baserunners on first and second.

Aaron Hicks made a tumbling grab in center for the final out of the second, as Irvin stranded another runner on first. Adam Frazier flashed the leather at second base, making a terrific off-balance jump throw to nab Nick Pratto for the first out of the third.

The Orioles also gave Irvin early offensive support. They tagged Royals starter Brady Singer for a pair of first-inning runs via Santander’s RBI double and Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single. Then, Gunnar Henderson -- who batted leadoff for the first time this season and for only the third time in his young big league career -- swatted a solo homer in the second to make it 3-0.

Frazier, who tacked on a two-run homer in the eighth to give Baltimore extra breathing room, came away impressed by what he saw from Irvin.

“If he can do what he did today every five days, I think that’s going to help out our staff a lot, help out our team a lot,” Frazier said. “Because the way he was throwing today can get a lot of guys out.”

Whether Irvin stays in the rotation long term is up to Hyde and the Orioles’ front office. The spot the southpaw filled previously belonged to Grayson Rodriguez, the former top prospect who was optioned to Triple-A on May 27 after enduring his own big league struggles.

Baltimore could benefit from having a lefty in its rotation. It has only had five starts made by a southpaw this year -- four from Irvin and one by Keegan Akin, used as an opener in a May 31 bullpen game vs. Cleveland.

Hyde said Irvin will have an opportunity to stick around. But he’ll need to build upon his encouraging first start back to avoid a return to the Minors.

“Humility goes a long way. And I think there were some things that I needed to address as a man and I felt like I did that down there,” Irvin said. “Cleaned up some mechanical things as well. I think, going forward, I learned a little bit. ...

“It’s just about giving the team a quality effort every time I go out and focusing on the next start.”