After early woes, Irvin settles in to show signs of growth

WASHINGTON -- As the heat and humidity faded into the Friday evening, Jake Irvin did the opposite of cooling off. The more times he faced the Brewers lineup, the better he adjusted to keep the Nationals in the game.

“If he sees something or thinks the pitch is better than what he threw the previous pitch, he’ll do that,” manager Dave Martinez said. “He comes back and says, ‘Hey, I need to get this ball over more in or a little bit more away.’ His ability to do that is really good. So as he gets going and he starts feeling, he starts making really good pitches. And when he keeps himself out there, he gives us a chance to win.”

The 27-year-old threw 31 pitches in the second inning of the 8-3 loss at Nationals Park, allowing three runs off three hits, but he did not allow the inning to define how the rest of the game would proceed. The defense behind the right-handed pitcher helped him retire batters in 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and the fifth to hold the Brewers at three runs, giving the Nationals a chance to make a comeback.

The offense did just that. In the third inning, Jacob Young singled on a ground ball into center field against Brewers right-hander Frankie Montas. That set the stage for CJ Abrams to step up to the plate and deliver his 16th homer of the season and cut the deficit to one run.

“I took a fastball low, kind of keeping my sights up higher in the zone, trying to slow things down, and I got a good [cutter] to hit [on the second pitch],” the shortstop said.

The Nationals offense rallied again in the fourth inning, as Ildemaro Vargas drove an RBI single to center field, plating Luis Garcia Jr. to tie the game at 3.

Irvin was able to stretch to 5 2/3 innings and threw a season-high 110 pitches (72 strikes). He struck out four batters, allowing four runs, six hits, and two walks. The fourth run was an inherited runner vs. reliever Robert Garcia. Brewers shortstop Willy Adames scored when former Nats prospect Blake Perkins hit a two-run single.

Shaky start aside, Irvin said he was pleased with the way he threw the ball, and he was trying to protect the zone as much as he could.

“It’s trying to stay even-keeled the entire outing,” he said. “No matter what happens in those first couple innings, [I] don’t want to let it spiral. I know last year was a big learning experience in totality for me, but not trying to let those big innings become big outings, and doing what I can to get as deep as possible in the game.”

While he would’ve liked to finish the inning, Irvin said that he was thankful to have gone as deep as he did.

“Under the circumstances, I thought that was pretty good,” Martinez said. “I told him, ‘There will come a day where you stay in the game, but not right now.’”

Irvin’s first half did not end the strongest. He pitched only four innings against the Brewers on July 14, allowing a season-high seven runs (six earned) and nine hits against the Brewers on July 14. Facing them again just three weeks later, there was improvement and grit shown on the mound. Martinez said that he has seen a lot of maturity in the starter as the second half of the season has begun.

“He came back after the break and he works his butt off every day,” the manager said. “He’s got a great routine to get himself ready for the next outing. He’s been bouncing back really well, and he’s another one of our young guys, but he’s done well for us.”