Martinez's message turns Irvin's spring around

JUPITER, Fla. -- A talk with Nationals manager Dave Martinez turned on a light switch for right-hander Jake Irvin, and it paid off handsomely in a 2-1 victory over the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Irvin was at his best, throwing a Spring Training-high five scoreless innings and allowing one hit with five strikeouts. He threw 52 pitches (43 strikes).

“Let’s start off by saying Jake was awesome,” Martinez said. “You talk about pitch efficiency; he was really good. He attacked the strike zone. He was ahead in the count. I can’t say much. … Some of our young starters are really starting to get it, and that's awesome.”

At first, it looked like Irvin, 27, wasn’t getting the message. In his first two spring outings, Irvin allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 3 2/3 innings. Martinez then had a talk with the right-hander. The conversation was straight to the point. He wanted Irvin to show him that he was going to be one of the five starters in the rotation.

“‘One, you are here to make the team. Two, I want you to work on the stuff you need to work on but do it in the bullpen. During the game, I need you to compete. I need you to forget about everything and start getting some outs,’” Martinez recalled telling Irvin. “He started getting outs.”

The outing prompted the D.C. media to ask Martinez if Irvin was part of the rotation to start the regular season.

“He’s getting there,” Martinez said. “He definitely impressed me today.”

Irvin said the talk with Martinez got his focus back on competing and staying in attack mode. It was the “kick in the [butt] I needed.”

“I respect the hell out of [Martinez],” Irvin said. “His words go a long way with me. It was good to hear that from him. I made the adjustment. Now it’s about competing.”

The adjustment was throwing strikes instead of tinkering with different pitches. Trust your stuff and get your confidence up during the season.

“It’s just attacking the strike zone, making guys earn it, especially here in Spring Training,” Irvin said. “Get your feet wet. Throw strikes and make guys hit the ball.”