Irvin, with some late run support, authors latest gem for Nats (updated)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Josiah Gray got the Opening Day assignment based off his 2023 campaign. MacKenzie Gore got the hype based off his reputation and knack for the occasional dominant outing. But the member of the Nationals rotation who had the best spring and most looked poised to break out might well have been Jake Irvin.

Three months later, the right-hander might just be the best pitcher on the staff. And in a couple weeks, he might just end up representing the team at the All-Star Game.

As the season’s unofficial second half got under way this afternoon with Game 82, Irvin took the mound at Tropicana Field and kept doing what he did throughout the first half. With six superb innings of one-hit ball, he led the way and bought time for his teammates to get their bats going, which they finally did during a late explosion that turned a close game against the Rays into an 8-1 rout.

Irvin was stellar again, overcoming an early (and unlucky) home run surrendered to hold Tampa Bay hitless the rest of the way. And thanks to the kind of run support that hasn’t been provided regularly enough, he emerged with his sixth win while lowering his ERA to 3.03 (ninth-best in the National League) and WHIP to 1.061 (seventh-best in the NL).

"When he first got to spring training, he was impressive," catcher Keibert Ruiz said. "And he's been great for us this year."

There’s still a week to go before full rosters are announced for the July 16 Midsummer Classic, but Irvin continues to bolster his case for a trip to Texas that few probably foresaw when the season began.

"We saw it toward the end of last year," manager Davey Martinez insisted. "We talked to him about building off of that. He had a little hiccup in spring training, but all in all, I still said this kid's going to be OK. Because he listens. He wants learn. He wants to get better. He'll take this outing, and learn from that and keep moving forward."

Irvin has been a rock of stability for the Nationals throughout the last three months. This was his 17th start. He has now allowed two or fewer earned runs over six or more innings pitched in 11 of those 17 starts.

"I've talked a lot about it, but I'm just trying to keep us in games," he said. "The consistency is part of that. If I can keep us in it every fifth, putting us in line for wins, that's my job. And I've been pleased with the results."

The one run off the 27-year-old today came on a no-doubt homer by Brandon Lowe in the bottom of the first. But that came one pitch after Irvin got Lowe to hit what looked like a routine popup behind the plate, with Ruiz camped under the ball and ready to catch it. Until the ball disappeared, stuck in one of Tropicana Field’s infamous catwalks.

"I've never seen that before," Ruiz said. "Crazy."

The ground rule for such an occasion: Foul ball. So instead of an easy out, Irvin had to throw another pitch to Lowe, and paid the price for it.

"I'm giving up a homer. That was the thought," Irvin said with a laugh of his reaction to the lost ball. "I saw the ball go in there, and of course it's the synergy of the game. Made an OK pitch afterwards, and to see it leave the yard, you just kind of tip your cap."

No worries, because he didn’t give up another hit the rest of the day. Irvin issued three walks, but the Rays never advanced any of those runners past first base. And when he got Isaac Paredes to pop out to Ruiz on a ball that didn’t strike any unnatural material hanging from the roof to end the sixth, Irvin walked off the field having completed another outstanding start.

"I think the coaching staff has done a really good job of keeping us in the moment, and bringing it back to neutral," he said. "When something doesn't go your way, you're just out there trying to control what you can control. For me, it's about being competitive on the next pitch. And I think the coaching staff has done a really good job of preaching that for us."

After getting hit by a pitch on his already ailing left wrist Friday night, CJ Abrams was a bit of a question mark for today’s game. Once cleared to play, though, the Nationals shortstop went right to work and made an immediate impact. Abrams blasted the game’s fourth pitch from Aaron Civale deep to right-center for his 13th homer of the season, his third leading off a game.

But with a chance to make it a really big top of the first, the Nats came up short. They put four of their first five batters of the day on base, but Jesse Winker (returning the day after he tweaked his right knee) grounded into a double play and Harold Ramírez (facing his former team) struck out with two outs and two runners in scoring position.

This would become a recurring theme for the Nationals, who put runners in scoring position in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings yet never came through in any of those spots. With an 0-for-6 showing to that point, they matched their total from Friday’s game and fell to 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position for the series.

And then they flipped the switch, and oh did the hits start falling.

Leading 2-1 when the top of the seventh began, the Nationals proceeded to go 7-for-8 against reliever Shawn Armstrong, including 5-for-6 with runners in scoring position, to plate six runs and turn a tight game into a rout. Abrams just missed his second homer of the day, settling for a double off the wall. Winker drove in a run with an opposite field single. Luis García Jr. notched his third hit of the day. Ramírez broke the Tampa Bay fans’ hearts with a two-run triple to right-center. And Ruiz completed the rally with an RBI single to left, knocking Armstrong from the game to a chorus of boos.

"I feel like we're a fastball-hitting team," García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "I think the pitcher was obviously throwing that pitch consistently, and I think as a team we were very good about being selective in the zone and taking good at-bats."

Everything else was a piece of cake for the Nationals, who coasted to victory. They snapped their four-game losing streak. They opened the second half of the season with a convincing win. And they made sure their most consistently effective starter in 2024 was rewarded for his efforts.

Now, everyone waits two more weeks to find out if he really gets rewarded with a trip to Texas for the All-Star break.

"Ha, I'm not going to answer that," Irvin said when put on the spot. "No, no. Kyle Finnegan's really good."