Irvin struggles for first time, Kjerstad and Holliday shine defensively, Orioles make camp cuts (O's lose 7-5)

SARASOTA, Fla. – Cole Irvin didn’t bother to track the entire flight of the ball that Atlanta’s Orlando Arcia hit over the left field wall with a runner on base in the second inning. He turned to catcher James McCann and held out his glove. Bring on the next batter.

Irvin was a more engaged spectator on Jordan Luplow’s ball later in the inning that landed pretty much in the same spot. He thought that one had a chance to stay in play, and he showed just a smidge of frustration as he again spun toward the plate.

This wasn’t Irvin’s night.

The left-hander allowed six runs and seven hits in his first three innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. He threw 63 pitches, only 37 for strikes.

Brought back for the fourth, Irvin walked a batter in between a fly ball and popup and exited at 73 pitches, 41 for strikes.

Lots of hard contract against Irvin, who hadn’t allowed a run in his first two starts totaling five innings. But he got his ups and increased his spring pitch count. He also figured out why he was struggling. Those were the rewards.

Irvin retired the side in order on 10 pitches in the first, but he issued a leadoff walk to Travis d’Arnaud in the second and Arcia homered with one out. Luis Guillorme flied out and Luplow homered.

The third began with a walk and double play, but d’Arnaud doubled and scored on Jarred Kelenic’s single. Arcia singled and Guillorme followed with a two-run double to left.

Shortstop Jordan Westburg’s relay arrived at the plate ahead of Arcia, but McCann couldn’t secure the ball.

“The first inning felt really good, and then that long inning, I don’t know what I did in that second inning but I got into some old habits and I felt it there in that fourth inning, where I was dumping my hands a little differently than I have and similarly to what I did in the past,” Irvin said. “Got two outs after making the adjustment. So, those are things that, I’m glad it came up today because I really haven’t had a rough outing yet. Today was a good day.

“I was leaving a lot of pitches thigh line and these guys have a lot of flat bats, so you’ve got to move it up and down and east and west.”

Irvin couldn’t get his sinker over for strikes but was happy for the most part with his slider and a curveball that he hadn’t really showcased in a game.

“Didn’t get the swings that I thought I would but overall the responses that we’re getting from hitters are good,” he said. “Little by little, chip away and take the good with the bad. I’m definitely not happy results-wise, but it’s spring training. It doesn’t hurt you right now.

“We’re talking one degree of difference of stepping across my body versus stepping normally, and that last inning I got back to where I was after the walk and I went, ‘Oh, there it is. Found it.’ It just takes small adjustments. This spring training’s been going pretty good and been throwing pretty well, so there’s a lot of good things to look at, but I’m glad I had an outing today to really enforce more of the work I need to put in to repeat my delivery and do the things that I have been doing to be able to throw a little harder and a little firmer. Overall, have better shapes on my pitches.”

* Irvin’s first pitch, to Michael Harris II, was drilled toward second baseman Jackson Holliday, who made a nifty stop, spun and threw him out. On Irvin’s last pitch of the second inning, again to Harris, left fielder Heston Kjerstad dug the ball out of the corner and fired to third base, where Eli White overran the bag and was tagged out.

“I think defensively we’ve been great. We were great last year. We’re going to continue to be good,” Irvin said.

“We’ve got an incredible defense and an incredible offense.”

Said Kjerstad: "I feel good. In the outfield, there's a lot of plays you can make in the air, but when the ball's on the ground, you can still maybe cut down a runner from getting an extra base or cut down a dude from scoring just by attacking the ball hard and taking good angles. Any way I can help our pitchers and cut down runs, you've just got to keep going."

Kjerstad is showing improvement in his defense from a year ago. It's been an emphasis in camp.

"Being able to work on it through the offseason, focusing on it more than I have in the past, definitely made a leap," he said. "Before, it felt like I played solid D but definitely took it up a notch."

Holliday seems just fine at second base. He went airborne and turned his body to make the relay on a double play in the third after taking the throw from third baseman Kolten Wong.

He finally got some action at second, including that elusive double play.

“Shoot, I saw him at Norfolk a little bit last season. He’s a great defender. You can put him anywhere and he’s going to be able to get the job done,” Irvin said.

“First-pitch swinging, hot screamer at you and knocks it down, be able to get the out. That’s all you can ask for. He’s a good player and you can stick him just about anywhere.”

* The Orioles have registered five-run first innings in back-to-back games, sending nine batters to the plate tonight against Bryce Elder.

Elder walked the bases loaded with no outs and the first run scored on Westburg’s fielder’s choice grounder. Kjerstad had an RBI single, and Westburg came home on Kelenic’s throwing error after McCann singled.

Wong lined a two-out, two-run double into left-center field.

The 5-0 lead didn’t hold up.

Elder did, going 4 1/3 innings with just the five runs allowed.

* Dillon Tate notched another scoreless inning, his fifth in five appearances. He's allowed only one hit this spring.

Danny Coulombe was stretched out to 1 2/3 innings. He didn't allow a run or hit, and he walked one batter.

Keegan Akin retired all four batters he faced, striking out three. He hasn't allowed a run in 6 1/3 innings, with only one hit.

* The Orioles removed eight players from the camp roster to get down to 50.

Pitchers Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott, Wandisson Charles, Tucker Davidson and Luis González, infielder Errol Robinson, outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo were reassigned to minor league camp.

McDermott, the No. 9 prospect in the system per MLB Pipeline, didn’t allow a run in 6 2/3 innings and struck out 10 batters. Povich, the No. 10 prospect, surrendered one earned run (two total) with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

Their development continues at Triple-A Norfolk.

Charles didn’t allow a run in four appearances totaling four innings. He walked four batters and struck out four.

The club never announced Robinson as an official non-roster invite but he was in major league camp as an additional infielder to help balance out the position group during fielding drills and games. The Maryland native was 6-for-15 with a double, RBI, six walks and seven runs scored in 15 games.

Johnson, the only outfielder on the non-roster list, was 8-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBIs, three walks and eight runs scored.  He appeared in 16 games to lead the club.

* The Associated Press reported that the Orioles renewed the contracts of catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson.

Rutschman will be paid $760,300 this season and Henderson will receive $756,200.

* Another sellout crowd tonight - 8,031.

* The Orioles lost to the Braves 7-5 and are 15-4-1.

Andrew Suárez allowed his first spring run in the ninth after six scoreless frames.

Samuel Basallo lined a single into left field in the ninth.

Manager Brandon Hyde was impressed by the defense from Kjerstad and Holliday, easily two of the highlights.

“Kjerstad made three really good throws, one to third and two to the plate,” Hyde said. “Love the way he got to ball and got the ball in, made strong throws. And it was nice to see Jackson. We hadn’t had many plays out there where he’s had to range and make some plays. Great double play turned, great play to his left.”

As for Irvin, Hyde said, “I think he just struggled with his command. Some balls kind of in the middle heart of the plate that they hit hard. He just didn’t execute tonight.”