Washington Nationals news & notes: Jake Irvin impressive effort; but not enough in Nats’ 2-1 loss to Mets…

IRVIN IN NY:

Coming off a six-inning outing in opposition to Atlanta by which he held the Braves to a run on two hits, strolling one and putting out 5, Jake Irvin impressed once more final night time in Citi Subject, in what ended up a 7 1⁄3 inning begin.

Irvin, 27, gave up 4 hits and one earned run this time, strolling one once more, with one other 5 strikeouts.

Irvin threw 94 pitches, 65 for strikes, to the 26 Mets’ batters he confronted, retiring 9 straight to start out the night time, and 11 of the primary 12, whereas holding the house group off the board by seven earlier than a leadoff double within the eighth and and RBI single two outs later, with reliever Derek Regulation on in aid, introduced the one run on Irvin’s line round, tying issues up at 1-1 for a pair innings earlier than the Mets gained it in extras, 2-1.

It was a fastball-heavy night time for Irvin, who threw 41% sinkers and 38% four-seamers, mixing in his curveball (17%) and cutter (3%). He bought simply seven swinging strikes, however did acquire 17 referred to as strikes, eight on his sinker and 5 on his curve (with three on his sinker and one on his cutter).

“He threw the ball rather well. I assumed in the present day was in all probability one of the best day I’ve seen him throw the ball,” supervisor Davey Martinez stated after the sport.

“His two-seamer was good. His four-seamer was good. Every part was good. He gave us every thing we would have liked.”

Every part they wanted included Irvin fielding a tricky, bases-loaded grounder towards third base within the fourth, when he barehanded the weak curler off Mark Vientos’s bat, and threw to first base in time for the ultimate out of the inning. Irvin, as his supervisor stated, was “jacked” after that play…

“What an unbelievable play,” Martinez stated. “For him to return up and have the attention to make a very good throw like that. It was superior.

“We have been all jacked up, and he was actually jacked up, however he calmed himself down, bought again on the market and did an incredible job.”

The supervisor’s response to Irvin’s response?

“He was jacked up. I checked out him and he simply rotated and checked out me, and goes, ‘I’m okay.’”

Sadly for Irvin and the Nationals, as Martinez stated, the offense, “couldn’t get these couple runs he wanted.”

“In the present day, to me, we performed actually good, we simply couldn’t drive in any runs,” he defined, after the membership went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring place and 5 left on base within the loss.

“We’ve bought to get the ball within the strike zone. We will’t chase,” Martinez stated in diagnosing his offense’s points. “We get the ball within the zone, we’ll hit the ball exhausting.

“In the present day, we swung at some pitches out of the zone — with two strikes, and we hit the ball on the bottom after we ought to attempt to hit the ball within the air. We bought to get the ball up in these conditions.”

ABRAMS SITS AGAIN:

CJ Abrams missed a fourth straight sport with an impingement in his left shoulder, with the Nats’ skipper, Davey Martinez, explaining earlier than the sequence opener with the Mets in Citi Subject the membership is taking a cautious method with their 23-year-old shortstop, who had simply begun to get issues going on the plate earlier than the damage, following a tricky offensive stretch for the infielder.

“He’ll positively be accessible to pinch hit in the present day,” Martinez informed reporters.

“We’re simply going to be very cautious. However he’ll go do some actions on the market, and he’ll be accessible to pinch-hit.”

Whereas he would, after all, be pleased to pencil Abrams again into the lineup, Martinez stated it was extra necessary to have him wholesome first.

“For me, it’s about him getting by the remainder of the yr wholesome. That’s the most important factor for me.

“Then he can begin, proper now can begin his winter program. However he desires to play. He’s itching to get again in there.

“He began swinging the bat nicely once more. So he’s doing every thing he can with trainers and our power guys to get again on the sector.”

Abrams hit two residence runs (his nineteenth and twentieth) in 4 video games earlier than the damage, however general within the second-half, (following a first-half which earned him an All-Star nod), he’s struggled.

He completed the pre-ASG stretch at .268/.343/.489, with 21 doubles, six triples, 15 residence runs, 30 walks, and 80 Ks in 89 video games and 398 plate appearances, however earlier than the shoulder subject, he had a .179/.234/.301 line, six doubles, 5 homers, 9 walks, and 45 Ks over 45 video games and 188 PAs popping out of the break.

“I believe it was simply — hitting-wise, mechanically, I believe he bought a little bit fatigued there, in direction of — in August, late August, September,” Martinez stated in explaining Abrams’ second-half woes on the plate.

“However nonetheless in all, we bought to recollect this man hasn’t performed very a lot baseball. Once we bought him he solely had 500-600 at-bats within the minors, performed a full yr final yr, got here into his personal for the primary half this yr, and the season will get lengthy whenever you’re that younger. So I hope he discovered one thing this yr, which I do know he did, about preparation, and tips on how to get himself able to play out a full yr like he did the primary half.”