Irvin's abrupt departure puts damper on Nats' 1-hitter over Braves
Jake Irvin will get an MRI after experiencing tightness in the back of his right shoulder near the end of his five no-hit innings
ATLANTA – It was all going so well, with Jake Irvin throwing as consistently hard as he has all season and getting as many swings and misses as he has all season. And when the Nationals right-hander took the mound for the bottom of the sixth this evening at Truist Park, the Braves’ line score said it all: 0 0 0.
And then the next thing anyone knew, there was Irvin walking back to the dugout alongside head athletic trainer Dale Gilbert as Brad Lord prepared to enter from the bullpen. And thus did the best start of Irvin season’s become cause for concern.
“The competitive spirit, I wanted to go out there, take the ball,” he said. “I tried to give it a chance, and it just felt like it was in our best interests to go to a better arm.”
The Nationals’ 2-0 victory over the Braves was as impressive a collective performance as they’ve put together through the season’s first two months. Irvin teamed up with Brad Lord and Richard Lovelady to toss the 10th one-hitter in club history, and they did it against one of the most-potent lineups in baseball. Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas each hit his first big-league homer of the season.
But it was the nature of Irvin’s departure that put a damper on what otherwise was a spectacular game for the Nats. After experiencing what he described as “tightness” in the back of his right shoulder, he’s headed for an MRI on Sunday morning, hoping his decision not to take any chances will be rewarded.
What’s Irvin’s level of concern right now?
