Jalyn Smoot
Two starts, two wins. Not a bad way to kick start your major league
career. After a brief rain delay, rookie southpaw Cole Irvin went on to do
just that against the Colorado Rockies.
Although Irvin wasn’t as masterful as he was in his seven-inning
Mother’s Day debut versus the Royals, he was still very serviceable in his
second career start. Against a very formidable Nolan Arenado-led Rockies
offense that ranks in the Top 15 in both runs scored and slugging
percentage, Irvin faired decently in his first home start at Citizens Bank
Park.
After being ailed by some early-inning defensive woes and giving up a
couple of scores, the novice lefty settled in nicely over the next few innings.
He continued to pound the strike zone and did an excellent job of managing
his pitch count. Of the 25 batters Irvin faced last night, ten were retired on
three pitches or less. The impressive total would have jumped to 13 batters
sat down on three or fewer pitches if it weren’t for three(!) errors in the
second inning. Irvin works with a tremendous pace and has the makings of a
true innings-eater with the way he effortlessly neutralizes opposing lineups.
Fortunately for the undefeated rookie pitcher, he may be in line for a
few more wins due to a favorable upcoming schedule. Barring injuries, roster
transactions, and/or rainouts, Irvin is slated to square off against the Cubs,
Cardinals, Padres, and Reds over his next four starts. While the Cubs and
Cardinals both boast high-powered offenses they, similarly to the Padres and
Reds, struggle against left-handed pitching. Here’s a look at how the teams
fare against lefties this season:
|
Opponents
|
BA
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
|
Cubs
|
.227
|
.324
|
.428
|
|
Cardinals
|
.242
|
.338
|
.392
|
|
Padres
|
.219
|
.288
|
.437
|
|
Reds
|
.246
|
.322
|
.422
|
As the stats reflect, none of Irvin’s next four opponents have
performed particularly well- with the Cubs and Padres struggling mightily-
against lefties. If the young Phillies starter can continue to limit baserunners
(only ten total hits surrendered over his two starts) and maintain his
efficient pitching pace, he may be due for quite a stretch of success to begin
his MLB career.
Following a nearly four year drought in which the Phillies failed to have a lefty mainstay in the starting rotation, the 25-year old Irvin may wind up being just the man for the job. Of course, he’ll need to build upon his impressive start to do so, but a kind schedule may give him the boost he needs to earn a permanent role in Philly.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
