Not concerned with velocity drop Irvin averaged 91.4 mph with his fastball during Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Cardinals, down significantly from the 93.8 mph he averaged in 2024, but he said af... Impact The Nationals allowed the right-hander to build up to 91 pitches (64 strikes), so even though the results weren't pretty -- six runs allowed on 10 hits, including two home runs, over 5.2 innings -- the team would seem to share Irvin's confidence in his fitness. "No, we would've definitely taken him out [if we thought he was dealing with a health issue]," manager Dave Martinez said after the game. "But he said he felt great. He said nothing to worry about. He's tinkering. One, he's throwing the slider, he's throwing the cutter, so his fastball was just a little off." Irvin had been pitching fairly well this spring prior to the blowup, and he still has a 3.86 ERA through 16.1 innings after Wednesday, albeit with a lackluster 9:8 K:BB. He's expected to get one more turn during the exhibition schedule before starting the second game of the season for the Nats on March 29 against the Phillies.
MARCH 20 • ROTOWIRE
