Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. It’s the sort of unhelpful advice that applies to both high school graduation and, apparently, the era of Cole Irvin as an effective big league starter.
Irvin got knocked around yet again on Sunday night, coughing up five runs over 3.2 innings to the Texas Rangers. It was his third straight outing in which he threw fewer than five innings. During that time he has allowed 18 runs (14 earned) over 12.1 innings while striking out five, walking four, and allowing four home runs. He has seen his season-long ERA rise from 2.