Jake Irvin put up solid starts in his first two outings in the majors (1-0, 0.84 ERA, 4.02 FIP, .177/.333/.206 line against in 10 2⁄3 innings pitched), but the Nationals’ 26-year-old starter has gone through a rough stretch over his last five (0-3, 8.41 ERA, 6.71 FIP, .302/.408/.488 line against in 20 1⁄3 IP), so the club decided to skip his turn in the rotation this time.
“We have an opportunity to do some different things, and to give him a break here was nice,” skipper Davey Martinez explained before Washington’s series finale with Atlanta’s Braves on Sunday afternoon.