WASHINGTON -- Jake Irvin was the first player manager Blake Butera saw arrive at Nationals Park on Wednesday. Irvin was trying to treat it like another afternoon, but Butera noticed an extra level of intensity in the right-hander who has been sidelined since late May.
“I understand. He's been out for a while, he wants to get back,” Butera said. “It felt like a real outing for him, at least the way he prepared for it.”
Irvin was placed on the injured list on May 24 because of a right shoulder strain. The injury lingered longer than expected, and he was cleared to pitch to live batters for the first time ahead of the Nationals' series finale vs. the Astros.
“It’s a stepping stone in this rehab process,” Irvin said. “I think getting to face hitters in any capacity is like checking the boxes, but it's also a product of a lot of hard work. It feels like a long time coming.”
With the sun beating down and the temps in the 90s, Irvin got in uniform and took the mound. He achieved the goal of two ups, which he completed on 30 pitches.
“I think the biggest thing was just being able to throw everything,” said Irvin. “We weren't sequencing like a normal game or anything like that. … I think the biggest balance is attacking guys with everything, throwing it over the plate and just feeling good.”
There was an entire staff watching Irvin’s afternoon session, honed in on specific aspects of his two ups. Butera has one (very important) criteria he is watching for.
“The biggest thing with any of these build-ups from rehab is making sure they get out of the outing healthy, and make sure they throw the amount of pitches they're supposed to throw,” Butera said. “That's what I look at first.
“I thought the stuff from the eye looked about the same as it did before, which is a positive, but that's like secondary to me. It's more about how he's doing now and the fact that he got through the whole outing fine. He can be throwing 98 [mph], but if he has to shut it down in the middle of it, the 98 isn't really as important.”
Irvin’s injury unexpectedly occurred during one of his best starts. He was in the midst of five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts on May 23 in Atlanta. An MRI revealed a right shoulder strain, and he was placed on the 15-day IL the next day.
Left-hander Andrew Alvarez was moved into the starting rotation in Irvin’s absence. Irvin’s next step, Butera said, will most likely be a rehab assignment. With plans of Irvin returning to the starting rotation, he will have to build up to possibly five innings.
“[There has been] a bunch of support from everybody, so it was great,” said Irvin. “I’m just happy to be back on the bump, as simple as that is.”
Nationals pitchers as a group took a positive step in the rehab process on Wednesday.
Right-handers Trevor Williams (right UCL reconstruction) and Max Kranick (right elbow surgery recovery) pitched on their rehab assignments at Triple-A Rochester. Williams started for the Red Wings and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits and two strikeouts. Kranick followed for 2 1/3 frames, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts.