Orioles observations on Cole Irvin cutting down on fly balls, club’s hot start to spring and more vs. Yankees
SARASOTA, Fla. — Cole Irvin followed up his impressive spring debut with another strong outing in the Orioles’ 7-3 win over the New York Yankees on Saturday. The left-hander worked three scoreless innings on 52 pitches, becoming the first Orioles pitcher to hit either mark through the club’s first nine Grapefruit League games.
His increased fastball velocity was the story of his first start and he carried that over Saturday, hitting 94 and 95 mph. Irvin did have to work out of a few jams — he allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in each of his three innings — but he induced five groundouts, including a pair of double plays.
“That’s actually who I used to be,” Irvin said after his start of forcing weak contact. “I used to be able to get ground balls with a changeup and sinker. I don’t know how but maybe getting to the big leagues, guys are able to get under the ball a little bit more.
“The point of emphasis today was just to try to throw the cutter, try to throw the sinker, try to work off of them to both sides of the plate and get a lot of ground balls, which is what I was hoping for from the new arsenal. I want to be in the ballpark a little bit more. A little less fly ball happy. So far, it’s showing up so I can’t complain.”
Home runs weren’t necessarily a problem for Irvin last season, when he allowed 11 in 77 1/3 innings, and his 37.2% fly ball rate was just a few ticks under the league average of 37.5%. However, with his revamped repertoire, Irvin hopes to distance himself from the middle of the pack and develop into a tougher pitcher to barrel up.
Facing the American League East rival Yankees, Irvin didn’t want to pull everything out of his bag but finished his outing pleased with his progress in ramping up for the season.
“I really just don’t ask and then when they tell me I’m done, I’m done,” Irvin said of throwing 52 pitches. “Because I just want to work through situations. I want to work through different counts and play with a few pitches. When you’re playing in-division, you don’t want to show them everything so I reserved a couple pitches to hold on to.”
Offensive barrage helps O’s stay hot
The Grapefruit League standings are about as important as an umbrella in a hurricane, but the Orioles’ victory Saturday pushed them to an MLB-best 8-1 so far in spring training. The Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in the Cactus League, are the next-closest club at 6-2.
Offensively, the Orioles are ranked fifth in team OPS (.799), fifth in hits (78) and tied for third in home runs (13). That includes Baltimore’s seven-run outburst against New York, in which outfielders Austin Hays and Kyle Stowers hit home runs.
The pitching side has been just as dominant, ranking second in ERA (2.93) and first in WHIP (1.11). Perhaps the only concern has been the Orioles’ lack of strikeouts, as their total of 66 ranks 25th in baseball. Irvin didn’t strike out a single batter Saturday; neither did starters Tyler Wells and Bruce Zimmermann in their two-inning appearances Friday.
Around the horn
• Among those in attendance for the game were Orioles principal owner John Angelos and David Rubenstein, who reached an agreement to purchase a majority stake of the team in January. Rubenstein walked down to the concourse and greeted a few fans late in the game. The deal is still pending approval from MLB’s owners.
• Orioles starter John Means will “probably not” appear in any Grapefruit League games this spring, manager Brandon Hyde said in his pregame news conference. Means reported to camp on a delayed throwing program after he finished last season on the injured list with elbow soreness. He has yet to face live hitters.
• Saturday’s game marked the second sellout of the spring for the Orioles. The announced attendance was 8,204, exceeding their total of 7,950 for their Grapefruit League opener. A significant contingent of the fans supported New York.
Grapefruit League
Orioles at Pirates
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
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