Irvin allowed an earned run on five hits and a walk over two innings in a Cactus League tie with the Guardians on Sunday. He struck out one.
The veteran scuffled to a 10-15 mark last season after a solid start, dropping eight of his last 12 decisions but still posting a serviceable 4.24 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Irvin did pitch to some contact Sunday as his final line indicates, but he was pleased with his use of a cutter he rolled out for the first time in game action after learning it by watching YouTube videos of the Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Irvin also adjusted the grip on his slider this offseason and worked on explosiveness, which seemed to pay dividends Sunday when his fastball hit as high as 94 mph after averaging 90.8 mph in 2021.