Orioles' Cole Irvin: Gives up three home runs in loss

Irvin (1-3) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over four innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

Irvin allowed three solo home runs in the third inning on hanging breaking balls, but he was otherwise sharp. It was the left-hander's second straight start in place of Grayson Rodriguez, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on May 27. Irvin has been much better during his current big-league stint than he was at the beginning of the year, when he gave up 15 runs over 12.2 innings, but his spot in the Orioles' rotation likely depends more on Rodriguez's progress than his own success -- the 23-year-old has a 2.50 ERA and 27:8 K:BB in 18 innings over three starts for Norfolk since his demotion. Irvin's next outing will come at home versus a Seattle squad that has struggled against lefties, ranking 24th in the league with a .306 wOBA.