Cole Irvin earned the promotion after Vince Velasquez was sent to the injured list with an arm injury. The move comes after VV's last start, a shaky one where he repeatedly shook off pitches called by catcher JT Realmuto. VV was called out by his catcher and manager for not going with the game plan and you have to wonder if he's really injured or if the Phillies are trying to send him a message.
Nick Pivetta was sent down a few weeks ago after a series of poor starts and his replacement, Jerad Eickhoff, has been excellent in his place.
Irvin has earned his promotion, going 30-14 in parts of four minor league seasons. The 25-year-old has allowed just 347 hits in 394.1 innings, with 309 strikeouts and 89 walks. Irvin throws between 88 and 94 mph and is known for pitching in the strike zone and just getting guys out.
Velasquez has made 82 major league starts and the Phillies have been waiting for him to fulfill his potential. He's a lot like Bull Durham's Nuke LaLoosh, owner of a "million-dollar arm with a five-cent head." It looks like they got tired of waiting and shaking off Realmuto was the last straw.
It's good to see the Phillies give a shot to a deserving guy like Irvin, who has one of the better Twitter handles in baseball - @Swirvin_irvin19. And it's good to know there are plenty of solid pitchers in the minors for the Phillies to turn to when the need arises.
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