Athletics Cole Irvin: hits the wall with a loss

Irvin (6-9) took the defeat on Friday when the Rangers dropped the A 3-2, giving up three runs with three hits over a five-plus innings. He beat five without walking the dough.

The left-hander closed the sixth inning, but Irvin got hooked after the first four Texas strikers reached the base with three singles and a hit pitch, and Sergio Romo then scored two heirs. Irvin has been one of the biggest surprises in the first half of the American League, with the 27-year-old taking a 3.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 78:19 K: BB through 106 innings for an All-Star break.