The Washington Nationals have the chance to take two out of three against the best team in baseball if they can beat the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.That scenario is in large part due to Jake Irvin, who had the best start of his season on Saturday when he didn't allow a hit through five innings pitched. With seven strikeouts and just one walked issued entering the bottom of the sixth, the right-hander was just a few perfect frames away from etching his name into the history books.Unfortunately, he didn't get the opportunity to try. Irvin was pulled from the game due to an injury. And now, ahead of Sunday's series finale, the Nationals decided to place him on the 15-day injured list with what they diagnosed as a right shoulder strain.Nationals Place Jake Irvin on 15-Day IL, Recall PJ PoulinWashington Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin | Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesIn an official announcement from the team, Washington revealed that Irvin was moved to the IL and left-hander PJ Poulin was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Poulin had been optioned to the minors on May 21 as the corresponding move for Clayton Beeter getting activated off the injured list. But now, the 29-year-old is back in the majors to continue his strong season.As for Irvin, while getting placed on the IL is never a good thing, he was relieved with his injury diagnosis. According to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, the right-hander stated, "I think it was the best news we could have heard."While the diagnosis might have been positive, the timing wasn't. Not only did Irvin have his best performance of the year on Saturday, but that was also coming off another strong outing on May 18 when he allowed just two earned runs across four innings pitched with six strikeouts and one walk. So, across his last two starts, he has given up only two earned runs in nine innings pitched, with 13 strikeouts and two walks.Hopefully, Irvin can recover quickly and get back to the major league mound as soon as possible so he can keep this recent form going.Who Could Replace Jake Irvin in Starting RotationWashington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez | Brad Mills-Imagn ImagesWith Poulin getting recalled as the corresponding move, it seems like the Nationals will choose between Mitchell Parker or Andrew Alvarez to backfill the opening left by Irvin.If I had to guess, I think Washington is going to go with Alvarez. He has been impressive this season when used as a piggyback reliever. Through three appearances, he has an ERA of 3.18 across 11 1/3 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts to two walks and a save. So with a larger role now available, he seems primed to step into that position.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow