Nationals Reaction: Roark Lacks Command in Orioles’ Loss
By Chris Lacey
The Washington Nationals suffered defeat again at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles in Wednesday’s contest as they lost 10-8.
While the Washington Nationals almost mounted an epic comeback in the ninth inning last night against the Baltimore Orioles, they were unable to fully erase the 10-3 lead the O’s had after the eighth inning.
The Nationals were put in an early hole, as their starter Tanner Roark coughed up four runs in the first inning. He allowed one more for the remainder of the outing, but the damage was already done.
Roark lasted five innings, yielded five runs (four earned), issued three walks, fanned four batters and surrendered one home run.
The rough start by Roark was a shock, considering he’s been one of the better pitchers in the Nats’ rotation other than Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.
This season, the 29-year-old right-hander has given his club quality innings in 2016. He had thrown at least six innings in each of his previous five starts.
There are just five starts this year in which Roark hasn’t completed at least six innings. The last time where Roark did not finish six inning was July 22 against the San Diego Padres.
One other negative from Roark’s outing was when he hit back-to-back batters in the second inning. The hit batters were a sign that his command wouldn’t be precise, considering he plunked just eight players in his first 26 starts. Plus, it’s the first time this season he has hit multiple batters in a game.
Roark’s sub-par performance isn’t a cause for concern as he’s proven to be a very dependable starter in their rotation. The starting pitchers who remain healthy and put their respective club in a position to win on a consistent basis make close to 30 starts in a season. In every start, it’s impossible to expect they’ll have excellent command and place the baseball exactly where they want.
Next: Recap: 9th Inning Comeback Falls Short Against Orioles
Despite Roark’s struggles, you have to give credit to the Orioles.They’re one of the best scoring teams in the American League and have pushed 18 runs in the last two games. The first game of the series in which they scored just four runs was surprising.
The Nationals have given up 29 runs during this four-game losing skid, which isn’t ideal, but they still are one of the premier pitching teams in the National League. The rotation has been a major reason why they have a commanding lead in the NL East, and it won’t be long until they get back to dominating the opposition once more.