Washington Nationals: Top five storylines heading into the second half

4. Can Tanner Roark and Joe Ross hold down the back-end of the rotation?

The Nationals have always been a team built on pitching. This year’s team is no different, with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez pitching phenomenally at the front-end of the rotation.

However, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross have both been extremely inconsistent at the back-end of the rotation. Roark, one of the most consistent pitchers in the league over the last few years, has been a major disappointment this season.

After having the sixth-lowest ERA in the MLB and finishing tenth in NL Cy Young voting last year, Roark has not been the same in 2017. In 18 games, he has pitched to a 5.27 ERA. He also allowed 59 earned runs in the first half, which is just seven less than his career-worst, which was accomplished in over double the amount of innings.

Most of Roark’s struggles have been due to less than optimal control. Known for his pinpoint command, Roark has had trouble locating his pitches. Although this hasn’t necessarily resulted in an increase in walks, he has left countless pitches over the heart of the plate, which are exceptionally hittable.

One popular theory as to why Roark has struggled in 2017 is his participation in the World Baseball Classic. He had an abbreviated Spring Training and was pitching in high-leverage situations while most of his teammates were playing in exhibition games. It’s not guaranteed that the WBC caused 2017 to be a rough season for Roark, but it’s a definite possibility. There aren’t many other reasons as to why one of the league’s most consistent pitchers over the course of several seasons would suddenly become one of the league’s worst starters.

Ross has also struggled in 2017. Luckily for Ross, the offense has provided him with an unbelievable amount of run support. In his 13 starts, he has received an MLB-leading 10.1 runs per start.

Ross has greatly improved over his last few starts, but could soon find himself on the disabled list. During his start on Sunday, he was forced to leave after just 3.1 innings with triceps tenderness. His velocity was lower than normal throughout his start, and many of his fastballs registered as change-ups. It will be a shame if Ross’ soreness requires a trip to the disabled list because he was finally beginning to pitch better.

If Roark and Ross are unable to improve in the second half, the Nats may be forced to give Erick Fedde or Edwin Jackson a shot in the rotation. The back-end of the rotation will definitely be worth keeping an eye on throughout the second half.