Washington Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark will make his first start of the season Monday in Chicago, manager Matt Williams announced Saturday.
The Nationals needed someone to fill the spot in the rotation vacated by Doug Fister, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right flexor muscle strain late last week. The most logical candidate was Roark, who has pitched out of the bullpen this season despite finishing 15-10 with a 2.85 ERA as a starter last year. The mid-season switch is nothing new for Roark, who arrived in the majors as a reliever in 2013 before transitioning to the rotation.
“You’ve just got to go out there and do your thing,” Roark said. “I mean, you prepare as much as you can, but this is my first start of the season. I’m sure there’s a pitch limit. I feel like I could throw 100 pitches. At least, that’s what I think. But you’ve just got to prepare the best that you can and treat it like you would any start.”
Roark has a 2.66 ERA in 13 relief appearances so far this season, and his fastball, which was around 92 mph as a starter, has ticked up to 95 mph. He does not believe scaling back his velocity over a longer outing will be difficult, nor does his manager.
“I don’t know if he pitches any different. His fastball is his fastball,” Williams said. “But if he knows it’s a one-inning stint then he can let it go. But if he knows that he’s going to have to get our there for four or five, then I don’t expect that velocity to be 94, 95 miles per hour all the time. We’ve seen it a couple of times where he understands the process of the game that we’re playing that particular day.”
Roark will be held to roughly 70 pitches in Monday’s game, Williams said Friday.
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A Wilmington, Illinois native and former student-athlete at the University of Illinois, Roark said he will have “tons” of friends and family at Wrigley Field for his spot start. He could remain in the rotation for several more weeks depending on the health of Fister, who has yet to play catch.
Whatever his role, Roark plans to embrace it.
“I have no control over it, so why am I going to let it bother me?” Roark said. “There’s no point. What am I going to do, complain to coaches or teammates? Nobody else cares, I don’t care, that I’m out in the bullpen. It is what it is. Whenever it be — in the eighth, long relief, two outs, spot starting, whatever — I’m out here to get outs. I just like to be out there and compete.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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