It’s mid-September now, and Tanner Roark continues his efficient toil with all the fanfare of a parking meter.
He’s made 30 starts and no one in the Washington Nationals rotation has a lower ERA. Not the $210-million man atop it, Max Scherzer, or his $175 million backup, Stephen Strasburg.
It’s Roark who leads the National League in starts of seven innings or more without allowing a run, a total which he added to Wednesday afternoon by stuffing the New York Mets 1-0 for the third time this season. His ERA against the rival Metropolitans is 1.27.
Roark’s 15th win of the season shrunk the Nationals’ magic number to seven. They could be National League East division champions by the end of next week. The Mets are 10 games out of first place. Their lone route to defending the National League title appears to be through a wild-card playoff spot.
“I think everybody is very excited about it, being very close,” Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos said through interpreter Octavio Martinez.
Among the bewildering moves of 2015, sending Roark to the bullpen and out of the rotation becomes more baffling with each of his starts in 2016. He’s made 30, one short of his career high in 2014, when he threw almost 200 innings, won 15 games, and finished with a 2.85 ERA.
Maybe his salary was confusing enough to make him go to the bullpen. Roark is making a paltry $543,000 to be one of the top pitchers in the National League. Six Nationals relievers make more, pinch-hitter Clint Robinson ($534,900) makes a sliver less. The return on investment in Roark has been a staggering benefit to the Nationals this season.
In three weeks, the pressure and conversation around Roark should amplify. The Nationals are not sure if Stephen Strasburg will be back in the rotation for the playoffs because of the strained flexor mass in his right arm. Gio Gonzalez’s results have fluctuated throughout the season. The back end of the rotation is in question. Will Joe Ross return? Can one of the rookies pitch well enough to take that spot? Would there be consideration for Mat Latos or A.J. Cole?
What the Nationals know they have is Scherzer and Roark at the top. Scherzer is among the Cy Young candidates. Roark would make any list of most underpaid. He also is amused when asked if he has thought of himself as the Nationals’ No. 2 starter since Strasburg is out.
“Not even no,” Roark said with a laugh.
Roark has learned he is better served by being a plotter instead of a power thrower. In the bullpen last season, he pushed his pitches more toward 95 mph, up from the 91 or 92 he would usually throw. He figured there was no reason to chase efficiency since he was in a relief role. It did not serve him well. His ERA rose to 4.38, combining irritating results with an unpreferred position.
This spring, he was intent on returning to relying on the swerving action of his two-seam fastball, plus the punch, counter-punch feel he could deliver with his slider, changeup and curveball behind it. He’s stayed with that plan throughout the season, turning his words into results.
“Location is more important than how hard you throw,” Roark said. “If you throw 96, 97 without any location and it’s straight, then it can be up in the zone and it can be right down the middle. That’s where other pitches comes into play, too. The slider, curveball, changeup. You’ve got to utilize that and make sure everything looks the same. Read swings, know the tendencies of the hitters.”
He has asked his well-heeled counterparts for nitpicks or advice. In doing so, Roark has backed his personal belief in his pitches with thoughts from teammates. He’s pleased to meld the two, which have put him on pace for a career best in starts, innings, ERA, and strikeouts.
“I want to pick their brains and know what they see,” Roark said. “I don’t mind criticism, I don’t mind any of that. I want to know if they see something I need to change. I’m always open for anything. Any suggestions. But, ultimately, I trust my stuff and believe in myself.”
That has worked well. Even if he had to wait a year to return to where he was.
BAKER ON LEAVE: The Nationals were managed by bench coach Chris Speier on Wednesday because manager Dusty Baker had left the team to deal with a death in his family. Baker is expected back for Friday’s opener in Atlanta, though Speier mentioned before the game started that Baker had provided him with a lineup for Friday in case he was not able to make it the game in time.
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