Tanner Roark picked up his first win since April 30, Anthony Rendon had four hits and three RBI and Michael A. Taylor had three hits and drove in three runs as the host Washington Nationals crushed the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 Wednesday afternoon, sweeping the short two-game interleague series.
Roark (3-6) had lost his previous four decisions with bad luck pitching and little offensive support over that span, but the right-hander went six innings and gave up just two runs on six hits against the Rays (28-32), who have lost six in a row.
Taylor, the regular center fielder, entered the game hitting just .205 with 16 RBI this year.
The Nationals (35-25) are a season-high 10 games over .500 and are 24-9 since late April, the best mark in the majors. Washington began the day one game back of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East.
The Nationals broke the game open with five runs in the first as 10 players came to the plate.
Washington began the offensive blitz against Tampa Bay pitcher Jonny Venters, normally a reliever who got the start as the Rays employ a non-traditional strategy with their rotation. Venters became the first player in history to start a game as a pitcher after three Tommy John surgeries.
Rendon drove in the first two runs with a double, Taylor had an RBI double and pitcher Roark drove in two runs with a single off reliever Ryan Yarbrough to make it 5-0.
The Nationals made it 6-0 in the second as Taylor drove in another run, this time with a single.
The Rays trimmed the margin to 6-1 in the top of the fourth as Carlos Gomez had an RBI single off Roark. Tampa Bay’s C.J. Cron blasted a solo homer to left in the fifth to make it 6-2.
But the Nationals scored four in the sixth, with RBI doubles by Rendon and Juan Soto and a run-scoring single by Taylor, who scored on an error for a 10-2 lead. Rendon scored on a wild pitch in the eighth for the final run. It was the most runs the Nationals scored since May 1.
Washington right fielder Bryce Harper appeared to have a double in the fourth after an awkward headfirst slide into second. But the call was overruled after a video review and Harper had to settle for a single. He is hitting .229 after he went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
“He’s going to be fine. His power numbers are unbelievable. We just want him to continue to take his walks and get on base,” manager Dave Martinez said before the game.
Staff Sergeant Al Mampre threw out the ceremonial first pitch and among those recognized were Rear Admiral Lawrence Chambers, U.S. Navy, retired, and Friends of the National World War II Memorial. The color guard was presented by the United States Marine Corps Color Guard, Marine Barracks, Washington.
Nationals pick two more college pitchers
The MLB draft concluded its three-day run Wednesday. “Probably the biggest event today at Nats Park,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo told 106.7 The Fan on Wednesday. “It is a huge day for baseball ops. We are going to pick some (future) big leaguers.”
The first two picks of the Nationals on Wednesday were college right-handed pitchers — long a trademark under Rizzo. They were Frankie Bartow of Miami in the 11th round and Graham Lawson of South Carolina in the 12th round.
The Nationals first pick on Monday was a high school pitcher from Florida — Mason Denaburg.
“We went for upside for this player,” Rizzo said of the first pick. “We feel good about the draft. We try to get a guy that impacts the game.”
Among the local players taken this week was Bucknell pitcher Connor Van Hoose, who went in the eighth round to the New York Yankees. He is from Alexandria and played at Gonzaga in The District. “It was a big surprise, coming from a small school like Bucknell,” he said before heading to Tampa, Florida, the spring training home of the Yankees.
George Washington University pitcher Isaiah Pasteur went in the 13th round to the Yankees; infielder Nick Dunn of the University of Maryland went in the fifth round to the Cardinals; and pitcher Zach Mort of George Mason University was picked in the eighth round by the Cubs.
Nationals begin series Friday
The Nationals are off Thursday and then host the Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday.
Stephen Strasburg (6-5, 3.20) is slated to start Friday for the Nationals, with Gio Gonzalez (6-2, 2.27) going Saturday at 12:05 p.m. and Max Scherzer (10-1, 1.92) on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
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