Tanner Roark was among the best starting pitchers in the NL last season, a 15-game winner with a 2.85 ERA over 31 starts. But when the Nationals signed Max Scherzer to a record-setting contract in January, Roark found himself the odd man out of a jam-packed rotation, relegated to bullpen duties to begin 2015.
Today, though, Roark finally gets to make his first start of the season. With Doug Fister on the DL with a strained forearm, Roark rejoins the rotation, pitching the opener of a 3-game series against the Cubs. A native of nearby Wilmington, Ill., the right-hander will have a large and rowdy group of friends and family members in attendance at Wrigley Field.