Washington Times · Jun 25, 2017
Reds rock Roark early, roll over Nats 6-2
Washington Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark had five days to mentally flush away any lingering doubt from his last two starts — giving up six runs to the Miami Marlins on June 19 and seven runs to the Atlanta Braves on June 14.
Roark’s struggles were amplified when New York Mets analyst Keith Hernandez was caught last week on a hot mic saying the pitcher was “getting his tits lit” lately.
By just his second pitch in the Nationals’ 6-2 loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Reds, it was apparent Roark’s issues weren’t going away anytime soon.
A two-seam fastball on the inside of the plate to Reds leadoff-hitter Billy Hamilton led to a double and spiraled into a five earned-run inning for Roark.