Tanner Roark struggles in Washington Nationals’ 4-2 loss to Colorado Rockies

Washington Nationals’ pitcher Tanner Roark looked like he was turning his season around after his last two outings in which he allowed two earned runs and struck 16 batters in 13 innings. Roark took a step backwards in the Nationals 4-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday evening, however.

Roark gave up four runs, five hits and walked four, while recording eight strikeouts in five innings of work. Roark gave up a two-run home run to Rockies’ shortstop Trevor Story in the top of the second inning.

Roark was pretty solid after that point, but he allowed back-to-back RBI doubles by Gerardo Parra and Mark Reynolds in the fifth that proved to be the difference makers.

The Nationals were quiet offensively thanks to Rockies’ starter German Marquez, who carried a perfect game into the sixth inning. Nationals’ catcher Matt Wieters ended the perfect game with a single. Howie Kendrick recorded his first hit in a Nationals uniform when he belted a double to left field. This led to a two-run single by Wilmer Difo, but that was all the Nationals could do.

Marquez only allowed three hits and tallied 10 strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

Nationals are now 61-40.

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED:

• DJ LeMahieu put the Rockies into the hit column with a one-out single to center. Roark walked Parra then struck out Mark Reynolds to end the top of the first inning.
• German Marquez struck out two batters of three batters faced.
• Roark didn’t have a pretty start to the second inning as he gave up a walk to Carlos Gonzalez then Trevor Story hit a two-run home run to give the Rockies a 2-0 advantage. Roark bounced back by striking out the next three batters.
• Marquez had five strikeouts and retired nine in a row through three innings of work.
• Roark struck out Reynolds for the second time. He retired seven batters in a row after giving up the two-run home run. Carlos Gonzalez broke Roark’s streak with a single up the middle. Gonzalez stole second then Wolters walked with two outs. Marquez struck out swinging to end the inning.
• The Nationals were kept off the hit column in the fourth inning. Marquez struck out Difo and Harper.
• Parra belted a two-out RBI single to left field, which increased the Rockies lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning. Reynolds hit a double off the right field wall to put the Rockies up 4-0. Roark recorded his eighth strikeout of the game to get out of the inning.
• Marquez retired the Nationals in order to keep his perfect game alive.
• Sammy Solis came out of the bullpen to pitch the sixth inning.
• Roark’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO, 3/1 GO/FO
• THERE GOES THE NO-HITTER: Wieters recorded the Nationals’ first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a single to left field.
• Kendrick hit a double for his first hit as a National. Runners were on second and third with one out when Goodwin struck out. Difo hit a two run single to cut the deficit to 4-2 with two outs in the sixth.
• Marquez was taken out after the seventh inning.
• Marquez’s line: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 10 SO, 5/3 GO/FO
• Nationals’ reliever Matt Albers gave his team two quality innings on the mound.
• The Nationals couldn’t do anything on offense in the bottom of the eighth inning.
• Oliver Perez struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning.
• Greg Holland closed things out for the Rockies.

Nationals fall to the Rockies 4-2.

Nationals are now 61-40.