Roark, Nats roar into clash with Padres
For obvious reasons, All-Stars Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer tend to garner the majority of headlines as regards Washington’s rotation. Make room in the conversation, though, for Tanner Roark.
The ever-improving righty leads the Nats into battle with the Padres tonight, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch in the nation’s capital. According to handicappers, the series opener shouldn’t be much of a contest. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the host team odds of -230 to prevail. Conversely, San Diego represents a +200 underdog.
Washington enters the festivities having captured six of its past nine. Roark’s rolling in the same fashion, toting a 9-5 record with a 2.82 ERA in 19 starts. Despite spending nearly the entirety of last season in the bullpen, his stamina rivals that of any of manager Dusty Baker’s primary hurlers. Roark’s gone at least seven innings in 13 of 20 appearances.
On the other side, Luis Perdomo (3-4, 7.36) is still getting his feet wet at the MLB level. The former Rule 5 pick permitted eight base knocks in his most recent outing vs. the National League West-leading Giants. In six of eight assignments, Perdomo has allowed three runs or fewer.
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Nonetheless, this marks the Santo Domingo native’s first test against the likes of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy. The Padres can’t relish the fact that their own offensive stud, Wil Myers, finds himself in a prolonged funk either. All signs point to a runaway in favor of the Nationals.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS -1.5