Roark stays in, finishes seven innings to lift Nationals

One key to the Nationals' success is any time they can get or push a starter past six innings.

Turns out that's all Tanner Roark wanted.

On Monday, thanks to Roark's seven innings, the bullpen was set up nicely.

"I was just trying to be aggressive," Roark said. "I knew they were a good hitting team. I knew they were aggressive. Just trying to keep them off-balance and feeling uncomfortable at the plate.

"Sinker was working really well tonight. Everything was working very well. (Matt) Wieters called a great game. A lot of sliders and cutters to lefties, which I'm finding a good feel for, which is awesome. Just another pitch that they have to worry about."

Closer Sean Doolittle was told he had the night off. So Manager Davey Martinez put the onus on Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler to bring it home. For Kintzler, it was his first save of the season. The Nationals held off the Pirates 3-2 in the series opener.

Even with the slimmest of margins and no room for error, they accomplished the feat.

Roark had finished six innings. He allowed one run on five hits. To begin the seventh, the Pirates' Corey Dickerson launched a 3-2 fastball over the wall for a solo shot, his third of the season. Suddenly, the Nats' lead was down to a run.

But Roark rebounded by recording two outs - a fly ball to right field and a strike out. Martinez went to the mound to visit with Roark.

Should Martinez have pulled Roark with Jordy Mercer in the batter's box?

Roark was having nothing of that.

"I was looking at him the whole time," Roark said of Martinez's visit. "Just didn't want him to motion to the bullpen. He was just coming in check and see how I was feeling. Told him I felt good."

Roark promptly threw is hardest pitch of the game at 93 mph. Later in the at-bat, he did it again. The strikeout sent Roark to the bench with seven full innings under his belt and the bullpen needed to get just six outs.

"Tanner (was) unbelievable," Martinez said. "I just went out there and asked him, 'Hey what do you got for me?' 'I can get this guy out.' I looked at Wieters. I said, 'Can he?' And Wieters says, 'Yeah.' I said, 'All right, it's your guy. Let's go.' I think he threw 93 (mph) a couple pitches that at-bat, so a good day. A good all-around day."

Roark had been in this situation before where he allowed a late homer and it turned out to be the difference. In San Francisco on April 24 with the game tied at 3-3, Roark allowed a sixth-inning tiebreaking solo shot to the Giants' Mac Williamson.

This time, his team had a two-run lead, so the solo shot didn't hurt as much.

"Well, it's not the first time I've given up a home run," Roark said. "I know that feeling. I didn't turn around and look because I knew it was gone. I had to focus on the next guy. We were still winning, so I wanted to keep it right there."

He also was proud that Martinez didn't pull him, even though his pitch count was hovering around 100. Roark gave it an extra gear in his faceoff against Mercer.

"Brings confidence to you," Roark said of Martinez's belief in him. "I think the first pitch I threw was the hardest pitch I threw that night. I don't know. It was just confidence that they have in us, gives us a boost."

And one of those extra runs he had to work with? It was all Roark. With runners on second and third in the fourth against the Pirates' Jameson Taillon, thanks to two singles and a wild pitch, Roark delivered with his bat. His single scored Wieters to make it 2-0 Nats.

"Just trying to get my timing down," Roark said. "I worked a lot in spring training with hitting coaches just to get a good rhythm down. Just looking for a fastball and got one and hit it right back up the middle."

Roark's at-bat was so good he even spit on a low offering from Taillon.

"I saw the curveball and I saw it was coming in low," Roark said. "So I just let it go. (Francisco) Cervelli bobbled it a little bit and got the guys over. I got to swing it."