Baker and Roark on decision to keep starter in after rain delay

Right-hander Tanner Roark gave up five base hits in the first inning Thursday against the Marlins, allowing three runs.

But the Nationals quickly erased the deficit.

Then in the second inning, a rain delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes prevented Roark from getting back on the field right away. The Marlins changed their pitcher after the long break, but the Nationals stuck with Roark.

Manager Dusty Baker said he met with pitching coach Mike Maddux and Roark during the rain delay and decided to keep the right-hander in the game.

"Well, Mike and I talked about it," Baker said. "We were getting pretty close to when it was going to be too long. But he was throwing in between in the bullpen. And I asked him, 'Hey man, you tell us the truth how you feel, if you are feeling any tightness or anything,' and he said, 'No, I'm not.' He said, 'I'm telling you the truth.'

"It's too early, which I concur, it's too early for heroes in game No. 3. You got to take him at his word. He's a pretty honest guy. Mike evaluated and I evaluated, and decided to send him back out there."

Roark returned after the rain and allowed four more base hits and another run.

The Marlins continued to add to the lead and went on to win 6-4, handing the Nationals their first loss of the season.

Did Roark believe the 85-minute layoff affected his pitching?

Not really. He thought he was sharper after the delay.

"I still felt good. I wasn't laboring," Roark said. "I wasn't tired or anything like that. My body still felt great. I felt like my pitches were a lot better after I came out after the rain delay. I was just battling against guys, pitching with a lot of guys on first base.

"You got to battle. That's what I take a good pride in, that showing that you could go out there and not be afraid even though you don't have your best stuff. If a broken bat finds a hole, it finds a hole. Nothing you can do it about. You made your pitch, you executed your pitch, you tip your cap."

"I thought Tanner pitched OK," said first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. "He had a couple bad luck singles where they ... got jam shots. I thought he battled and obviously, coming back after the rain kind of saved the bullpen a little bit. I thought he threw well, just had some bad luck."

Second baseman Daniel Murphy said the Marlins kept the pressure on Roark from the outset, piling up singles and making it tough for him to get out of innings quickly.

"Yeah, they grinded out at-bats over there," Murphy said. "A lot of traffic on the base paths for them. Again, for any starting pitcher to sit down for that length of time and then come back out, I definitely commend Tanner for what he's trying to do, trying to save the bullpen. A little bit of tough luck for him, but I thought he threw the ball pretty well considering."

Roark said he "felt great" during the rain delay and kept getting up to throw to stay warm and keep in rhythm.

"Stayed loose in the batting cages so everything still felt good," Roark said. "I was just trying to throw every 10 to 15 minutes, like 20 throws to keep my arm loose just in case."

Roark appreciated getting to start the Nationals' home opener for the first time in his career.

"It's an honor, for sure, definitely my first one in front of a sold-out crowd," Roark said. "Nerves were high, which they always are, but it was an awesome experience to get out there and pitch. I wish I could've gone a little longer, but things happen and move on to the next one."