Tanner Roark Blanks Braves, 4-0, in Game 2 of Doubleheader

Sep 17, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark (59) throws during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Tanner Roark traveling road show squared off with the Braves on Tuesday night, and the results weren’t pretty for the second consecutive game on a single day.

After a disappointing start to the day that ended with an unlikely Andrelton Simmons error in Game 1, the Braves couldn’t muster a single run against the aforementioned Roark and the Nationals in suffering a 4-0 loss in the nightcap. Roark absolutely breezed through 7 innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 batters. With that, the 26-year-old right-hander has 13 consecutive scoreless innings against the Braves (over 3 appearances), and he has apparently solved the riddle of the Atlanta offense.

Lost in the Roark show was the outstanding (and seemingly unlikely) effort from Braves starter Freddy Garcia. The 37-year-old navigated through 7 innings while allowing only 1 run, and in the process, continued his insanely strong effort in a Braves uniform. We’ve all seemingly made jokes about the Garcia era in the Atlanta rotation, but if he continues to pitch with this effectiveness, the laughter will cease in a hurry.

Offensively, it was about as putrid as you would expect. The lineup managed only 5 hits in total (against 9 strikeouts and 1 walk), and the best scoring threat came in the 9th inning against closer Rafael Soriano. Unfortunately, Evan Gattis lined into a double play to effectively end the threat, and that was that.

The early difference in the game on the scoreboard was an RBI single from Steve Lombardozzi, but the insurance came flooding in during the late innings. Ryan Zimmerman blasted an 8th-inning solo home run, and he was followed by run-scoring hits from both Ian Desmond and former Brave Adam Laroche. On a normal night, this type of offense wouldn’t be overwhelming, but the Braves offense ran into an unexpected buzzsaw in Roark.

The day began with dreams of celebrating a division title on their rival’s home field, but after back-to-back losses, the magic number remains at 4 for the Braves in the NL East. Stay tuned for the series finale on Wednesday as Alex Wood squares off with Ross Ohlendorf at 7:05 pm ET.