In need of quality starting pitching with a shot at the postseason, the A’s made a few moves at this year’s trade deadline, including the acquisition of Tanner Roark from Cincinnati. In the three weeks since, the 32-year-old right-hander has been a big contributor to a hot Oakland ball club that’s currently tied for a Wild Card spot, and sits seven games back of the first place Houston Astros.
Across his first four starts with the Athletics, Roark has gone 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.67 FIP, 1.86 BB/9, 1.12 HR/9 and 8.63 K/9 over 24 innings. His last two outings have come against the Yankees and Astros, in which he yielded just two runs apiece.
Roark has pitched efficiently in his short time with the green and gold, which is exactly what the A’s were looking for at the deadline. Instead of going for a big splash in a deal that would have cost valuable prospects, Oakland struck deals to land Roark and other veteran arms who’ve shown the ability to bounce back, including Homer Bailey and Jake Diekman, as well as Matt Harvey after the deadline. Since then, they’ve seen a clear boost to the pitching staff. They’ve posted a 3.50 ERA (5th best in MLB), 1.19 WHIP (4th), and 2.44 BB/9 (5th) over 18 games since the deadline. Going 13-5 over that span, the A’s now carry the 6th best record in baseball with a 74-53 mark.
Tanner Roark, just a few years removed from a strong 2016 campaign in which he went 16-10 with a 2.83 ERA with the Nationals, has settled in nicely with the Athletics as they look to return to the postseason this October. Facing two of baseball’s top offenses along the way, Roark has been a stellar arm over four starts in Oakland and will look to continue to do so in the remaining five weeks of the regular season.
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