Things worth mentioning…

• I was willing to give Tanner Roark the benefit of the doubt after a miserable 2020 season given the fact that there wasn’t a normal spring training before the 60-game sprint and a lot of pitchers struggled because of it. But, this season, Roark had ample time to get the Diesel Engine rolling (he allowed 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 spring innings) and he still got lit up by a hapless Rangers offence on Tuesday. Roark got clubbed for five earned runs on six hits, three of which were homers, and only lasted three innings.

• I know it’s just one start but… yeesh. Roark was only able to hit 92 miles-per-hour or higher on the gun three times and his pitches that are supposed to move certainly weren’t moving a hell of a lot. Joe Siddall mentioned pretty bluntly on the broadcast between innings that it does sort of look like Roark is toast, specifically saying that years of logging a lot of innings for the Nationals has caught up to him. And, as Stoeten mentions above, you have to wonder just how long the leash is here. The Blue Jays made a couple of win-now decisions with Tim Mayza and Alejandro Kirk and they surely didn’t spend nearly $200 million to bring in George Springer and Marcus Semien just to have Roark serve batting practice every fifth day. If his next start is bad, we probably start talking about a DFA.
• ANYWAYS! In better news… Bo Bichette launched his first two dingers of the season, Randal Grichuk’s hot streak continued with two hits, and the bullpen only allowed one earned run in five innings behind Roark. Oh, and Tommy Milone came into the game rocking No. 69.