“Nah,” Roark said Friday, smiling and waving a hand through the air by his locker at Great American Ballpark. “I told them, these are my teammates now.”

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It was lighthearted, Roark messing with his old friends, putting off the catch-up conversations until he saw the Nationals at his new home Friday. But it also included a message that Roark will take into his first start against his former team Saturday: The past is the past. Baseball goes on, and he plays for the Reds now. While the Nationals played a huge role in his career, he has to treat this appearance as any other.

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That’s easier said than done. Roark was traded from the Nationals to the Reds in early December for reliever Tanner Rainey. He grew up with Washington, going from a 25th-round pick to a surefire major league starter. He struggled for most of last season, especially at the start, but now has a 3.20 ERA after leaving a team that has gotten little from the back end of its rotation in 2019.

He also has a chance to show the Nationals what they gave away, even if that isn’t at the top of his mind. He may even break a personal rule and make eye contact with hitters he knows so well.

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“It’s going to be strange. But eye contact, I’m going to,” Roark said. “I usually don’t, but with guys I know it’s going to be like backyard baseball with your friends.”

Even when Roark wasn’t at his best for the Nationals, they could always count on his durability. He made 30 or more starts in all but one season leading into this one and was a staple of their rotation, penned into the fourth spot. Dealing him carried a risk of the Nationals losing their most-reliable inning-eating arm.

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Washington traded him to save a bit of money and signed Anibal Sanchez to a two-year, $19 million contract two weeks later. Roark is making $10 million for the Reds in his final year of arbitration eligibility and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

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Sanchez is 1-6 but coming off his best start of the year Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Jeremy Hellickson, whom the Nationals re-signed to fill out their staff, had a rough start and is on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. Roark isn’t going as deep into games for the Reds — he has lasted six innings in just two of his 11 starts — but they are 6-5 in his outings, and he has kept just about every game close.

That was his reputation with Washington: nothing flashy, never anything too great but almost always good for a serviceable start. Roark admitted it will be weird when he takes the mound against the Nationals.

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Before Friday night’s series opener, he bounced around the field to exchange hugs and hellos with everybody he played and worked with. He stood in shallow left field and talked with Max Scherzer and Sean Doolittle. He joked with Turner by the visitors’ dugout. He caught up with Dave Martinez by the cage during batting practice, speaking with the Washington manager longer than anyone. His next task is to temper his emotions and just pitch.

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“I don’t know yet. We’ll find out,” Roark said, laughing, when asked whether those emotions will give him extra fuel or distract him Saturday. “Stay tuned.”