CHICAGO – From Cincinnati's perspective, what more could you have possibly asked from the debut of starter Zack Littell?
The Reds badly needed a lengthy outing vs. the Cubs Tuesday at Wrigley Field after grinding through back-to-back bullpen days. What they got from the hurler they acquired from the Rays on July 30 was seven efficient innings along with a season-high eight strikeouts.
They also needed Littell to hinder a potent Cubs offense while Chicago starter Shota Imanaga kept their own bats in check. Littell met that challenge, too, holding the Cubs to just one run on a Matt Shaw homer in the fifth.
And, once Spencer Steer’s three-run blast sailed over the ivy in left field during Cincinnati's four-run seventh, it helped Littell’s sparkling debut come complete with a 5-1 victory.
“That’s pretty good,” manager Terry Francona said of Littell’s debut. "He got us deep into the game, put up zeroes. God, that was really exciting to watch.”
The night put the finishing touches on Littell’s whirlwind first few days with his new club. The right-hander flew to Cincinnati soon after the deal was finalized. Upon arriving, he immediately relocated to Bristol, Tenn., to meet the club for the Speedway Classic. Plans to return home to collect his belongings were soon scrapped as he instead prepared for Tuesday's debut start in Chicago.
Such a relentless stretch of travel may help explain why Littell’s first night in a Reds uniform didn't go smoothly right out of the gate. The 29-year-old opened his start by allowing a single to Michael Busch, then walked Ian Happ on four pitches in the next at-bat.
Any concerns that may have caused were quickly dashed, as Littell struck out three consecutive hitters – including All-Stars Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong – to eliminate the threat.
“When the first two guys get on and he shut the door right away,” Steer said, “that made the game for us, to be honest. If that inning gets out of hand and he throws a lot of pitches, that would’ve been the worst-case scenario. That first inning really set the tone for the night, and he mowed them down from there.”
Littell’s three first-inning punchouts were the first of 10 straight Cubs hitters he retired. Leaning on a splitter he felt was “as good as it’s been in recent memory,” the eight-year veteran allowed just three hits while holding Chicago to mostly weak contact throughout the night, save for Shaw’s solo shot.
In doing so, Littell became the fifth Reds pitcher in the past 125 years to debut with seven-plus innings while allowing one earned run or fewer with at least eight K’s, joining Brady Singer (March 31), Johnny Cueto (April 3, 2008), Mo Sanford (Aug. 9, 1991) and Tom Seaver (June 18, 1977).
“This is probably the first time I’ve ever gone to a new team with expectations to perform,” Littell said. “It was a little different, but the guys here did an awesome job prepping and helping me out. It’s been nothing but great since I’ve been here, and the guys have been awesome.”
Ironically, Littell wasn’t the only new addition who showed Cincinnati what he can offer on Tuesday.
Miguel Andujar, acquired from the A’s just before the Deadline, tallied his first two Reds hits and scored the club’s opening run.
“My first game here, I saw the energy,” Andujar said. “Everybody has it. It makes me want to contribute with the team. Thank God I contributed today, so let’s keep working to win more games.”
Meanwhile, just minutes after coming on as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the seventh, Ke'Bryan Hayes barehanded a softly hit grounder from Nico Hoerner and laced a throw to first for the inning’s opening out.
“‘Ke’ came off the bench and made a huge play,” Steer said. “Who knows how that inning goes if you don’t get that first out.”
For a Reds team knee-deep in a race for the final NL Wild Card spot, seeing all three Deadline acquisitions shine on the same night provided an undeniable boost within the clubhouse.
“It was a fun night. I was happy for Nick and Brad," Francona said, referring to president of baseball operations Nick Krall and general manager Brad Meador, "because I saw them grinding and the amount of work that was put in. In my opinion, they made us better.”
One look at Littell’s impressive first Cincinnati box score certainly hammers that point home. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to your new team.