WASHINGTON -- It was a perfect storm of destiny for the Nationals.
Zack Littell entered Friday’s series opener against the Giants tied with teammate Jake Irvin for the most homers allowed in MLB since the start of last season (41). On the other side, San Francisco arrived in D.C. in desperate need of some dingers.
Only one could walk away happy. And on this mid-April night, it was Littell and the Nationals who got the short end of the stick.
Littell allowed a pair of homers in Washington’s 10-5 loss to San Francisco at Nationals Park, putting him in lone possession of the most home runs in the Major Leagues this season (seven).
“I made some decent pitches,” said Littell, who was tagged with a six-run second inning but rebounded to complete four frames. “Physically, I feel like I'm in a good spot. Tonight was truly about just not executing. I threw a lot of pitches over the middle [of the] plate. And, you know, honestly, it was kind of on me. To put up four runs against one of the best starters in the Major Leagues and score five in the game -- that's a game we have to win.”
But it wasn’t all bad in D.C. There were those four runs the Nats got vs. Logan Webb, including a two-run home run from Daylen Lile. And there was a seventh-inning homer from James Wood, too, to provide some late offense. And though Littell allowed eight runs on 11 hits and one walk over his four innings, his bullpen had his back -- particularly Paxton Schultz.
Schultz allowed just one run on two hits (one home run) over three innings, maneuvering through the Giants’ order to limit the damage as much as possible. It was Schultz’s outing that kept the Nats even remotely in the ballgame as the offense attempted to claw its way back in, plating a run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings.
“We talked about 17 games in a row without a day off -- the amount of workload that puts on all of our pitchers. Zach was huge getting through four innings today,” manager Blake Butera said. “Obviously would have liked to see more. But given what happened in the second inning, him getting able to get through four and then get the ball to Paxton, who gave us three [innings] there and allowed us to only use two more relievers after that for one inning apiece, is huge for the rest of the series and these next several days before for our day off.”
Though Washington’s attempts to rally ultimately fell short, the club at least had a chance -- and the same is true of the scoreless frame that followed Schultz’s appearance from PJ Poulin. (The final reliever of the night was Richard Lovelady, who allowed one run in the ninth inning.)
In general, at least five innings -- but ideally six -- is the goal for most starting pitchers. Get through the lineup at least twice and set up the bullpen for what will hopefully be a quick final three frames.
When Littell signed with the Nationals as a free agent in March, he was explicit about not needing to be “the guy” but rather wanting to “eat innings.” He hasn’t exactly done that, but it’s also not just Littell.
This has been an issue across the board for Washington’s starters. The Nats’ rotation has averaged 4 2/3 innings per game started -- tied with the Astros for the second-fewest innings per start. That’s close, but not quite the solid five-plus innings the club is looking for.
Shorter starts cause more wear and tear on the bullpen, which for the Nats is already two men down after Ken Waldichuk (left forearm tightness, 60-day IL) and Cole Henry (right rotator cuff strain, 15-day IL) were placed on the injured list in the past week.
So what’s the solution?
Part of it is patience. And, like many things in baseball, sticking to the plan while flushing the loss.
Littell isn’t a strikeout pitcher. He doesn’t induce whiffs, and he isn’t blowing his stuff past guys. He lives on the edge of the plate, getting weak contact and avoiding barrels. That didn’t happen on Friday, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work again.
“I've been in my own way a little bit here lately, worrying about delivery, worrying about stuff that's over the rubber instead of over the plate, and I just haven't made pitches,” Littell said. “So yeah, I don't see any reason why I would be thinking about this one next week. We go out there and we compete and do it all again.”