Zack Littell’s Rough Night and Team Struggles | Washington Nationals News

**Corey** (0:00)
On July 19th, Zack Littell had a rough outing on Saturday, giving up eight runs in six innings against the Athletics. The Nationals lost that game by a score of 15 to 1 This came right after a massive 23 to 4 win the night before, which was a wild swing in performance. Littell was particularly frustrated because he'd been pitching well in his previous four starts. He mentioned that it wasn't just him, but the whole team struggled that night. He allowed a leadoff homer in the first inning, and the A's just kept hitting. Even though Littell had pitched in that stadium before in the minor leagues, he didn't blame the ballpark for his performance.
He said the key is always to avoid hard contact, and if you make bad pitches, you're going to get hit no matter where you are. Despite the tough start, Littell did manage to get through six innings, which helped save the bullpen for future games. The manager acknowledged that while it wasn't the start anyone wanted, getting those innings was valuable for the team. Given his struggles, the Nationals might consider using an opener before Littell in his next start, a strategy that had worked well for them. Previously, they'll be looking at matchups and bullpen availability to decide the best approach.
That's your update from Washington Nationals News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.