The Washington Nationals fell at the hands of the New York Mets on Tuesday evening by a score of 8-0. It was a game that was a bit disappointing given the recent play of both clubs, but it was only 1 game in a 3-game series that the Nationals could easily still win.
Righty Zack Littell had a brutal outing again on Tuesday afternoon for the Nationals, and of course the reaction of Nationals fans everywhere was not a positive one. For what it's worth, Littell's reaction was not positive either, as he acknowledged that he feels he is letting the team down.
After getting off to a good start to the campaign following his first few starts with his new club, things have been all downhill for the 30-year-old righty, and it doesn't seem like it is really on track to improving either. He is now 0-4 with a 7.85 ERA and 1.74 WHIP across 6 starts with a 16:11 K:BB ratio, not exactly what you want to see from your most expensive pitcher.
I detailed last week about how the homers he had allowed so far were absolutely killing him so far this season, and that trend continued on Tuesday. After giving up a homer to Bo Bichette on the first pitch, Littell gave up a 2-run shot to Juan Soto later on in the game, extending his league lead even further, as he has now given up 13 homers in just 28.2 innings.
In a tweet shared by Mark Zuckerman, he detailed a concerning trend that Littell is now on track to continue if he keeps going at this certain pace. Dating back to 2021, the Nationals have had a pitcher lead the league in homers allowed in every season except for 2024, and that is not the kind of record you want your team to be known for.
Most HR allowed in NL by season:
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) April 22, 2026
2021: Patrick Corbin, WSH, 37
2022: Josiah Gray, WSH, 38
2023: Trevor Williams, WSH, 34
2024: Austin Gomber, COL/Aaron Nola, PHI, 30
2025: Jake Irvin, WSH, 38
2026: Zack Littell, WSH, 11
As you can see in the tweet above, the Nationals have had a lot of different pitchers lead the league in homers allowed, and Littell is on pace to continue this. Despite a new pitching staff and new coaches, it appears that one Nationals pitcher every year is destined to be cursed.
Hopefully, Littell will be able to bounce back and turn himself around back into the guy he has been for most of his career, as he came into this season as easily the Nationals' best rental piece to trade at the deadline. With guys like Josiah Gray not coming back anytime soon and the fact that Littell is highly paid, he might have a longer leash than many fans would prefer.
Do you think Zack Littell will be able to turn things around? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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