The Washington Nationals fell to the San Francisco Giants on Friday evening in our Nation's Capital by a score of 10-5. While anyone could have told you the Nationals were in for a tough matchup against San Francisco Giants' ace Logan Webb, we might have been surprised about what happened to Zack Littell.
A prized offseason acquisition, Littell had been solid so far for the Nationals this season, serving as easily far and away the steadying veteran presence both on and off the field. Despite his solid start to the season, tonight was not night, and the Nationals paid dearly for it.
While he has been known to get snakebitten by the long ball every now and then, what made tonight's start so brutal is that he allowed so many hits and baserunners. Over just 4.0 innings that he was able to complete, Littell gave up 11 hits and 8 earned runs, and his ERA for the season is up to a 7.11 mark.
As has been the theme for the entire season so far, the Nationals' offense played well overall. James Wood continued his recent streak with an absurd 441-foot homer to the visitors bullpen out in left field. It is so amazing to watch him hit, and there is truly nobody in baseball who has the ability to hit the ball to the opposite field like he does, and it's a joy to watch.
Additionally, Daylen Lile hit his first homer of the season with a 418-foot shot to dead center field off Webb as he looks to start hitting for extra bases more often in the early going. Jose Tena also had a big night, finishing 3/4 an RBI single to go along with a double he had as well.
New acquisition Richard Lovelady did not look sharp in his first appearance for the Nationals, as he allowed 2 hits, issued 2 walks, and only struck out 1 while letting in a run. In what has been a true disaster for the Nationals in 2026 with their bullpen, their new acquisition taking the place of the injured Ken Waldichuk was not what fans wanted to see at all.
Hopefully, the Nationals are able to get back on track and even the series on Satuday night, as Cade Cavalli takes the bump against righty Adrian Houser for the Giants.
Do you think the Nationals can even the series against the Giants today? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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