The Nationals Are Spiraling and Zack Littell Might Be About to Make It Worse

Remember when the Nationals looked competent? That was four days ago. After winning three of their first four games, Washington has absolutely collapsed, dropping five straight after the Dodgers came back to beat them 8-6 on Sunday. They're hosting the Cardinals on Monday night in a series they desperately need to win, and they're sending out a pitcher who has been absolutely shelled early this season. This is a team in freefall right now.

Littell's Rough Start Gets Tested Against a Hot Cardinal Lineup

Zack Littell is winless and struggling. He came into this season with a 5.40 ERA, gave up three runs on three hits (two homers) in five innings against Philadelphia last Tuesday, and dropped that game 3-2. Now he's facing a Cardinals lineup that just beat Detroit 5-3, capped off by Ivan Herrera's clutch two-run single in the fifth inning that went the opposite way with the bases loaded and two outs.

The numbers don't look good for Littell against St. Louis either. He's 0-2 with a 6.11 ERA in his career against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Andre Pallante is looking like a future problem for opposing hitters. The Cardinals' starter is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA after dominating the Mets on Tuesday with five scoreless innings, three hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Pallante was "missing bats with the slider" and executing his pitches perfectly. That's exactly the kind of pitcher you don't want to face when your bullpen is imploding.

Washington's Bullpen Has Become a Dumpster Fire

The Nationals looked great on Sunday for a while. Foster Griffin threw a solid start, and homers from Luis Garcia Jr. and James Wood built a 6-1 lead. The problem? The bullpen gave up the entire game. Los Angeles' relief corps tossed four scoreless innings and scored four runs in the eighth to take the lead. The Dodgers added another run in the ninth and walked out winners. Wood said afterward, "You've just got to wear it and move on from it and learn from it." That's a nice quote, but the reality is brutal: Washington's bullpen has blown leads of four and five runs in the past week alone. Instead of sitting pretty at 5-4, they're 3-6. That's a two-game swing of pure relief-corps incompetence.

Monday night is a referendum. The Cardinals are inconsistent (alternating wins and losses to start the season), so Washington has a real chance to stabilize. But sending Littell to the mound against Pallante with a shaky bullpen behind him? That's a recipe for a sixth straight loss.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.