Nats' Littell Struggles, Offense Shines

0:00On April 23rd, Nationals dropped an 8-6 hardbreaker to the braze at home, thanks to starters Zach Letail getting lit up early. The Nats jumped out with four runs in the first, but Letail gave up home runs in the first four innings. Two solo shots, a two run blast, and a three run homer, putting the game out of reach quick. Little's been the king of Go for Balls this season, leading all of Major League Baseball with 11 allowed already. After a 1-year 7-million-dollar deal just before the season, he settled down later to finish six innings, but the damage was 16 runs over. His last two starts. Manager Blake Boutera says, every mistake Letail makes is getting crushed, and the right hander admits his pitches are sailing right down the middle. At 30 years old, Letail feels the best physically he's felt in ages, but he's frustrated and knows feeling the zone like that won't cut it. Meanwhile, the Nats offense keeps humming. There's second only to the braves in runs scored league wide.

1:00Young Dalin Lyle smashed a three run homer in that big first, his third and five games, and he's hitting in ten of his last 12 with extra base, power popping off. Pitching's the real thorn though, with the staff's 5.65 ERA letting in the most runs in baseball. They've scored five or more 18 times, going just nine and nine in those games, so the arms got to tighten up to turn this firepower into real wins. From your team, powered by AI, this is Washington Nationals News Today.