{"id":966,"date":"2026-06-01T05:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T05:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=966"},"modified":"2026-06-01T05:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T05:09:14","slug":"nationals-littell-caps-electric-may-with-series-clinching-win-over-padres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=966","title":{"rendered":"Nationals\u2019 Littell caps electric May with series-clinching win over Padres"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Nationals valued pitcher Zack Littell long before he capped a resurgent May with a win in Sunday\u2019s 4-2, series-clinching victory over the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n

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Even as the 30-year-old weathered a 7.85 ERA through the end of April, Washington\u2019s decision-makers felt confident that Littell would be a key factor in the Nationals\u2019 rebuild.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot more to Zack than just what you see out there on the mound,\u201d Nationals manager Blake Butera said. \u201cWhat he does in the clubhouse is awesome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Littell has been the player responsible for organizing team dinners and golf outings, even though he was a late signing. The journeyman missed the beginning of spring training before signing with the Nationals in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s great for the guys in the clubhouse. He helps [fellow pitcher] Cade Cavalli a ton, just learn, in between starts. Just the soft skills that he has outside of seeing him on the mound every five or six days,\u201d Butera said. \u201cThe ability to bring a team together to lead a clubhouse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In May, Littell\u2019s on-field work has started to match his off-field bona fides. He struggled through the first month of the season, allowing three or more runs through five of his six starts. Littell racked up an ugly 0-4 record to match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But a flip switched as the calendar turned. Littell has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last six starts. He opened Sunday\u2019s start with six scoreless innings before allowing three batters to reach base in the top of the seventh inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Littell earned the win on Sunday after allowing just two runs and five hits. The decision was his fifth consecutive victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was only a matter of time before Littell\u2019s performance regressed to the mean, according to Butera.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been a good pitcher for a while, but we acquired him later. \u2026 He didn\u2019t have the normal build-up he\u2019s had in previous years,\u201d Washington\u2019s first-year manager said. \u201cWe wanted to give him a little bit of time to get his feet under him. Now he\u2019s in a good spot physically, mentally, emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

He received an assist from Washington\u2019s high-powered lineup on Sunday. Second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. opened the scoring with a solo home run in the fourth inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Outfielder James Wood provided more run support with a two-run homer \u2014 his 16th of the year \u2014 in the fifth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Littell\u2019s teammates in the bullpen combined to toss three scoreless innings as the Nationals secured their third consecutive series victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group is just more confident. You got a team full of young guys, taking series from teams that are really good, the Braves, the Padres,\u201d Littell said. \u201cIt\u2019s only going to continue to build confidence in these guys that they can go out and compete with anybody.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The run of success hasn\u2019t shocked Butera. The first month of the season was about laying a foundation and a culture, using veterans like Littell and a new coaching staff to introduce new standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

May, which was Washington\u2019s first 16-win month since August 2023, held the fruits of that early labor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes you feel good. I\u2019m happy with the way things are trending right now,\u201d Butera said, noting that the largest building blocks are in place. The rest of the season is about refinement. \u201cCleaning up some small things here and there will take us from a good team to a great team, and that\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expectations were low for the rebuilding Nationals when they opened the season with a young squad. The franchise hadn\u2019t posted a winning record since winning the World Series in 2019.<\/p>\n

Now they\u2019re entering June with a 31-29 record, nine games behind the division-leading Braves in the NL East.<\/p>\n

The energy in Washington\u2019s clubhouse matches the winning ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun. You come to the field and you never really know who might be the hero that day,\u201d Wood said. \u201cIt\u2019s just fun rooting for these guys. Everyone\u2019s playing at a really high level and it feels like everyone\u2019s made big improvements. It\u2019s cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nationals\u2019 homestand continues on Monday as they open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.<\/p>\n

Read more Israel captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into country in 26 years<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nationals valued pitcher Zack Littell long before he capped a resurgent May with a win in Sunday’s 4-2, series-clinching victory over the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[373,142],"tags":[759,758,760],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baseball","category-sports","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-washington-nationals","tag-zack-littell"],"yoast_head":"\nNationals\u2019 Littell caps electric May with series-clinching win over Padres - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=966\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nationals\u2019 Littell caps electric May with series-clinching win over Padres - 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