Zack

Littell

Littell threw 41 of his 52 pitches for strikes, but six those turned into base hits, leading to one run in the third and two in the fourth. Not much more than this really could have been expected from Littell against the powerful Dodgers lineup, and giving him a start in the series was a very questionable decision from the Reds. It was still a nice year for Littell overall, and he’ll take a 10-8 record and a 3.81 ERA with him into free agency.

Francona added that they’re going to be cautious with Nick Lodolo after he pitched in relief during Sunday’s regular-season finale which is why Littell and Abbott will draw the starting assignments after ace Hunter Greene kicks off the three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The expectation is that Lodolo will be available in relief, if needed, at some point during the series.

Littell struck out three batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single off the bat of Brice Turang in the third inning. The 29-year-old hurler generated six whiffs on 85 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of 22 percent. Littell finishes the regular season with a solid 10-8 record, 3.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 130/32 K/BB ratio across 186 2/3 innings in 32 starts between the Reds and Rays.

Littell held the Cubs off the board through two innings before giving up a solo homer to Michael Busch in the third. Reese McGuire later went deep of Littell for a solo shot in the fifth. The two runs would be all Littell would surrender over five innings of work. He scattered one other hit and one walk while striking out four batters. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 3.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 127/30 K/BB ratio across 182 innings into his final regular season start against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday.

He allowed one run through five and retired the first two batters of the sixth, but four in a row reached against him after that, scoring three runs. Littell is the major league leader with 34 homers allowed, but he didn’t give up any tonight. He surrendered just two hits before the end-of-outing barrage. Littell will make his next start Saturday against the Cubs.

Littell tossed four scoreless innings before the Padres brought two runs in to score on a walk, triple, and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. He tossed a scoreless sixth, ending his day with four strikeouts and a no-decision with the game tied. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 3.78 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 120/29 K/BB ratio across 171 1/3 innings into a start against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday.

Littell was staked to an early five-run lead but wound up being burned by the long ball as he served up a staggering four homers before being lifted in the fifth inning. It was a stunning implosion considering his experience against the Blue Jays from his time with the Rays. He struck out six and only issued one walk. He’ll square off against the Padres on Tuesday in his next outing.

It didn’t seem Littell had seven innings in him after the first few frames of this one. The Cardinals scored in each of the first three innings with six hits and two home runs. After that, Littell retired the final 17 batters he faced and let his Reds claw their way back into this game, but they still couldn’t get him a win. He’s scheduled to face the Blue Jays at home next time out.

Littell was one pitch away from having a much better line, but he gave up a three-run homer to Gabriel Moreno in Moreno’s return from the 60-day injured list. The command was shaky for the majority of the outing, as he walked three and threw just 44-of-77 pitches for strikes. He gets the Dodgers next week, and there’s more risk than reward in the 29-year-old’s profile for that outing.

Littell had a lousy outing against the lowly Pirates on Sunday, but he was able to slow down the surging Brewers tonight. He allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out three before leaving with a one-run lead that was blown on an unearned run in the ninth. He now has a 3.06 ERA in three starts for the Reds. He’ll face Arizona next week.