Zack Littell’s Rollercoaster Season

Zack Littell has had an up-and-down start to his season with an 0-4 record and a 5.48 ERA.

After a tough loss to Colorado, he struggled against the Rangers and Angels, giving up 12 runs in 11 innings. Despite the poor stats, Littell insisted that his pitching wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

He then had a strong outing against Boston, allowing only one run in six innings, but still wasn’t satisfied with his performance.

Upon reflection, Littell admitted that he did better than he initially thought and is feeling confident heading into his next start against the Diamondbacks.

“(Wednesday) wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be,” he said. “As soon as I went back and watched it and took some notes, it was better than I expected.

“Usage was a lot better on some of the stuff that I wanted to clean up. Execution was good. Obviously, there were just some spots in the game that I thought were really important moments that I got away with some stuff. So obviously still want to clean up that type of thing.

“But a good one to build on. And, yeah, let’s keep it going.”

Comparison of the day

The Rays and Diamondbacks started play in 1998 as expansion brethren and have had remarkably similar performances:

Wins: Arizona (2,100), Tampa Bay (2,100)

Losses: Arizona (2,194), Tampa Bay (2,192)

Playoff trips: Arizona (7), Tampa Bay (9)

Pennants:Arizona (2), Tampa Bay (2)

World Series titles:Arizona (1), Tampa Bay (0)

Tuesday: at Diamondbacks

9:40 Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona

TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Florida; 95.3-FM, 620-AM, 106.7-FM (Spanish)

Pitchers: Rays — RH Zack Littell (0-4, 5.48); Diamondbacks — RH Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 3.04)

Info: raysbaseball.com

On deck

Wednesday: at Diamondbacks, 9:40. Rays, RH Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.24); Diamondbacks, LH Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2, 4.09)

Thursday:at Diamondbacks, 9:40, Rays, RH Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 0.73); Diamondbacks, RH Corbin Burnes (0-1, 4.64)

Friday: at Padres, 9:40. Rays, RH Shane Baz (2-0, 3.22); Padres, TBA

Saturday: at Padres, 8:40. Rays, RH Ryan Pepiot (1-3, 4.82); Padres, TBA

Sunday: at Padres, 4:10. Rays, RH Zack Littell (0-4, 5.48); Padres, TBA

Injured list

• OF Jonny DeLuca (10-day, right shoulder strain)

• RHP Alex Faedo (60-day, right shoulder inflammation)

• RHP Kevin Kelly (15-day, left gluteal strain)

• INF Ha-Seong Kim (10-day, right shoulder surgery recovery)

• LHP Nathan Lavender (60-day, left shoulder surgery recovery)

• OF Josh Lowe (10-day, right oblique strain)

• LHP Shane McClanahan (15-day, left triceps nerve-related issue)

• INF/OF Richie Palacios (10-day, right knee sprain)

• • •

Conclusion

Zack Littell is looking to bounce back from a rough start to the season and build on his recent positive performance against Boston. With a newfound confidence, he is ready to take on the Diamondbacks in his next start.

FAQs

Q: How has Littell’s season been so far?

A: Littell has struggled at the beginning of the season, but he is starting to show signs of improvement.