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• Rays' Zack Littell: Misstep in rotation competition

  13D ago • By RotoWire

  Littell allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two across two innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins. This marked Littell's second official spring appearance as he continues to compete for a rotation spot to begin the regular season. He didn't help his cause with his results, as he was pulled in two separate innings before returning to build up his pitch count. Following the game, Littell chalked the performance up to simply a bad outing, while manager Kevin Cash expressed optimism that Littell would bounce back, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Perhaps the lone positive was that Littell did reach 72 pitches, suggesting he'll be fully stretched out by Opening Day. Drew Rasmussen, Littell's presumed primary competition, is set to start Saturday's game against the Yankees.

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• Rays' Zack Littell: Five shutout innings in win

  09/09/2024 • By RotoWire

  Littell (6-9) threw five scoreless innings to pick up the win Sunday against Baltimore, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out four. Littell was sharp, limiting a potent Orioles offense to just three singles to earn his first win since Aug. 3. The 28-year-old has been excellent over his past six starts, allowing one or fewer runs in five of those outings, pitching to a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB in 31.2 innings. Littell doesn't offer gaudy strikeout totals, but his superb command has allowed him to maintain consistency. On the year, the right-hander owns a 3.89 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 122:31 K:BB in 138.2 innings (26 starts). He will look to stay hot in his next start, currently scheduled for next weekend in Cleveland.

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• Rays' Zack Littell: Allows four runs in return

  09/03/2024 • By RotoWire

  Littell (5-9) took the loss against the Twins on Monday, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts over four innings. Littell was a bit rusty in his return from the injured list, walking a season-high four batters and surrendering a three-run homer in the third inning. On the plus side, his velocity was mostly in line with his season averages, and he generated a solid 11 whiffs on 78 pitches. The 28-year-old owns a 4.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 118:30 K:BB across 133.2 innings this season and lines up for a tough matchup with the Orioles this weekend.

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• Rays' Zack Littell: Falls to Baltimore

  08/10/2024 • By RotoWire

  Littell (5-8) took the loss Friday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five. After surrendering a home run to Colton Cowser to lead off the game, Littell managed to settle in and keep Baltimore off the board until the fifth, when Ryan O'Hearn drove in two more runs with a two-out single. The 28-year-old Littell had won back-to-back starts prior to Friday, allowing just one run in 12.2 innings. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.11 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP and 113:24 K:BB across 124.2 innings this season. Littell's currently slated for a home matchup with the Astros in his next outing.

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• Rays' Zack Littell: Blanks Cincy for fourth win

  07/28/2024 • By RotoWire

  Littell (4-7) picked up the win in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Reds, scattering three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five. The 28-year-old right-hander was masterful over 96 pitches (60 strikes), as Cincinnati managed to get only two runners into scoring position against him. The quality start was the eighth of the year for Littell, but only his second in his last eight trips to the mound, a stretch in which he has a 5.22 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. With the Rays in sell mode at the trade deadline and Littell headed for his final year of arbitration in 2025, Saturday's performance can only have boosted his market value. If he doesn't get dealt, he's scheduled to make his next start for Tampa Bay on the road next weekend in Houston.

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