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Zack Littell allowed five runs on four hits in 1 2\/3 innings. (Jess Rapfogel\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nZack Littell couldn\u2019t finish Friday night. Not the at-bat, and not the second inning.\u200b<\/p>\n
The Nationals right-hander was removed after 1 2\/3 innings after being tattooed for five runs on four hits on 56 pitches. The veteran got to two-strike counts on six hitters in the second inning.<\/p>\n
But time after time the Mariners fought back, fouling off pitches and elongating at-bats. The Mariners entered Friday with the 11th-highest chase rate in the majors, but they weren\u2019t biting when Littell expanded the strike zone. They chased only 8% of his pitches.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they had a really good plan tonight. They executed really well,\u201d Littell said. <\/p>\n
Finishing off hitters is where starters with plus stuff thrive. They can overpower helpless batters in the zone with heaters. Those who don\u2019t possess that firepower have to get favorable counts and win with guile.<\/p>\n
Littell excelled at getting ahead, but he didn\u2019t have the finish in Friday\u2019s 10-2 loss after a more than two-hour weather delay. The Nationals fell to 12-21 at home.<\/p>\n
Zack Littell allowed five runs on four hits in 1 2\/3 innings. (Jess Rapfogel\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
He got to a two-strike count on the first three batters during the second inning and allowed a single, a walk and a two-run triple. A sacrifice fly drove in a run before a single and a Colt Emerson home run put the Nationals in a deflating 5-0 hole. After Littell induced a lineout, manager Blake Butera made the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he\u2019s frustrated with it, just trying to figure out what went wrong and why that is,\u201d Butera said. \u201cWe\u2019ll take a look at it as a group and figure that out, but I think the lack of swing and miss and the ability to put guys away once he did get to two strikes is what stood out the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right-hander Riley Cornelio recorded the final out of the second inning. Cornelio, who was stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Rochester, threw 4 1\/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. <\/p>\n
Paxton Schultz allowed a solo homer and three hits over two innings after giving up five runs in one inning on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
For Littell, it was a bad outing after a string of impressive ones. Before Friday\u2019s game, he was sporting a 2.27 ERA since May 3. Now Littell will return to the drawing board to uncover what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re not throwing, you know, 97-98 mph, you got to be fine with your command and have really good location,\u201d Butera said. \u201cI think he was in the zone a lot. It was just, when he got to two strikes, he just couldn\u2019t get that pitch out of the zone that they would chase.\u201d<\/p>\n