Littell impresses again in hard-luck loss to former team

SAN FRANCISCO -- One year can make a world of difference. Just ask Zack Littell.

Last season, as a member of the Giants' bullpen, he had a couple of stints on the injured list and frequently went back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors, struggling to find consistency.

Now, Littell has gotten in a groove of late, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Rays. Making his first appearance at Oracle Park as a visitor, the 27-year-old righty gave his former team a firsthand look at how he's grown as a player -- though Tampa Bay's offense fell flat, saddling him with a tough-luck loss.

One night after bursting out for a season-high 18 hits, the Rays were shut down by Giants pitching, only managing three knocks in a 7-0 loss Tuesday at Oracle Park. It was the first time Tampa Bay had been shut out since June 17.

"I think that things were just going their way today," Jose Siri said in Spanish through interpreter Manny Navarro. "Just like for us yesterday, things were going our way. They've got to feed their family as well, so they had to do the work they needed to do."

With the loss, the Rays squandered an opportunity to inch within two games of first place in the American League East, as the division-leading Orioles also fell to the Padres.

As Tampa Bay's rotation has been reshaped by injuries -- the latest befalling Shane McClanahan, who will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss all of 2024 -- Littell has stepped up in a big way since converting to a starting role in late July.

In five previous outings (four starts) entering Tuesday, Littell recorded a 2.42 ERA across 22 1/3 innings, striking out 17 against one walk. He brought that same sharpness to Oracle Park, facing one over the minimum through his first five innings.

Littell allowed only three hits, but the latter two accounted for the extent of the Giants' damage against him. With one out in the sixth inning, San Francisco second baseman Thairo Estrada snapped a scoreless tie -- and Littell's streak of 12 straight batters retired -- by drilling a solo homer to left field.

The Rays right-hander responded by striking out his next batter, but once he allowed a single to rookie Wade Meckler, Littell was done for the night. That final base hit ended up counting against him, as Kevin Kelly entered in relief and served up a first-pitch two-run bomb to Wilmer Flores.

Kelly and Erasmo Ramírez handled the final 2 1/3 innings and combined to allow five runs (three earned), with a throwing error by catcher René Pinto proving costly in the seventh inning.

Over 5 2/3 frames, Littell held the Giants to a pair of runs. He's allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five traditional starts this season.

"Outstanding," manager Kevin Cash said. "He was really good. I mean, what Zack's providing for us is really, really impressive and really, really helpful."

For Littell, it was a marked improvement from the last time he toed the rubber at Oracle Park, when he was charged with two runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Braves on Sept. 12, 2022.

When Giants manager Gabe Kapler went out to make a pitching change, Littell was visibly frustrated and appeared to have some strong words for his skipper, a conversation that continued in the dugout tunnel afterward.

Littell was optioned to Triple-A the next day and did not throw another pitch for the Giants, becoming a free agent in the offseason.

That moment is firmly in the past, as far as Littell is concerned. Asked about it on Monday afternoon, Littell referred to it as a "human moment" -- one that he wished had happened in private rather than on the mound.

"These guys, it was nice to see 'em out there. You get a little head nod your first time through," Littell said. "I love every guy in that locker room, coaching staff. … It's always kind of fun to compete against guys you know. I don't know if there's anything to them seeing me pitch from behind me. I thought they went out there, grinding some at-bats out, put some good swings on balls. We kind of went back and forth."