Washington Nationals at Athletics

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WSH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	1
ATH	5	1	0	0	0	2	6	1	—	15	13	0

Zack Littell takes the ball for Washington looking to be part of back-to-back Nationals blowouts, opposite Athletics rookie right-hander J.T. Ginn in an early-evening matchup at 7:05 PM PT.

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Total

Nationals(49-49)

WLLLW

1

+1.5-190-104o10.5-135

Athletics(41-56)

LLLLL

15

-1.5+186+102u10.5+135

Best BetNationals +103

Pregame

The Nationals just dropped 23 runs on this same Athletics team and there's no reason to think Oakland fixed anything in 24 hours. Washington's price sits a bit plus even as favorites on paper, which is decent value given how battered the A's pitching staff looks right now. Back the Nationals to win outright again.

Ginn flashed real upside earlier this season, carrying a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Angels in May, but his last time out was a disaster: 4.1 innings, 8 earned runs allowed to the White Sox. He's trying to find that form again against a Nationals lineup that just dropped 21 hits and 23 runs on his own team a night earlier. Littell, meanwhile, is coming off a decent turn against Baltimore where he worked 5 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs.

Zack Littell

(7-8)·4.94 ERA

Jun 28 @ Orioles

W

5.0IP

2ER

3K

2BB

82P

07/18 Lineup

J.T. Ginn

(8-6)·3.46 ERA

Jul 12 @ White Sox

L

4.1IP

8ER

7K

3BB

86P

07/18 Lineup

Oakland's collapse isn't a one-night thing. The A's have lost 14 of their last 15 and dropped their pitching coach, Scott Emerson, amid the skid. Nick Kurtz is out with a thumb injury, Zack Gelof left last week's game with a knee issue, and Brent Rooker is done for the year after tearing cartilage in his knee. This roster is banged up and running on fumes at Sutter Health Park.

Washington isn't exactly steamrolling through the schedule either — they're a .500 team at 49-49 and had dropped 3 straight to the Yankees before Friday's outburst. But their offense clearly has another gear when it clicks, and their rotation has taken a beating with Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams, DJ Herz and Josiah Gray all on extended IL stints.

Washington Nationals

(10)

• 10-Day-ILDrew Millas (C) — Milias went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.07/15
• 15-Day-ILRichard Lovelady (RP) — Lovelady (triceps) began a throwing program shortly after landing on the injured list June 29 and had thrown off flat ground out to 60 feet as recently as July 3, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 15-Day-ILBrad Lord (RP) — The Nationals placed Lord on the 15-day injured list Thursday with left side tightness.07/09
• SuspensionMiles Mikolas (SP) — Major League Baseball announced that Mikolas will begin serving his five-game suspension Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.07/12
• 60-Day-ILJake Irvin (SP) — The Nationals transferred Irvin (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list July 10.07/17
• 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams (SP) — Williams (elbow) struck out five and allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk across two innings Tuesday in a rehab start in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.07/15
• 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker (RP) — The Nationals transferred Parker (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.07/02
• 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.06/22
• 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11
• 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/08

Athletics

(7)

• 10-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — The Athletics placed Kurtz on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, with a right thumb capsule sprain.07/11
• 10-Day-ILZack Gelof (3B) — Gelof exited Thursday's contest against the Tigers in the third inning with a right knee injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/10
• 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.06/23
• 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.06/21
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
• 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

Both bullpens are thin in different ways. Washington is without Richard Lovelady and Brad Lord, while Oakland's relief corps has already been gassed by a stretch of games that turned into laughers. That's a real factor in an already lopsided matchup — if Ginn falters early again, the floodgates could open fast.

Washington Nationals

(49-49)

Jul 18W@ Athletics23-4

Jul 12Lvs Yankees3-5

Jul 11Lvs Yankees2-4

Jul 10Lvs Yankees3-5

Jul 8Wvs Astros8-2

Athletics

(41-56)

Jul 18Lvs Nationals4-23

Jul 12L@ White Sox1-9

Jul 11L@ White Sox0-1

Jul 10L@ White Sox1-14

Jul 9L@ Tigers1-4

There's no real mystery to this series. One team is desperate and swinging hot bats, the other is in the middle of a full-blown organizational funk. Washington gets a golden chance to pile up a second straight lopsided win before the Sunday finale.