Instant Analysis: A's 15, Nats 1

Zack Littell gave up five runs in the first, and J.T. Ginn carried a no-hitter into the seventh during a blowout loss in Sacramento

Jul 19, 2026

What did the Nationals do for an encore after one of the biggest blowout wins in team history? Suffer one of the worst blowout losses in team history, one that included a no-hit bid into the seventh inning.

An offense that blasted the A’s for 23 runs in Friday night’s series opener was shut out by the Athletics on Saturday night, with J.T. Ginn tossing 6 1/3 hitless innings before finally succumbing. And a pitching staff that held the same team to two runs – excluding the two surrendered by infielder Jorbit Vivas in the ninth – Friday night was blasted for 15 runs in this one.

Perhaps anticipating the need for as many available bullpen arms as possible on this six-game trip to two of baseball’s best hitters’ parks, Blake Butera opted not to use an opener for Zack Littell tonight. And the veteran right-hander proceeded to dig his team into an immediate 5-0 hole with a disastrous bottom of the first that began with Jacob Wilson’s leadoff homer and later featured back-to-back RBI doubles from Carlos Cortes and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Littell did wind up completing six innings, but he gave up three more runs (two of them on Tyler Soderstrom’s two-out homer in the sixth).

The Nationals’ greater concern at that point, though, was the zero in their hit column. Unable to get anything going against Ginn, they entered the top of the seventh in danger of being no-hit for the third time in four seasons. Fortunately, Keibert Ruiz ended that nonsense with a solid, line-drive single to center with one out in the seventh, prompting Mark Kotsay to immediately pull his starter at only 82 pitches. They did little against the A’s bullpen, either, finishing the night with four hits (two of them coming in the ninth).

HITTING LOWLIGHT: Not that anyone should have expected 23 runs again, but this? No hits through six innings? To his credit, Ginn was incredibly sharp, hitting corners and inducing a bunch of groundballs. And the few balls the Nationals hit hard were either directly at fielders or snagged in impressive fashion by Kuroda-Grauer. The closest calls came on CJ Abrams’ popup into shallow left field in the fourth (with Kuroda-Grauer making an over-the-shoulder, diving catch) and Dylan Crews’ chopper down the third-base line in the fifth, with Kuroda-Grauer’s bounced throw across the diamond barely getting there in time (following a replay review that overturned the original safe call). Otherwise, there was nothing of consequence from the Nats until Ruiz’s seventh-inning single.

PITCHING LOWLIGHT: Believe it or not, Littell actually had been fairly effective in the first inning prior to tonight. In 12 official starts this season, he had allowed only five first-inning runs. Alas, not so tonight. Wilson ambushed his very first pitch and gave the A’s a 1-0 lead. And the loud contact continued throughout a torturous opening frame. All told, Littell allowed five runs on five hits and a walk. He only threw 24 pitches to eight batters, but that only underscored how much of the plate he was hitting, and how aggressive A’s batters could be. To his credit, Littell settled down and provided length, which shouldn’t be discounted. But that first inning was a disaster, and it set a decidedly negative tone for his team.

NOTABLE: Max Kranick made his Nationals debut in relief of Littell and couldn’t even complete one inning. The right-hander, signed to a major-league deal earlier this year while still recovering from an elbow injury suffered with the Mets last season, gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, then gave up four more runs on two more hits, two walks and a wild pitch.

UP NEXT: The series concludes Sunday at 4:05 p.m. EDT, with All-Star Foster Griffin making his first start of the second half against A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM