The Washington Nationals continue to showcase a potent offense this season while struggling significantly on the mound, leaving them in a challenging position in their bid for consistency. Through the early part of the campaign, the Nationals have scored 142 runs, second only to the Atlanta Braves, yet they have also allowed a major league–leading 155 runs.

In Wednesday’s matchup against the Braves at Nationals Park, these contrasting dynamics were evident. Right-handed pitcher Zack Littell surrendered six earned runs, including four home runs, but Washington’s hitters responded with three home runs of their own. Despite the offensive effort, the Nationals fell 8-6 to Atlanta, marking another game where the pitching staff could not contain the opposition.

Manager Blake Butera acknowledged the team’s pitching frustrations while expressing confidence in the offense. “Our pitchers are just as frustrated as anybody,” Butera said. “They know what our offense is doing, they’re very well aware of the runs we’re scoring. They want to go out there and limit it and let our offense do its thing and win some of these games that we should be winning.”

Littell, who has struggled with his command, gave Washington six innings—the longest start of his season—helping to preserve the bullpen ahead of the series finale on Thursday. Despite his difficulties, including an elevated 7.56 ERA over five appearances, Littell reported feeling physically better than he has in some time but admitted that his execution has fallen short.

“The shapes are there, the pitch is there, it’s really just come down to executing better,” Littell said. “We’ve had a lot of middle-middle misses, it feels just like everything that comes out of my hand, everybody’s one right now.” He noted some improvement as the game progressed, pitching scoreless fifth and sixth innings by focusing on pitches outside the strike zone.

The Nationals’ ongoing pitching issues are not new. Since embarking on a rebuild in 2021, the team has repeatedly faced challenges with pitchers surrendering home runs. Each year has seen a different pitcher struggle in this regard: Patrick Corbin in 2021, Josiah Gray in 2022, Trevor Williams in 2023, Jake Irvin in 2025, and now Littell appears poised to join that list with 11 home runs allowed—a figure four higher than any other pitcher on the roster.

Despite the pitching struggles, the Nationals’ offense remains a strength, with recent power contributions from players including Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Michael Harris II. However, unless the pitching staff can shore up its performance, the team may continue to face difficulty capitalizing on its offensive output.