Littell earns another quality start -- but still winless thanks to lack of support

PHOENIX -- Zack Littell was done in by two familiar foes on Tuesday night at Chase Field:

The home run ball and a stunning lack of run support.

Littell put together a quality start, giving up three runs over six innings, but all the D-backs’ damage against him came on a pair of homers. And that was more than enough for Arizona, as the Rays lineup failed to capitalize on a few opportunities and went down quietly, 5-1, in the series opener.

The Rays have lost six of their last seven games and 13 of their last 18 to fall to 9-14 on the year. After playing 19 of their first 22 games at home, they began their first multi-city road trip of the year by dropping to a season-high five games below .500 that matches their low-water mark from all of last season.

“I don't think anybody's thrilled with where we're at. We said it the other day: We're just not playing great baseball as a team,” Littell said. “Definitely want to start putting some complete games together and make the other guys beat us.”

Littell fell to 0-5 on the season despite having three quality starts. That’s due in part to the fact that the Rays have scored only four runs when he’s been on the mound this year. Two of his losses came in outings where he allowed just one run over six innings.

That tough luck is nothing new for the right-hander, as Tampa Bay has provided him two runs of support or fewer in 22 of his last 25 outings dating back to last May 21. His 2.59 run support average during that span is the lowest in the Majors among pitchers who have worked at least 100 innings.

“I think those guys are going out there busting their [butts],” Littell said. “It's just a matter of going out there doing my job and hoping this thing clicks for everybody and we get rolling.”

Littell hadn’t pitched with a lead all season until the second inning Tuesday night, when Kameron Misner hit a double down the left-field line and scored on Jake Mangum’s single to center off starter Brandon Pfaadt. It was the first time in more than a week that the Rays scored first in a game since their 16-1 win over the Red Sox on April 14.

But that was the only run the Rays managed to push across the plate all night. They finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

“Six innings, three runs [by Littell] -- I feel like we should be in a lot of ballgames with an opportunity to win them,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Even with the homers that he gave up, we had a chance to keep close in the ballgame. We just couldn't get anything going offensively.”

Chandler Simpson singled and stole second in the third inning, but Yandy Díaz smashed a 107.8 mph line drive to center fielder Alek Thomas for the third out. Perhaps their best opportunity came in the eighth, when Simpson and Brandon Lowe reached against former Rays left-hander Jalen Beeks to bring Díaz to the plate -- an ideal matchup, from Tampa Bay’s perspective -- but Díaz swung at a changeup outside the strike zone and hit into an inning-ending double play.

“Simply, things are not going the way I want them,” the .213-hitting Díaz said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “I'm working hard every day, and everybody's working hard every day, and it's just simply not in our favor right now.”

With little margin for error, Littell’s mistakes proved costly. In the third inning, he fell behind the red-hot Pavin Smith, 3-0, then got back into the count with splitters and sliders. He tried to go up and in with a fastball, and Smith blasted it a Statcast-projected 420 feet to right field for a go-ahead two-run homer.

With one out in the fifth, Littell again fell behind before leaving a 2-1 slider over the plate that Tim Tawa sent out to left. It was the eighth home run Littell has allowed this season, tied with three other pitchers (including teammate Ryan Pepiot) for most in the Majors.

“You put good lineups in good positions, they're going to make you pay,” Littell said. “Tonight, overall, I was pretty happy with it. … Good lineups like that make you work, and they get you in spots where they have the ability to do damage.”