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Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Thursday, May 14, 2026
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📅 NEXT AT BAT
Today @ Cincinnati Reds 12:40 PM ET
Friday vs. Baltimore Orioles 12:40 PM ET - New Home Series
Saturday vs. Baltimore Orioles 12:40 PM ET
Sunday vs. Baltimore Orioles 12:40 PM ET
Nats Back to One Game Off of .500 on Year
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Following back to back wins on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Nats are playing some of their best ball of the season. Winning three straight games last week, and now currently on a two game win streak the Nats are finally starting to gain momentum and put together win streaks, no longer winning and losing back and forth repetitively.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
The Nats now sit at 21-22 on the season, putting them in solo 2nd place in the NL East. The Nats have not had a winning or .500 record this season since they were 3-3 on the year back in March. Sitting right on the cusp of .500, it has a been a clear goal for them all year, and they once again sit one game away from being back where they need to be.
In their last 2 games, we have seen more early season Nats gameplay, with back-to-back 8+ run outings. The young offense has been what has kept Nats winning games this season and nothing has changed recently, especially yesterday, where a shaky bullpen game was saved by the red hot bats.
More specifically offensively, 23 year-old Daylen Lile is literally unstoppable. Tallying a multi-homer game Tuesday, a homer yesterday, 3 straight multi-hit games, and a 6 game hitting streak, Daylen Lile is a must watch player on this high powered offense. Despite the average start to the year, if he can keep up play like this, he will chase his first ever All-Star appearance come July.
Pitching continues to be a struggle as they slowly continue to strengthen up the bullpen, however after his poor start, Miles Mikolas continues to lower his ERA with every outing. Allowing 1 run through 3.1 innings pitched on Tuesday, Mikolas now has a 3.12 ERA across his 2 starts of May so far. Looking to close out the series with a sweep tomorrow the Nats get to start their ace so far this year: Foster Griffin. Let’s hope he can continue his All-Star campaign and get the Nats their 3rd straight win.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
On his amazing run, Daylen Lile couldn’t help but share his excitement after his multi-homer game. Achieving his 3 homers in 2 games in Cincinnati, this means a little bit more to him, being the park he always used to visit as a kid growing up in Louisville Kentucky.
“I'm going to have people from high school to travel ball coaches to teachers to my family,” Lile said last week. “I'm very excited to be literally two hours away from home and see people I haven't seen in a while.”
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What players for the Nats do you see getting All-Star nominations this season? Anyone in particular you’d love to see get one?
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Nats Win Back-to-Back With Win in Extras
🔥 HEADLINE
Daylen Lile hits homer in back to back games, 3 in his last 2
Final Score: Nationals 8, Reds 7
Date: May 13, 2026
Location: Great American Ballpark
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Daylen Lile comes up clutch with his 3rd homer in 2 games, hitting a clutch time deep shot to put the Nats up 2 in the 10th inning. Going on to hold that lead and close out the game, the Nats saw 8 runs scored, with 3 separate players tallying multi-hit games.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Winning Pitcher: Gus Varland ([1–1], 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K)
Losing Pitcher: Tony Santillan ([1–2], 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K)
Key Hitters:
CJ Abrams: 2-for-5, 2 Runs
Jacob Young: 2-for-4, BB, 2 Runs
Team RISP: [3-for-12]
Errors: Nats 1, Reds 0
Attendance: 17,312
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Reds, May 14, 2026, 12:40 PM ET, Great American Ballpark
Probables: Nats — Foster Griffin, Reds — Chase Burns
Key Storyline: Can the Nats ace this season so far in Griffin close out the series and give the Nats the sweep?
📈 MORNING STAT
The only sweep the Nats have this year was against the Brewers, another NL Central team. Let’s see if they can continue the trend of running the Central so far.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Do you think the Nats complete the sweep and take a 3 game winning streak into the home series against the Orioles?
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Like this recap? - Miss the Reds game? Check out the game notes by Ryan Shenker
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theFUTURE
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Red Wings score 13 runs, winning their 5th straight game, Blue Rocks and Senators both win their games, and Fred Nats record still sit at 24-11 on the as the Nationals minor league teams continue to absolutely dominate.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
After a rough stretch, the Rochester Red Wings, Nats Triple-A affiliate
win their 5th straight game, moving to 22-19 on the season. Putting up 13 runs in the win yesterday, the Red Wings had 4 players record multiple hits, including Nats Dylan Crews, who tallied 2 hits, 2 runs and 4 RBIs, a great step towards his return to the majors.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks, Nats High-A affiliate scored 10 runs in their win on Wednesday, moving them to 19-15 on the season. In their win, Nats number 14 prospect Yoel Tejada Jr. threw 4 innings, striking out 3. In a season where he has struggled so far, with a 4.96 ERA, he continues to work at finding his rhythm.
The Harrisburg Senators, Nats Double-A affiliate scored 9 runs in their win, moving them to 19-15 on the season. In their win, who other than Nats number 8 prospect Seaver King had yet another dominant outing, tallying a 2 hit, 3 RBI performance, moving his average to .336 on the year. It should not be long til we see him called up to a different destination with the numbers he is putting up now.
Despite the loss on Wednesday, the Fred Nats, the Nats Single-A affiliate still prove to be the Nats strongest minor league affiliate, sitting at 24-11 on the year. Nats number one overall pick and prospect Eli Willits continues to play great as he pushes towards being moved up, tallying a 2 hit, 1 run performance to move his average up on the year.
📈 MORNING STAT
The Nats minor league affiliates are now a combined 84-60 on the season, 24 games above .500. Let’s see if they can continue to raise this insane mark.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Which minor league team do you think finishes the best, as they all continue to show their own aspect of dominance?
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌 For the 4: Fueled by family, Lile's multi-HR night powers Nationals (MLB)
📌The Nationals have one of the best lineups in MLB. They might get even better (Athletic)