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Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Tuesday, May 12, 2026
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📅 NEXT AT BAT
Tonight @ Cincinnati Reds, 6:40 PM ET
Wednesday @ Cincinnati Reds, 6:40 PM ET
Thursday @ Cincinnati Reds, 12:40 PM ET
Friday vs. Baltimore Orioles, 12:40 PM ET - New Home Series
Nats Look to Get Momentum Back in New Week
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
After winning 3 straight games last week heading into the weekend, it really looked like the Nats were finally gonna break the .500 threshold they’ve been on the cusp of all season. However after a rough weekend of back to back losses to drop the series versus the Marlins, the Nats look to take a step back and gain back the momentum they saw in the previous 3.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
The Nats now sit at 19-22 on the season, in a 3-way tie for second place in the NL East with the Phillies and Marlins, all sitting below the Braves. The NL East has been a weird division so far, with the Braves looking so far above the rest and the rest of the teams, including the Nats have been in a rough climb up to .500 on the season. However, for the Nats they stand in a good place in second, with a team much younger than the well-experienced Phillies and Mets still putting up the same, if-not better numbers.
After their 3 game win streak, the Nats moved into the weekend with a one up on the Marlins in the series and all the momentum in the world, yet sadly they hit a wall. In back-to-back losses over the weekend the Nats sadly saw the bullpen struggles re-emerge. Tied in the 7th inning Sunday and up 4-2 in the 6th inning the Nats were unable to close out either game, with the offense going cold in one, and bullpen throwing away the other.
In their 3 wins, the Nats starting pitching and bullpen meshed well, keeping the game in check and letting the explosive offense do their thing, and the lack of that chemistry over the weekend resulted in the losses. Putting up 7 runs on Saturday, and still losing is an outcome that can just not happen if the Nats are going to compete with the best as the season goes on. While there is lots to blame, it still typically boils down to the same old: when the starting pitching, bullpen and offense all play decently, the Nats are able to pull out wins. None need to play amazing, they must just avoid disastrous performances that keep the other pieces out of it.
Tonight’s game against the Reds could prove important to show how the season will go on. After a struggling start to the season, posting a 14 ERA at the start of April, pitcher Miles Mikolas is finally settling into a more poised starter role. Since April 4th, the 37-year-old Veteran has brought that ERA down to a 7, posting a 3.38 ERA in his only start of May so far. Starting the game for the Nats tonight, lets see if he can continue lowering his ERA, and gaining more trust as a starter for the Nats.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Despite dropping the series in a rough way against the Marlins, Blake Butera was able to take away the positives from the “the hard-fought series”, setting up the team to turn the page.
“It's a hard-fought series against a really good team at their place. You know, I think all three of these games could have gone either way and came down to the late innings. Ultimately, [this is] a chance for us to learn from some things and regroup,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said.
With shade being thrown out about rookie Butera and the team of youngsters in the offseason, the Nats still sit in a good place on the year, continue to push towards a success of a season.
“We got a really good group of guys here, and it hurts when we lose, but we're gonna bounce back and just keep competing,” Cavalli said. “I think over 162, we'll look up and we'll be happy with what we've done.”
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
How do you see the away series against the Reds going to start off the week? Do you think the Nats are gonna be able to get back on track?
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Nats Ready to Close-Out Road Trip vs. Reds
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Reds, Tonight, 6:40 PM ET, Great American Ball Park
Probables: Nats — Miles Mikolas, Reds — Brady Singer
Key Storyline: Can Nats get back in the win column after a rough weekend as they continue to chase .500.
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
After getting their rest yesterday, the Nats kick off their 3 game series against the Reds to close out their road trip before heading back home to end the week. The Nats showed great glimpses last week that they can be amazing team, combining their high-flying young offense, with some finally much sought out solid pitching performances.
If the starters can keep the games close in this series, the offense should have no trouble putting the game out of reach, taking the pressure off of the still-stabilizing bullpen. It all starts with starting pitcher Miles Mikolas continuing his journey to get back on track tonight, hopefully able to go 5+ innings with limited runs.
📈 MORNING STAT
In a season of struggle last year, the Nats actually had the Reds number, going 4-2 against them in their 2 series. Hopefully they can continue this strength against the midwest team as they look for momentum this week.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Do you think Miles Mikolas puts together a solid outing today, giving the Nats a win to start the series?
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theFuture
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
FredNats win 4 straight over the weekend, Red Wings able to finally get above .500 on the season with 3 straight wins, the Blue Rocks go 3-3 in their series to move to 18-14 and Senators win back-to-back over the weekend. The Nats pipeline continues to dominate the minor leagues, showing great hope that they bring home some hardware at the end of the year, and promising a bright future for the Nats organization.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Rochester Red Wings, the Nats Triple-A affiliate, now stand at 20-19 on the season, back above .500. After an amazing start to the year, the Red Wings cooled off, falling into a hole until recently getting their way back out. The Red Wings have seen Nats number 3 prospect Harry Ford struggle so far this year, unable to find a rhythm this year. However, he hit his first homer of the year Saturday, possibly turning the leaf as the start-studded prospect works his way into a major league role.
The Fredericskburg Nationals, the Nats Single-A affiliate continue to be the most consistent and strong team for the Nats in the Minor Leagues, moving to 23-10 on the year, a crazy mark. Nats number 21 prospect Yeremy Cabrera continue to rake for the FredNats, ready to be called up any day now. Batting .333 on the year, and having a 3 hit 2 run performance in Sunday’s win, he will definitely move up in the minors soon.
The Nats High-A affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks picked up a win Sunday moving to 18-14 on the year, continuing to find their footing. Nats number 6 prospect Ronny Cruz blasted a homer in the win, moving his season average to .319, as he also continues his push towards a call up.
Harrisonburg Senators, the Nats Double-A affiliate move to 18-14 on the season following back to back wins over the weekend. Nats prospect 24 year-old 3rd basemen Cayden Wallace had a fantastic weekend, going 4-9 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, and also only one strikeout, doing a great job of putting bat to ball.
📈 MORNING STAT
The Nats minor league teams are now a combined 79-57 on the year, with all 4 teams sitting above .500 again. An absolutely insane metric to think about.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Do you think all 4 minor league teams can finish the season above .500, proving how bright the Nats future is?
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌Seven stats on the Nats, from an historic problem with errors to a James Wood breakout (Athletic)