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Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Friday, May 8, 2026
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GAME RECAP
🔥 HEADLINE
Nats Power Through to Win Series
Final Score: Nationals 7, Minnesota Twins 5
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
Location: Nationals Park
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Keibert Ruiz accounted for four of the runs batted in as the Nationals beat the Minnesota Twins 7-5 to take the series, their first series win at home this season. The bullpen had quite the day as they combined for one run on three hits across a collective four innings, striking out six batters while walking only one.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Winning Pitcher: PJ Poulin ([3–0], 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)
Losing Pitcher: John Klein ([0–1], 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K)
Key Hitters:
Keibert Ruiz: 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
Curtis Mead: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB
James Wood: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, 2B
Team RISP: [3-for-7]
Errors: Nats 0, Twins 0
Attendance: 13,543
🎙️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“He was just way more selective. He does a really good job of making contact. He doesn't swing and miss a ton. His bat-to-ball skills are really good. So what we challenged him [to do] was, be very picky at the plate. He probably feels like he can cover everything, but we don't want him to just put the ball in play. We want him to drive the ball like he did today. And sometimes that means maybe give it up a little bit on the edges to get a pitch in the middle of the zone that you can attack. I think he did a really good job of that tonight, just with the loud contact,” said manager Blake Butera on Keibert Ruiz.
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Miami Marlins, May 8th, 7:10 PM ET, loanDepot park
Probables: Nats — Foster Griffin, Marlins — Robby Snelling
Key Storyline: Can the Nats continue their momentum from their series against the Twins?
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who was tonight’s MVP?
✅ Ruiz
✅ Mead
✅ The Bullpen
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more on today’s game, make sure to check out the game notes.
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Miles Mikolas’s Steady Rise
Via Washington Nationals
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
While Miles Mikolas has had a rough go of it lately, both with this season and with his career, things are starting to look up. Within the past month, the pitcher has managed to slowly but surely improve upon his overall pitching performance, becoming more reliable with time.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
The beginning of right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas’ season was less than ideal, as he allowed 15 earned runs in just his first two starts, with his first start of April against the Los Angeles Dodgers seeing 11 of them
Mikolas has largely improved since then, allowing just 10 earned runs in his five outings since the Dodgers game at the beginning of the month, even allowing none in his four-inning outing against the San Francisco Giants on April 14th, allowing just four hits and one walk in that game
This seems to be a resurgence for the right-hander in his career as well, as he struggled in his last couple of years with the St. Louis Cardinals, seeing 84 and 102 earned runs in his last and second-to-last seasons with the team, respectively
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
This slow improvement in Miles Mikolas’ game could be a great boon for the Nats going into the dog days of summer, the heart of the season. With pitching being very key for the team from the very start, it improving as the season goes on may be exactly what they need, so long as their bats keep up their steady work. Mikolas can be a very key piece of that improvement if this steady trajectory of progress continues the way it currently is.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What have you thought about Miles Mikolas so far this season? Do you think this could be the start of a true turnaround for him?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more on Miles Mikolas’ performance in his last start, be sure to check out this article on that game.
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theFUTURE
Via Washington Nationals
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
It was a rough Thursday evening for most of the Nats’ minor league teams, as all but one saw a disappointing evening. Despite this, many of the teams have players still developing across these games, such as the Wilmington Blue Rocks’ Devin Fitz-Gerald.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Rochester lost the third game in their series against the Syracuse Mets 3-2 yesterday after a back-and-forth that held strong until the bottom of the ninth inning
Yesterday, the Senators dropped their third game in a row to the Erie SeaWolves 4-2, despite the pitching rotation collectively striking out 11 batters, with starter Shinnosuke Ogasawara accounting for eight of them
Wilmington lost both games of their doubleheader against the Hub City Spartanburgers yesterday, losing the first game 7-5 and the second game 5-4 after Wednesday’s game was postponed due to rain
Yesterday, the FredNats beat the Hill City Howlers 4-2 on the road, seeing strong performances from Juan Cruz, who went 3-4 with two runs, and Eli Willits, who knocked in two of the team’s runs
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“His baseball IQ is through the roof, and he carries himself like a true pro. He doesn't really say much but leads by example. […] He knows what winning looks like at a really high level. He expects to win, and he expects to win in everything he does,” said Blue Rocks manager Ted Tom on shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What do you think of the Nats’ minor league teams’ latest performances? What have you thought of Devin Fitz-Gerald’s performance so far this season?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more on the Nats’ minor league teams, make sure to check out the Harrisburg Senators weekly recap.
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌 3 Notable Takeaways From Nationals Home Series Win Against Twins (Sports Illustrated)
📌 One prospect with closer potential from each organization (MLB)