Ruiz Homers in Victorious Rubber Match

Ruiz Homers in Victorious Rubber Match

From Nats Chat by Mark Zuckerman & Al Galdi, Blue Wire

May 8, 2026 · 37 min · Episode 902

About this episode

The Nats secured a 7-5 victory over the Twins, highlighted by Keibert Ruiz's impressive performance and a discussion on the team's catching situation.

The Nats beat the Twins 7-5 on Thursday afternoon for their first home series victory of the series. Mark & Al have plenty of praise for Keibert Ruiz, who doubled twice and broke a late tie with a solo homer in the bottom of 7th. Ruiz's OPS rose an astonishing .127 points in single day. (10:30) Breaking down the Nationals catching situation after back to back days of rare offensive production from that position. (18:00) Curtis Mead knocked in a pair of runs while hitting 3rd in the lineup. (20:05) The victory masked Jake Irvin's so-so outing on Thursday. Irvin allowed eight hits and four runs in just innings of work as his ERA is a concerning 5.22. (23:00) Multiple instances of good defense by the Nats in this game. (27:20) Gus Varland notched his 4th save of the season to extend his team lead in that category. (30:30) Washington heads to Miami for a three game set over the weekend. Foster Griffin will start on Friday as the team enters the road trip at two games below .500.

People in this episode

Hosts: Mark Zuckerman, Al Galdi

Topics covered

  • Nats victory
  • Keibert Ruiz performance
  • Nationals catching situation
  • Curtis Mead contributions
  • Jake Irvin's outing
  • Nats defense
  • Upcoming road trip

Keywords

  • Nats
  • Twins
  • Keibert Ruiz
  • Curtis Mead
  • Jake Irvin
  • Gus Varland
  • baseball
  • home series victory
  • defense
  • road trip

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Washington, Miami

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