3 Notable Takeaways From Nationals Home Series Win Against Twins

The Washington Nationals exploded on offense in this series.

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals bounced back in a major way to earn a series victory against the Minnesota Twins when they won the finale on Thursday.

Following the opener of this three-game set where the Nationals were trounced by a score of 11-3, it looked like things might be going south for Washington after they lost two out of three against the Milwaukee Brewers in their series prior. However, the bats came to life in the final two contests, and that powered them to this momentum-building series win ahead of their divisional road matchup against the Miami Marlins that begins on Friday.

There was a lot that took place during Washington's set against Minnesota. And with that in mind, there were three notable things that stood out across these three games.

Offense Has Ability to Score at Home

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A major talking point surrounding the Nationals this season has been their struggles at home. That was on full display against the Brewers, as Washington struggled to score throughout that set. Considering the offense has been the best part of the team so far this year, having issues at the plate spells disaster.

But against the Twins, the Nationals proved they can score when playing at home. Across three games, they put up 25 total runs, which was 8.33 per contest. That included a staggering 15 runs in Game 2 of this set, which was a season-high.

Washington is going to need a lot more of that going forward. They have been much better at the plate on the road compared to at home. But hopefully, their offensive explosion against Minnesota can build some confidence that they can score when playing at Nationals Park.

Catchers Came to Life

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and second baseman Nasim Nunez | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Perhaps the most positive thing that came out of this series was the fact that both catchers, Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas, came to life on offense. That began on Wednesday, as Millas hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that was his first of the season and a score the Nationals did not look back from. He later followed that up with a double and finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs to go along with that homer.

But not to be outdone, Ruiz had himself a game on Thursday. The maligned backstop had important at-bat after important at-bat throughout the contest. That started in the bottom of the third inning when he had an RBI double that cut Minnesota's lead to 2-1. Ruiz later had a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning that gave Washington a 4-3 lead. Then, when the game was tied, Ruiz hit a solo shot to give the Nationals another lead that ultimately helped his team secure the series victory.

Washington has struggled to get production from their catching spot for years. And that has been the case so far this season, too. That's why it was a good sign to see both Millas and Ruiz produce at the plate in this set, which hopefully gets them going on offense.

Miles Mikolas Earned His First Victory of the Season

Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This might not be the most consequential thing that took place, but it was certainly notable. For a while, Miles Mikolas was the poster child for the struggles of this pitching staff. The veteran right-hander was getting lit up every time he took the mound. And since he was signed with the aim of improving the starting rotation, he had not lived up to those expectations.

But recently, Mikolas has started to pitch better. And on Wednesday, he had the best outing of his season when he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up just two earned runs on three hits to secure his first victory of the campaign.

The Nationals didn't expect the 37-year-old to be a frontline starter for them. But they were hoping he would be an innings eater and at least give them competent outings whenever he took the mound. That was not the case early on. Hopefully he's settled in now and this win propels him to having solid starts going forward.