Nationals Offense Helps Miles Mikolas Make Franchise History in Latest Start
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Following their series loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, the Washington Nationals were searching for a bounce back with the Houston Astros coming into town.
With right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas still appealing the five-game suspension he was given by Major League Baseball for his role in the benches-clearing brawl against the Boston Red Sox to close out the month of June, that meant he took the mound for the Nationals on Monday night. And because that was the case, it wasn't a given that they'd win the opener against the Astros due to the struggles Mikolas has had at times this season.
Based on the seven runs he gave up across six innings pitched, Washington and Mikolas should have lost this game. However, the offense came through for the team once again, and that allowed the veteran to make some franchise history.
Miles Mikolas Became First Nationals Pitcher to Give Up 7 Runs and Win
Per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, Mikolas became the first pitcher in Nationals history to give up seven earned runs during an outing and still be credited with the win.
It was a crazy victory for Washington, as they outlasted Houston to earn a 12-11 victory in what was an explosive contest. Down 1-0 in the top of the first, the Nationals tied things up on an RBI double from Curtis Mead. Then, the Astros hit back in a major way, as Jose Altuve launched a three-run homer in the top of the second and Yainer Diaz hit a two-run blast in the top of the third to put Houston up 6-1.
But like Washington's offense has done all season, they responded in a huge way. Luis Garcia Jr. stayed hot with an RBI double. That was followed up by Mead knocking in another run via a single. And then 2026 All-Star Game starting shortstop CJ Abrams hit his 19th longball of the year to tie things up at six runs apiece.
After that, Mikolas was able to lock in. He didn't give up a run until the top of the sixth inning. And by that point, the Nationals entered that frame with a massive 12-6 lead due to six runs being scored in the bottom half of the fifth following a James Wood grand slam.
While the bullpen came in and made things dicey -- right-hander Cole Henry gave up four earned runs in the top of the eighth after he went three up, three down in the seventh -- Washington was able to hold on and win this game. And because of the offensive explosion by this Nationals lineup, that allowed Mikolas to make some rare history considering how many runs he allowed early on.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai