Nationals 15, Twins 2: Abrams’ Grand Slam Caps a Season-High Outburst

The lead

May 6, 2026 - Washington, D.C. - The Washington Nationals spent four innings turning a tight game into a season statement. CJ Abrams launched a grand slam and matched a career high with five RBI, Drew Millas, Brady House, and José Tena also homered, and Washington set season highs in runs, home runs (four), and extra-base hits (10) during a 15-2 rout of the Minnesota Twins, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.

Miles Mikolas and the pen combined on a three-hitter after the offense detonated late, a welcome lift for a club still climbing out of a tough home ledger.

How the game turned

The Nationals had gone without a home run in four straight games, then hung four long balls in four innings once their bats woke. Matt Wallner answered for Minnesota with a solo homer in the fifth that briefly gave the Twins a 2-1 edge, but Millas responded in the bottom half with his first homer since 2024 to nudge Washington ahead 3-2.

The eighth inning buried it. Daylen Lile and Curtis Mead walked to load the bases with one out; after a pitching change, Abrams drove a 403-foot slam for his ninth homer of the year, and Tena capped a seven-run frame with a solo shot.

Minnesota had not surrendered that many runs in a game since a 17-6 loss to Milwaukee in June 2025, according to the ESPN story—a blunt measure of how quickly a night at Nationals Park got away.

Pitching and matchup notes

Mikolas (1-3) worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits in his longest outing of the season to that point. Mitchell Parker and Zak Kent followed; Kent made his Nationals debut days after the club claimed him off waivers from the Twins, a footnote that made the result sting a little extra for the visiting dugout.

Twins starter Bailey Ober (3-2) was charged with five runs and six hits in five innings as Washington’s traffic mounted inning over inning.

Bats that changed the board

Abrams finished 3-for-5 with two doubles alongside his slam; House drove in three. James Wood remained a focal point in a lineup that finally had extra-base power to pair with its youth movement.

Wallner supplied both Twins runs on a homer and two RBI total—about all the offense Minnesota could muster against Washington’s relief slate.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Washington led the May 6 slate with 31 AthX Engine team FP, pairing a crooked run line with CJ Abrams’ 15 hitting FP on the daily boards. Loud middle innings and multi-homer nights usually climb the team ladder even when the starter leaves before the blowout is complete. AthX Engine scoring stays separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The clubs wrap their series Thursday with Simeon Woods Richardson and Jake Irvin slated on the bump, per ESPN’s look-ahead—a chance for Washington to build on a home breakthrough and for Minnesota to reset after an ugly night on the mound.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, Associated Press via ESPN, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*