It was a night of power, precision, and a few costly mistakes as Keibert Ruiz led the Washington Nationals to a thrilling 7-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Ruiz, the Nationals' catcher, was the star of the show, crushing a solo home run, two doubles, and driving in four runs to lift his team to a much-needed win.
The game was tied 5-5 in the seventh inning when Ruiz stepped up to the plate. With one swing off reliever John Klein (0-1), he sent a solo shot into the stands, breaking the deadlock and igniting the crowd. Curtis Mead followed with an RBI single later in the inning, giving the Nationals a two-run cushion they wouldn't relinquish. PJ Poulin (3-0) earned the win in relief, while Gus Varland locked down the final four outs for his fourth save of the season.
The Twins struck first, scoring two runs in the second inning on Brooks Lee's single. But the inning could have been much bigger if not for a critical mistake. Kody Clemens was thrown out at home by center fielder Jacob Young while trying to score on Tristan Gray's flyout, a play that shifted momentum early. Minnesota's baserunning woes continued in the third when Austin Martin rounded third too far on Ryan Jeffers' double and was caught in a rundown to end the inning.
Washington capitalized on those errors, tying the game in the bottom of the third when Ruiz doubled home Young and scored on Nasim Nuñez's sacrifice fly. The Twins briefly regained the lead in the fifth on Gray's RBI single, but Ruiz answered with a two-run double in the bottom half. With the bases loaded and one out, a miscommunication between Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall and right fielder Matt Wallner allowed Mead's popup to drop between them, scoring another run and putting the Nationals ahead 5-3.
Jeffers cut the lead to 5-4 with a solo home run in the sixth, but reliever Orlando Ribalta struck out Byron Buxton with the bases loaded to preserve the advantage. The Twins tied it again in the seventh on Josh Bell's pinch-hit RBI double, but Ruiz and the Nationals responded immediately with two runs in the bottom half to seal the win.
The Twins now head to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Friday night, with left-hander Connor Prielipp (1-0) taking the mound against Guardians lefty Parker Messick (3-1). Meanwhile, the Nationals travel to Miami for a three-game set, sending left-hander Foster Griffin (3-1) to the hill against Marlins lefty Robby Snelling.