Minnesota Twins at Washington Nationals: Final Score & Recap

The Washington Nationals defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-5 at Nationals Park on May 7, 2026, in a game that swung decisively on a pair of pivotal swings from catcher Keibert Ruiz. The DiamondIQ model opened with Washington holding a 59 percent pre-game win probability, and that edge was ultimately validated as the Nationals held off a Twins offense that produced 11 hits but could not overcome the damage done in the middle innings.

Ruiz was the central figure in Washington's victory, accounting for a combined 29.3 percentage points of win probability added across two plate appearances. His fifth-inning double off Simeon Woods Richardson added 13.5 percent to Washington's win probability as the Nationals plated three runs in the frame to begin pulling away, and his seventh-inning home run off John Klein added another 15.8 percent, extending the lead at a moment when Minnesota had shown signs of life. Minnesota's best chance to shift the game came undone in the top of the fifth, when Austin Martin grounded into a double play off Jake Irvin, a play the DiamondIQ model assessed as costing the Twins 12.5 percent in win probability. Ryan Jeffers answered in the sixth with a solo home run off Irvin that added 12.1 percent from Minnesota's perspective, and Josh Bell's double in the seventh off PJ Poulin added another 12.1 percent, but neither rally was sufficient to close the gap Ruiz had opened.

On the mound, Orlando Ribalta led all pitchers with a WPA of plus-14.5 percent, providing Washington's most stabilizing work on the staff, while Gus Varland contributed plus-7.8 percent on the Minnesota side. Ruiz finished as the game's top performer by a wide margin at plus-37.3 percent WPA and plus-2.6 RE24, and the DiamondIQ model's estimate moved to 100 percent certainty for a Washington win by game's end.