Twins 11, Nationals 3: Byron Buxton Adds Another Big Fly in D.C.

The lead

May 5, 2026 - Washington, D.C. - The Minnesota Twins turned a four-run fourth into a rout and kept swinging late. Byron Buxton launched a three-run homer—his sixth in eight games and 11th of the season—Brooks Lee drove in three runs with a 3-for-5 night that included two doubles, and Taj Bradley struck out eight over six innings during an 11-3 win over the Washington Nationals, per ESPN.

Trevor Larnach added two hits and two RBI, including a two-run double that helped blow the game open in the fourth after Washington briefly grabbed a 1-0 edge.

How the game turned

The Nationals scratched first when Daylen Lile walked, Curtis Mead doubled, and CJ Abrams drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the opening inning. Minnesota answered in the second: Kody Clemens was hit by a pitch, Luke Keaschall singled, and Lee doubled down the right-field line for a 2-1 lead.

The fourth decided it. Austin Martin singled before walks to Clemens and Keaschall loaded the bases with nobody out. A fielding error by Cade Cavalli brought home a run, Royce Lewis lifted a sac fly for another, and Larnach's double made it 6-1. Cavalli (1-2) was charged with six runs (three earned) in four innings, and Washington remained stuck at 4-13 at home on the season according to ESPN's line.

Josh Bell singled home Ryan Jeffers in the seventh after Jeffers led off with a double, extending the cushion to 7-2. James Wood doubled home a run later in the inning for Washington before Buxton's eighth-inning blast to 10-3 functioned as the exclamation mark.

Pitching and matchup notes

Bradley (4-1) allowed two runs on four hits with two walks—steady support after an uneven April narrative for Minnesota's rotation options. The Twins bullpen only needed to cover traffic once Bradley exited following six frames.

Cavalli's control wobbled under pressure; the error behind him magnified a inning that might have stayed manageable with cleaner defense.

Bats that changed the board

Lee's sequencing in the second and fourth turned walks and singles into crooked numbers, while Buxton's power surge continued a heater that has rewritten Minnesota's ceiling when he stays on the field. Larnach's double supplied the knockout contact the lineup needed before Buxton's homer padded the margin.

Mead finished 2-for-4 with two doubles for Washington, and José Tena also posted a multi-hit night, yet neither could match Minnesota's inning-to-inning pressure once the fourth unraveled.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

The Twins led the May 5 slate with 22 AthX Engine team FP, matching a 11-3 run line with Taj Bradley's 20 pitching FP and Brooks Lee's 10 hitting FP on the daily boards. Games with a big middle inning plus a late homer often land near the top of team fantasy rankings even when the starter is not a complete-game narrative. AthX Engine scoring is separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Bailey Ober and Miles Mikolas were slated for Wednesday's middle game, per ESPN. Minnesota carries road-trip momentum toward the back of the rotation; Washington needs cleaner starts behind Cavalli if it hopes to climb out of a deep home skid.

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