Miles Mikolas is starting to provide what the Washington Nationals paid for

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: Miles Mikolas #36 of the Washington Nationals pitches during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images After his first couple starts, it looked like Miles Mikolas’ career was over. The 37 year old was booed off the mound in the home opener against the Dodgers and became the face of the Nats pitching ineptitude.

However, since that 11 run disaster of an outing, Mikolas is slowly turning his season around. Last night, he had his best start in a Nats uniform. A season-high 5 1/3 innings for Miles Mikolas, who retired 16 of the 19 batters he faced.

The guy who got booed off the mound at the home opener just tipped his cap to the politely applauding crowd as he returned to the dugout. — Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) May 7, 2026 Mikolas was brought in with the reputation of being an innings eater. He had thrown at least 150 innings in each of the past four seasons.

However, after that Dodgers start, the Nats realized that they had to change Mikolas’ role, at least temporarily. In his next 5 outings, Mikolas went between three and four innings, often having an opener in front of him. In a more protected role, Mikolas slowly began to regain his form.