Simeon Woods Richardson came through for the Twins in 3-2 win over Nationals

While it wasn't the prettiest win, but the Minnesota Twins found a way to polish off a series victory in Washington with a 3-2 win over the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon.

No bonus points are awarded for style, but the ugly way the Twins won is perhaps more impressive than the 10-0 shellacking they put on the Nats less than 24 hours before. We've seen the Twins play games like the did on Wendesday, where the bats don't come to life and starting pitching is left out to dry with any mistake being potentially fatal.

Simeon Woods Richardson mitigated so much damage in such an impressive way that it's hard to overstate just how awesome it was to see him do what he did.

His start was cathartic in two different ways. On the surface it helped the Twins collect a much-needed series victory and move further away from a gnarly seven-game losing streak. It also served as a bit of a cleansing experince for Woods Richardson, who exorcised some demons.

Last year Woods Richardson's lone apperance of the season came against the Nationals in a rough game in which he was cooked for five runs on seven hits in just 4.2 innings of work. He pitched the same exact amount of innings on Wedensday, but he held the Nationals scoreless and is arguably the reason Minnesota was able to be in a position to win a game it usually loses.

Simeon Woods Richardson continues to prove he's an important piece of the Twins' rotation

It might not seem obvious just looking at the boxscore, but the Twins don't pull off a series victory over the Nationals without the performance of Woods Richardson. He only went 4.2 innings but he kept Washington off the scoreboard and held the Nationals to just three hits.

He didn't even have his best stuff on Wednesday, either, which makes it all the more impressive how Woods Richardson was able to be effective.

It's impossible to overstate just how great it's been to see him settle into a meaningful role in the starting rotation. Not only was it against a team that beat him up last season, but it comes as another not-so-flashy but effective outing that was exactly what the Twins needed.

Minnesota couldn't afford to drop this game or the series given how tough things have been the last week. The grit of Woods Richardson mirrored that of the rest of the team, and it's a reminder that he's worked his way into being an important piece of the plan moving forward.

Starting pitching was a strength that helped carry the Twins to their first postseason victory in almost two decades, but the depth of the rotation was a major question mark heading into the season. Things still need to be ironed out, but Woods Richardson continues to show -- whether it's this start against Washington or the one he had against Seattle and so many others -- that he's figuring things out exactly when the Twins need him to.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors