The Atlanta Braves begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on Friday, May 22, 2026.
The matchup features the top two scoring offenses in Major League Baseball.
Atlanta leads the National League East with a 35-16 record and a league-best plus-104 run differential.
The Nationals sit third in the division at 25-26 but lead the majors in runs and doubles while ranking fourth in OPS.
Pitching Matchup
Right-hander Bryce Elder starts for the Braves in his 11th start of the season. He holds a 4-2 record with a 2.01 ERA.
Washington will use left-handed reliever Richard Lovelady as an opener. Lovelady is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA over 20.2 innings.
He replaces the originally projected starter Miles Mikolas, who has a 6.91 ERA through 41.2 innings.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the Braves' starting lineup batting leadoff after exiting Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins with a left thumb bone bruise.
Braves first baseman Matt Olson leads MLB with 42 RBIs and ranks seventh with 14 home runs. Nationals shortstop C.
J. Abrams also has 42 RBIs with a .
297 batting average.
The series continues Saturday with Washington's Jake Irvin against Atlanta's Grant Holmes, and concludes Sunday with Foster Griffin facing Martin Perez.
