Bryce Elder was expected to start for the Braves as they opened a series against the Nationals at Truist Park on Friday, May 22, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. EDT; Richard Lovelady was listed as the expected starter for Washington.
The matchup on paper set a clear storyline: Atlanta came in 35-16, first in the NL East and riding a three-game winning streak after beating the Marlins on Thursday to take sole possession of the best run differential in MLB, while the Nationals were 25-26 and third in the division but led the majors in runs scored.
Elder entered the night with a 4-2 record and a 2.01 ERA. He had already faced the Nationals once this season, pitching 6.2 innings while allowing three earned runs on three hits, including one home run, and striking out six while walking two in a game the Braves won 9-4.
The numbers underline why the matchup mattered beyond the standings. The Braves had the second-most runs scored in MLB and the best run differential after Thursday’s win; the Nationals scored the most runs in baseball but carried the second worst ERA in the league, a split that promised an entertaining clash between offense and run prevention.
Pitching depth and health framed the tension heading into the series. Elder’s early-season numbers — a 2.01 ERA in his 4-2 record — were part of a broader improvement that had been noted across his recent work. At the same time, the clubs were coping with a long list of injured players and roster movement: Ronald Acuna Jr. was listed day-to-day with a thumb injury, Sean Murphy was on the 10-day injured list with a finger injury, Drake Baldwin on the 10-day IL with an oblique issue, Cole Henry on the 15-day IL with a shoulder injury and Max Kranick on the 15-day IL with an elbow injury. A group of pitchers appeared on 60-day disabled lists for elbow and other issues, a reminder that available arms would be a factor as the season wore on.
The earlier season meeting between Elder and the Nationals suggested he could handle Washington’s lineup in a one-off start: his 6.2-inning outing there included six strikeouts and limited hits. But the Nationals’ ability to score — the most runs in MLB — created an awkward match-up for a pitcher who had been effective but not invulnerable; the Nationals had proven they could overcome poor pitching results by out-hitting opponents.
For the Braves, riding the fastest push to 35 wins since the end of their rebuild in 2018, the series served as a test of whether their balance between offense and pitching depth would sustain. They entered not only with the most wins in baseball but with a run-scoring ledger second only to Washington’s, and with the best run differential on the strength of recent results.
The immediate question after first pitch was straightforward and consequential: could Elder translate his earlier success against Washington into another lengthening start that would allow Atlanta’s bullpen to hold up behind him, or would Washington’s league-leading offense force a different kind of game? Given the Braves’ run differential and Elder’s form, Atlanta looked favored on paper; the Nationals’ scoring prowess, however, guaranteed this one would not be decided on paper alone.
Friday’s start set the tone for a series in which two very different strengths — the Braves’ balance and run differential versus the Nationals’ top-ranked run production — would go head to head at Truist Park, and where health, starting pitching and the ability to limit big innings would decide which club left town with momentum.
