Ronald Acuña leads off for the Braves against the Nationals
After last night’s scare it is great to see the lineup card this afternoon as these two powerhouse offenses face off
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 19: Ronald Acuña Jr #13 of the Atlanta Braves high fives teammates after scoring during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 19, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images In a matchup of the top two offenses so far in MLB this season, the Atlanta Braves will be taking on the Washington Nationals. The Nationals have continued their strong offensive showing leading MLB in runs and doubles while being fourth in OPS.
The Braves are right behind them scoring the second most runs while being second in OPS trailing the Dodgers by . 002. The Braves are also second in HRs, first in hits, and first in slugging percentage.
What will be interesting in the game today is the Braves have Elder pitching, who has a 2. 01 ERA but the Nationals were originally supposed to have Miles Mikolas pitching with a terrible 6. 91 ERA.
Mikolas has the fourth worst ERA of any pitcher with at least 40. 0 innings pitched, while Elder is in the top ten best. However there was a change and Richard Lovelady will be getting the start with his much better 3.