(Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)

Among the biggest surprises in the National League this year has been the re-emergence of Bryce Elder.

Ahead of his start for the Atlanta Braves on Friday against the visiting Washington Nationals, Elder (4-2, 2.01 ERA) appears to be back in top form.

Elder, a 2023 All-Star, went 10-16 with a 5.59 ERA in 38 starts between 2024 and '25. Currently fifth in the NL in ERA, the 27-year-old right-hander has been among the most important performers for the National League East-leading Braves.

Elder took his first home loss of the year on Saturday despite tossing eight innings. He permitted three runs on seven hits in a 3-2 defeat against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

'I thought Bryce gave us exactly what we needed,' Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. 'He did an outstanding job.'

Elder, who has compiled a 3-2 record and a 3.18 ERA in seven career starts against the Nationals, is just one of the many Braves enjoying a stellar start to the year. Atlanta leads the majors in wins (35), batting average (.266), homers (72) and ERA (3.09). Ahead of the weekend series, the Braves have won nine of their past 12 games.

Of the Braves without impressive numbers is offseason acquisition Mike Yastrzemski, but he made key contributions on Thursday. The veteran outfielder went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and an RBI double in Atlanta's a 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins.

'Yaz is swinging the bat well,' Weiss said. 'He's worked really hard and it's paying off. ... We're just swinging the (bats) really well as a team. We're passing the baton and we're doing all the things it takes to play winning offensive baseball.'

Washington enters a six-game road trip coming off a 4-3 homestand. First-year manager Blake Butera's club leads the majors with 280 runs, but the Nationals' offense is coming off a rare lackluster showing in a 2-1 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday. That result kept Washington from sweeping the three-game series

'I think overall, we had a chance to win all of them,' Butera said. 'Proud of the way the guys fought (on Thursday). I thought we had a few opportunities, we just couldn't get that big hit with runners in scoring position.'

Washington right-hander Miles Mikolas (1-3, 6.91 ERA) will be in search of his first road win of the year when he starts on Friday. Amid an unimpressive first two months with his new club, Mikolas has shown signs of improvement of late. In three May starts, he is 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA. He was 0-3 with an 8.23 ERA through the end of April.

Last time out, Mikolas went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out four and walking one in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

In nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Braves, Mikolas is 3-4 with a 3.33 ERA.

--Field Level Media