SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Interstat) — Bryce Elder threw six strong innings and Michael Harris II homered and drove in three runs as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals 6-2 on Friday, July 31, 2026, at Truist Park.

Elder allowed one earned run and four hits with three strikeouts to improve to 7-6. Elieser Hernández earned his first save with three innings of relief. Foster Griffin took the loss, falling to 12-3 after allowing six runs in 5 1/3 innings. Trevor Williams allowed three hits in 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings.

Atlanta opened with a run in the first on Matt Olson’s homer, and added one in the second on Jim Jarvis’s RBI single. Washington cut it to 2-1 on CJ Abrams’s homer in the fourth. The Braves broke it open with four runs in the sixth, keyed by Harris’s three-run homer. Jarvis went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Andrés Chaparro homered for Washington in the ninth, and Dylan Crews had two hits.

The Braves outhit the Nationals 12-9. Attendance was 37,664, and the game lasted 2:33. Atlanta improved to 65-45, while Washington fell to 55-56.