Who has been the Braves biggest surprise of 2026?

Friday night’s win was led by “the other guys” — a group that’s just as responsible for the Braves’ 36-16 start as the marquee names that collect most of the headlines from the national media.

It started on the mound with Bryce Elder. At this point, should we really be surprised when he goes out and confuses a lineup for six straight innings on his way to another quality start? He’s done it almost every time out, and this time it came against the team that ranks first in baseball in runs scored.

Elder entered the sixth with a shutout intact. He did surrender a solo shot that briefly gave Washington a lead, but that’s all the Nationals could muster, as he continues to sport an ERA south of 2.00.

The Braves needed to find some offense, and who better than Dominic Smith to get the party started on a Friday night, singling home Austin Riley to tie the game. The very next batter — Ha-Seong Kim — then gave Atlanta the lead with a safety squeeze that turned into an RBI single.

Washington would tie it back up in the eighth, however, as Robert Suarez faltered for what felt like the first time in ages, surrendering a solo home run to CJ Abrams — one of the breakout stars in baseball this season.

Even more surprisingly, the Nationals were able to push two more across off Dylan Lee as the game went to extras. Only one of those runs was actually charged to Lee, but for the first time all season, he and Suarez each gave up a run in the same game.

Atlanta’s “other guys” weren’t ready to call it a night, though. In the bottom half of the inning, Chadwick Tromp cut the lead to one with a single, and Mauricio Dubon followed with another single to tie the game. The Braves had a chance to end it with the bases loaded and one out, but they’d have to wait — all the way until the bottom of the 11th, when Tromp stepped back to the plate and delivered the first walk-off hit of his entire career.