SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Interstat) — Miles Mikolas takes the mound Saturday as the Washington Nationals face the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, with the Braves looking to extend their series lead. Mikolas (3-7) is the scheduled starter for Washington. Atlanta counters with right-hander Reynaldo López (4-3). The forecast calls for 81 degrees and clouds at first pitch. The Braves (65-45) have won six of nine meetings against Washington this season, including a 6-2 win Friday and a 5-4 win Thursday to open this four-game set. Atlanta broke through Friday behind Michael Harris II, who went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Matt Olson, who was 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Bryce Elder earned the win, allowing four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts over six innings. Elder has allowed one earned run in each of his past two starts, covering 11 innings total. He is a key arm to watch for Atlanta, along with an offense that has shown power in the past two games. Washington (55-56) has lost three straight and will try to avoid falling deeper below .500. The Nationals got home runs Friday from CJ Abrams and Andrés Chaparro, but their bullpen could not contain Atlanta’s lineup. A bright spot for Washington has been Trevor Williams, who pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in Friday’s loss and followed that with 1 1/3 hitless innings against Toronto on July 29. Over his past two appearances, Williams has allowed no earned runs and struck out five in four innings. Mikolas will need run support from a Washington lineup that has struggled to sustain rallies against Atlanta. The Nationals have scored five runs in the first two games of this series. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Atlanta victory and gives the Braves a 61.70 percent probability to win. Atlanta is a 1.5-run favorite, with the over/under set at 9.5. The series concludes Sunday, then Washington travels to Philadelphia for four games. Atlanta hosts Miami on Tuesday.