Plenty of questions remain in Braves rotation as Deadline begins to loom

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bryce Elder entered June with a possibility to earn his second career All-Star selection. He’ll exit the month as just one of the multiple concerns the Braves have within their rotation.

Elder’s nightmare stretch continued as he surrendered a pair of Rafael Devers homers in a 5-0 loss to the Giants on Saturday night at Oracle Park. The right-hander’s ERA has risen from 1.97 to 4.01 as he has allowed 29 earned runs over his past 30 innings (8.70 ERA).

“When it rains, it pours,” Elder said.

Being limited to one hit over seven scoreless innings by Giants ace Logan Webb was the least of concerns for the Braves, who have lost 11 of their past 15 games. This has been a rough month for the offense, which has missed the injured Ronald Acuña Jr. But the starting rotation has also been a problem, constructing a 6.72 ERA during this 15-game skid.

Elder enhanced the ugliness of this number as he allowed five earned runs and five hits over just four innings. The crushing blow was Devers' two-out, three-run homer in the third. It initially looked like the ball was going foul. But the wind might have helped it come back and hit the right-field foul pole.

“The ball wasn't coming out quite like it had been, especially early on tonight,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We'll talk with Bryce. Maybe there's some fatigue there.”

Elder is not dealing with any physical discomfort. But he said there is a chance he is dealing with some midseason fatigue.

If the postseason were to begin today, Chris Sale would be Atlanta’s Game 1 starter and non-roster invitee Martin Pérez, who re-signed after being designated for assignment in April, would be the Game 2 starter.

The current internal candidates to be the Game 3 starter are Elder; Grant Holmes, who threw four scoreless innings of relief Saturday; Reynaldo López, who is trying to prove he can make a successful transition back to a starting role; and Hurston Waldrep, who threw his first two innings of the season on Friday night.

Before this nearly three-week slide began, there was an expectation the Braves would pursue at least one top starting pitcher before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. You can now argue they need to add at least two.

Elder’s sudden decline serves as just one of the reasons the rotation has become an issue this month. Spencer Strider left his June 12 start against the Mets with elbow discomfort and he is questionable to return this season. Even if he returns, he may not be used as a starter.

While Strider can’t be counted on to pitch again this season, the Braves can hope for a turnaround from Elder, who posted a 2.30 ERA over 18 starts between Aug. 24, 2025 and May 22. The only MLB pitchers with a better ERA during that span were Cam Schlittler (1.93), Cristopher Sánchez (1.99), Paul Skenes (2.03) and Sale (2.20).

“When I have a bad [start], it's always terrible,” Elder said. “But it’s about getting back on the horse and figuring out how to rattle off six, seven or eight good ones again.”

With Holmes completing four innings on Saturday, the Braves will need to figure out who will start in their upcoming series against the Cardinals, who will be in Atlanta from Tuesday through Thursday.

Pérez will almost certainly start one of the three games. If López starts Wednesday, the Braves could have Waldrep ready to follow him at some point out of the bullpen. This would set Holmes up to start Thursday.

Or the Braves could have López and Waldrep start the Wednesday and Thursday games in either order.

As for Elder, he has pitched best when on regular rest this season. The last time he started without any extra days was June 7, when he limited the Pirates to two runs over six innings.

But with Weiss saying Elder could be battling some fatigue, the Braves may opt to give him extra rest yet again.

“Those are pending conversations about the rotation, what it looks like the next week or two,” Weiss said.