'Bryce is for real': Elder continues hot start with 9 K's in Seattle

SEATTLE -- Matt Olson hit his second game-winning ninth-inning home run in less than a week and Raisel Iglesias reminded us how dominant the back of Atlanta’s bullpen can be when healthy. But it was Bryce Elder who set the stage for the Braves to claim their 3-2 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park.

“Bryce is for real,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

Folks around the baseball world are well aware of Olson, who showed his great power with a go-ahead leadoff homer off Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz to begin the ninth. The veteran first baseman leads the National League with 13 home runs and he entered Tuesday tied with Aaron Judge for the MLB lead in fWAR (2.1).

Olson’s latest game-winner wasn’t as dramatic as the two-run, walk-off shot he hit against the Tigers’ Kenley Jansen on April 29. But it proved to be just as valuable when Iglesias notched two strikeouts while pitching a scoreless ninth in his first appearance since being placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder discomfort on April 20.

While Olson is an early NL MVP favorite, the back of the Braves bullpen has been one of the team’s most valuable pieces. The final three innings of this game were handled by Dylan Lee (2 ER in 17 2/3 IP), Robert Suarez (1 ER in 15 2/3 IP) and Iglesias (0 ER in 9 2/3 IP). Together, the trio has combined to produce a 0.63 ERA, with 52 strikeouts and just five walks in 43 innings.

So, it’s safe to say Elder did his job as he limited the Mariners to two hits and two runs over six innings. He recorded a season-high nine strikeouts and retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced after allowing J.P. Crawford’s two-run homer in the third inning.

The Mariners whiffed with 17 of 48 (35%) swings against Elder. That matches the second-highest total of whiffs he's recorded in a game and it's his third-highest whiff rate in a game.

“I’m trying to go six or seven [innings],” Elder said. “Obviously I’m not going to every time out. But I’m just trying to keep the game progressing. If I give up a homer or whatever, that’s fine. I’m just trying to keep us in the game.”

Elder has consistently done this while posting a 2.40 ERA over 15 starts going back to Aug. 24 of last year. The only qualified starters with a better ERA during this span are Cam Schlittler (2.04), Max Fried (2.13), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.15), Tarik Skubal (2.27) and Clay Holmes (2.28).

“This is a special roll that he is on,” Weiss said.

Elder ranks eighth in the Majors among qualified pitchers with a 2.02 ERA.

This is the 14th time going back to 2000 that a Braves pitcher has posted a 2.02 ERA or better through the first eight starts of a season. Elder accounts for two of those 14 instances. He had a 1.94 ERA through his first eight starts of 2023.

Unfortunately, the second half of that 2023 season wasn’t as memorable. Nor were the next two seasons. Elder posted a 6.52 ERA in 10 starts for Atlanta in 2024 and a 5.30 ERA in 28 starts last year. That latter number looked uglier before he closed the season in impressive fashion.

When Elder had early success in the 2023 season, he was a sinker/slider pitcher who occasionally showed a changeup. He has since worked with Greg Maddux to develop the cutter he introduced to his arsenal this year. That pitch has given him a weapon against left-handed hitters. Now, they need to be cognizant of a fastball that breaks toward them, as well as the sinker that breaks away from them.

The addition of the cutter has also improved the value of the slider against both left-and right-handed batters. Elder now has five pitches he can confidently utilize. So, it’s easy to understand why he and others believe he’s in much better position now than he was when 2023 began so auspiciously.

“I told him since the middle of last year, it’s been really good stuff,” Olson said.