ATLANTA -- Bryce Elder picked up where he left off last year and gave the Braves further reason to be happy with how their injury-depleted rotation has performed thus far.
Elder has dealt with frustrating stretches of inconsistency since earning an All-Star selection in 2023. But he ended last season in encouraging fashion and began this season by guiding the Braves to a 4-0 win over the A’s on Monday night at Truist Park.
Matt Olson's opposite-field bloop double and a Mauricio Dubón line-drive single fueled a three-run first inning that allowed Elder to construct most of his 83-pitch effort with a lead. The Braves’ hurler allowed five hits, tallied five strikeouts and issued just one walk over six innings.
Elder now stands as the only MLB pitcher who has allowed three runs or less over at least six innings seven times going back to Aug. 24. The only other pitchers to do this six times during this stretch are the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Red Sox's Garrett Crochet, and the Yankees’ duo of Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.
That’s pretty good company for anybody. For Elder, it’s validation that he can indeed get back to where he was when he came up from Triple-A Gwinnett a week into the season three years ago and earned a spot on the National League’s pitching staff.
Unfortunately, Elder spent the two calendar years that followed looking like anything but an All-Star. He posted a 5.99 ERA over 44 starts from July 18, 2023-Aug. 19, 2025.
Elder’s inconsistencies added to the rotation concerns that grew when the Braves lost four starting pitchers to injuries during Spring Training. Depth remains a concern. But Braves starting pitchers have allowed just four runs over 23 innings through the first four games.