ATLANTA -- Bryce Elder was one of MLB’s best pitchers during an 18-start stretch that ended in late May. Two frustration-filled months later, he seems determined to get back to that elite level.
Elder took a step in the right direction as he helped the Braves claim a 3-2 win over the Padres on Monday night at Truist Park. His best start in more than a month gave Atlanta just its second win in its past 13 games against San Diego, dating back to the 2024 Wild Card Series.
“It’s great to see him throw the ball like he did tonight,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s going to be great for us. If Bryce is who he has been, that’s a big shot in the arm for us.”
Home runs by Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies helped create just enough support for Elder, who allowed two earned runs and five hits over six-plus innings. This marked just the fifth time within the past 33 games that an Atlanta starter completed at least six innings.
“I was very pleased with it,” Elder said. “It's kind of been a while since I would consider myself kind of rolling out there, and being comfortable with the stuff and being able to make pitches. So, it felt really good.”
Elder’s effort was timely for the Braves, who entered the game with none of their high-leverage relievers available. Fortunately, Victor Mederos, who recorded a hit while pitching in Friday’s 15-1 win over the Rangers, handled the final 2 1/3 innings himself to record his first career save.
“I thought his knock with two RBIs the other night was cooler,” Elder said with a smile. “But with the situation we were in tonight, to see him shut the door was really cool.”
Elder surrendered a solo homer to Manny Machado in the fourth and another to Ty France to open the seventh. These home runs accounted for the only damage incurred by the right-hander, who had posted a 8.47 ERA over his past seven starts and an 11.00 ERA over his previous four starts.
“I just kind of hit a wall physically there for a little bit,” Elder said. “I think it just got things out of whack. Then, I was trying to use the cues that I had been working for the previous 10, 12 or 13 starts. It just wasn’t working. So, I was kind of beating my head against the wall.”
This was Elder’s most satisfying effort since he limited the Pirates to two runs over six innings on June 7. He exited that outing against Pittsburgh having posted a 2.71 ERA over a 21-start stretch that went back to Aug. 24, 2025. He owned MLB’s ninth-best ERA during this long span.
Elder’s only rough start during that stretch came on May 27, when the Red Sox tagged him for nine hits (all singles) and six runs (five earned) over 3 1/3 innings. He had entered that outing with MLB’s fourth-best ERA (2.30 in 18 starts) going back to Aug. 24. He trailed only Cam Schlitter (1.90), Cristopher Sánchez (1.99) and Chris Sale (2.20).
“Over the past week or so, we just kind of sat down and watched a bunch of videos,” Elder said. “Me and [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner] have talked about a bunch of stuff. The sinker hadn't been moving at all, and tonight it was back moving again for the most part.”
Sinkerballers have traditionally pitched better with a slightly fatigued arm. So, it made sense to have Elder pitch on regular rest as frequently as possible during the early portion of the season. But as his struggles stretched into June, the fatigue he was feeling was actually detrimental.
So, the Braves skipped one of Elder’s starts in early July. Consequently, Monday night’s start was just the second he had made within the past 23 days.
“I’ve heard pitchers talk about when they get a dead arm, the ball just doesn’t come out,” Weiss said. “I felt it was something like that. It was good to see what he did tonight. The ball was just coming out crisper.”