Bryce Elder took the mound Monday night for the Braves carrying a ridiculous 0.77 ERA through his first four starts, and while this wasn’t his sharpest outing, it might’ve been the most telling of just how much he’s grown.
The Washington Nationals — quietly one of the better offensive teams in baseball through the first month — capitalized on a few early mistakes. A couple of two-out walks paired with some timely singles plated the game’s first two runs, putting Elder on the ropes early.
But from there, he settled in — and, as has often been the case, the Braves’ offense answered. A single from Drake Baldwin followed by a two-run shot from Matt Olson — two of Atlanta’s most consistent bats to start the season — quickly evened things up. Then came a five-run sixth inning that gave Elder the breathing room he needed to finish strong.
And that’s what made this outing stand out.
Despite throwing 30-plus pitches in the first inning, Elder still battled his way through 6.2 innings. That’s the version of him that first earned a shot in the big leagues — not necessarily overpowering, not reliant on swing-and-miss stuff, but composed, efficient, and capable of navigating trouble.
He’s not going to carry a sub-2.00 ERA all season or compete with Chris Sale as the staff ace. But what he can be is valuable — a steady arm that gives you 5–6 innings and keeps you in the game every time out.
And if the performance didn’t make a statement, his actions did.
After Ronald Acuña Jr. was hit twice — the second on a pitch up and in that caught him on the hand — Elder responded the old-fashioned way, putting one into the backside of CJ Abrams before exiting. Both benches were issued warnings, but the message was clear.
Acuña would leave the game before his next at-bat, though X-rays came back negative — a sigh of relief for Atlanta.
That’s another way to earn yourself good-standing inside Braves Country, which Bryce Elder has built up in spades to begin the season. It’s also one of many signs of how different this club is under the guidance of Walt Weiss. There’s an ideal balance of old school and new school that didn’t exist when Brian Snitker was leading the charge, and the club has responded splendidly, winner’s of six straight and now 16-7 on the season, five games clear of the Marlins who sit in solo second.
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