Bryce Elder sharp for fourth straight start as Braves beat Cubs

Bryce Elder has quietly assembled a nice finish to the season.

Elder allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings Monday in the Braves’ 4-1 victory over the Cubs, the latest in a successful string of starts that’s made for his encouraging conclusion.

Elder’s ERA ballooned to 6.29 on Aug. 19. He’s lowered it to 5.35 in four starts since. Elder hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of those outings. He’s allowed one or no runs in his past three. He’s also covered at least six innings in each start.

It’s a welcome turnaround by Elder, who could again compete to be at the backend of the Braves’ rotation next spring.

“I feel like I’m in sync,” Elder said. “We talked about a lot, even when I was giving up runs, that I was throwing better than the results were,” Elder said. “I think these last couple, the stuff has gotten better and I’ve made more pitches that I’ve needed to. It’s always good to see good results, but I’ve got three or four more left, so I need to keep rolling.”

The Braves scored three runs in the first inning, sparked by another Ozzie Albies home run. The switch-hitting second baseman launched his fourth homer from the right side, continuing his marvelous second half that has rebuilt faith in him as the team’s solution at his position.

Albies has hit .286 with an .821 OPS in the second half after posting a .220 average and .606 OPS before the All-Star break. He’s unquestionably been one of the team’s bright spots down the stretch. And it seems inevitable the team will pick up his $7 million club option.

“Like I’ve said earlier, whatever happens happens,” Albies said, laughing after a reporter pointed out that questions regarding his contract aren’t so common anymore.

Snitker earned his 800th victory with Monday’s result. He’s the third manager in franchise history to reach that number and second since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, joining his mentor and Hall of Famer Bobby Cox.

“I didn’t think I’d ever have one win as a manager, honestly, after all the recycles and everything I went through,” said Snitker, who’s worked in the Braves organization for 45 years but didn’t take over as manager until doing so on an interim basis in May 2016.

Only the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts has won more games over Snitker’s time as Braves manager (910).

“I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of good players,” Snitker said. “Any awards a manager gets are a byproduct of his team and the organization. I stayed around long enough with a pretty good team to be able to do that.”