Elder, Braves bashed by Brewers in series finale

The good news for Bryce Elder on Sunday was that he pitched six innings. The bad news was that one of those innings saw the visiting Brewers score eight times.

That was the difference in a 9-4 Braves loss at Truist Park, the team’s seventh loss in 10 games. The Braves (48-28) were off to California after the game to begin a three-game set with the Padres in San Diego starting Monday.

On Sunday, the Braves couldn’t overcome the eight-run second the Brewers put together off Elder (5-5). The right-hander left after giving up 12 hits, walking two and throwing 95 pitches.

Outside of the disastrous second, Elder put up zeroes in the other five frames and retired the final five hitters he faced, including a 1-2-3 sixth. But the one bad inning that defined his day.

“Yeah, I mean, as I guess simple as that sounds,” Elder agreed. “But even that inning, other than the pitch to Contreras – like, a couple sliders were up, but I mean, really, like I didn’t think - it sure wasn’t eight runs bad. Maybe three or four? I guess it’s part of it, you try to figure this game out you’re never going to so you might as well stay at it.”

The Brewers (46-29) hit eight balls at least 100 mph off Elder, who allowed eight earned runs in a start for the fourth time since June 27, 2025. In his last five starts this season, Elder has allowed 24 earned runs and 39 hits over 26 innings — an 8.31 ERA.

Elder became the first Braves pitcher to allow eight-plus earned runs and complete at least six innings since Terry Mulholland on May 19, 2000, versus San Diego. The eight earned runs allowed were also the most a Braves starter has surrendered in a single inning since Tyrell Jenkins gave up eight earned runs in the fourth inning Aug. 20, 2016.

It is the most runs Elder has allowed in a single inning in his career.

“I do think at times over the course of season, there’s some fatigue and some dead-arm periods. I don’t know if that’s the case in particularly in New York (where Elder was charged six earned runs June 14) or recently. I do think that can be a factor over the course of a season,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “I thought the ball was coming out a lot better today than it was in New York. The sinker was a lot better. Threw a lot of cutters today. So I think (Elder) is going to be fine. Wish that he didn’t have that second inning, because we’d be looking at a really good outing right now.”

The Braves had even given Elder an early lead by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first.

Mauricio Dubón hit a ground-rule double into the corner in left, went to third on Drake Baldwin’s grounder to second and scored on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly to right. That marked the 43rd game this season the Braves have scored first on their opponent.

But the Brewers counterpunched and then some in the top of the second with back-to-back singles from William Contreras and Jake Bauers and a two-run double into the left-field corner by Sal Frelick.

With two outs, David Hamilton banged an RBI double off the wall in the left-field gap, making it 3-1. It was only the start of the issues for Elder.

“Kind of a strange game for (Elder). I thought his stuff was good. Just in the second inning, he didn’t get away with anything. They didn’t miss any mistakes. Just a really strange inning because his stuff was good,” Weiss said. “I think you can see from the punchouts, he got a lot of punchouts looking. Just a weird second inning where they just didn’t miss anything, he didn’t get away with anything. Other than that. He was really good.”

A two-out walk brought Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner out to the mound for a visit. Whatever was discussed didn’t do the trick, as Elder’s next two pitches were hit for RBI singles by Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang.

Contreras delivered the fatal blow by hitting a three-run blast into the visitors bullpen, giving the Brewers an eight-run inning and a seven-run lead.

“I guess sometimes they don’t hit it at guys. I thought they did a heck of a job waiting me out and putting good swings on stuff, and even early in counts, just kind of taking a hit that the pitch allowed ‘em to have. So, hat’s off of them,” Elder said. “Obviously did not pitch good, but it sure didn’t feel like eight runs. Was kind of pleased with getting six, but other than that, got to be better than that in the second and figure out how to get out of that.”

The Braves scratched across a run in the fourth when Michael Harris II doubled into the right-field corner, stole third and scored on a one-out grounder to third off the bat of Joey Bart.