Bryce Elder on Tuesday allowed seven runs. He lasted only 3-2/3 innings. It came a week after he held the same Brewers club to a run over 6-1/3 innings – a performance that understandably gave the Braves confidence that he could turn in another good outing for them.
Elder, who has a 6.52 ERA, has made 10 starts in the majors this season. In four of them, he allowed six or more runs. In five of them, he surrendered two or fewer runs.
There hasn’t been much in between for him a year after he made the All-Star team. And on Wednesday morning, the Braves recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd after optioning Elder after Tuesday’s start. Dodd can give the Braves length out of their bullpen.
After his past two starts, Elder has been candid when asked about the challenges of his current role – being on an irregular routine as he goes up and down between Triple-A Gwinnett and the majors.
“I mean, hopefully, I’ll never have to do it again,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “But only pitching well will handle that, so when you have nights like this, it sucks. But I pitched good last week, and I got sent back down, and I pitched bad this week, and I got sent back down. At this point, you just get used to it, and hopefully (I) get another opportunity.”
Elder is right. And both can be true:
1. He’s in a tough spot this season – something manager Brian Snitker has mentioned.
2. He must perform and do the most with every opportunity he receives, the same way it is for everyone who plays this game.
Elder must be in Triple-A for at least 15 days – unless the Braves recall him when they place someone on the injured list. After Tuesday, it’s fair to wonder when he’ll get his next chance, especially with others becoming options for the Braves.
Everyone at Triple-A or Double-A is an option if the Braves build in extra rest for their starting pitchers in the near future. And AJ Smith-Shawver and Ian Anderson have become available for the Braves because both are built up.
Smith-Shawver, who suffered an oblique strain in late May, is pitching with Gwinnett. He’s thrown 84 pitches and 79 pitches in his two most recent outings – though he hasn’t gone five full innings yet. He walked three batters in the first of those starts. Smith-Shawver gave up two runs over 4-1/3 innings Aug. 4.
Anderson, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, has thrown 81 and 84 pitches in his past two starts. Anderson allowed two runs over five innings Aug. 1. He was scheduled to start on Wednesday for Gwinnett, but was pushed back to Friday. This would line him up to start one of the games in San Francisco if the Braves wanted to slot him in and give their starters extra rest.
Huascar Ynoa, who dealt with right elbow inflammation earlier this season, began a rehab assignment in the middle of July. In his most recent outing for Gwinnett, he threw 61 pitches over 3-2/3 innings in relief. He’s not as built up as Smith-Shawver or Anderson.
After Tuesday’s game, Snitker said Grant Holmes is lined up to make his next start. With Reynaldo López on the injured list, Holmes can provide stability by giving the Braves a fifth starter.
Here is an eye-popping trend:
Max Fried, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton and López have combined for a 3.03 ERA this season. The Braves, entering Wednesday, had gone 47-31 in their starts. Nine other pitchers have combined to make 34 starts for the Braves, and have logged a 6.11 ERA. The Braves are 13-21 in those contests.
Of course, that doesn’t tell the full story. How many of those games would be wins if the offense showed up? This is a story about the pitching, but we cannot forget that the Braves’ offense has had many chances to bail out the pitching that has served it so well this season.
And none of this is to unfairly pile on Elder, who has pitched well for the Braves at times this season and in the past. He’s served as valuable organizational depth. Again, it cannot be easy not knowing where you’ll pitch the next time around and having to stay ready for anything instead of getting some consistency in your routine. Snitker has lauded Elder for his effort there.
On Tuesday, though, Elder matched a career high by allowing seven runs. He had done that five times previously – three times this season. Washington’s Patrick Corbin and the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks are the only pitchers with more such starts this season – both have four.
Of the 143 pitchers who’ve thrown at least 100 innings since last year’s All-Star break, Elder’s 5.70 ERA over that span is the fifth-highest mark.
None of this means Elder won’t have a good career. He’s only 25 years old. He knows who he is as a pitcher. He works hard.
If the Braves go to Elder again, he might give them six or seven innings with one or two runs. He can do that. It wouldn’t be shocking.
The next time the Braves want to bring someone up, though, they’ll have more options to consider.
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