Braves Pitching Woes Reach Boiling Point! Bryce Elder’s Struggles Expose Deeper Issues
Uncertainty in the Braves pitching rotation for Opening Day remains after Bryce Elder’s less than stellar performance against the Red Sox on March 9.
Elder ended his most recent season with the Braves with a total of 46 strikeouts across 10 games. However, his season ended with him playing at Triple-A Gwinnett.
He then stepped into his Spring Training debut pitching almost like he did back in 2023 where he became an All-Star. He pitched two scoreless innings in 31 pitches.
His pitching was looking promising, with Elder and ace Chris Sale together in a pitching lineup the Braves appeared to have a solid pitching staff to work with on Opening Day. However, after Elder’s past two games he may not be the solid All-Star athlete he was before his 2023 All-Star game.
On March 9 the Braves fell to the Red Sox 7-3 and Elder pitched just under two and a half innings. In those two short innings he had five hits, five earned runs and walked two batters. Elder managed only two strikeouts.
The Braves were ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning until Elder gave up back to back home runs to Trayce Thompson and Nate Eaton. The Braves were unable to recover their lead after that.
Elder also pitched two innings in the Braves’ matchup against the Twins on March 4. Despite not allowing any runs he still threw for three hits and walked two batters as well. He will have to improve his strikeout percentage and throw more consistently, allowing fewer walks before he should be considered as part of the Braves’ pitching line up.
He is not the All-Star athlete he was in 2023, that much is clear. The question is, does he have what it takes to find his way back into a major league lineup or will the organization give the spot to a promising young arm like AJ Smith-Shawver?
