Bryce Elder pushed back from next start

Holmes struck out one and didn’t allow any baserunners. He was cruising, needing only 26 pitches to record nine outs before a rain delay interrupted his day. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.62, and he’s had just two starts all season where he gave up more than three earned runs. A home matchup against the Rays is up next.

Elder surrendered eight hits, including home runs to Rafael Devers and Osleivis Basabe. He finished with three strikeouts and also issued three walks. It was the second time in his last four starts that he’s allowed five runs or more. It qualifies as a massive letdown considering the lackluster makeup of San Francisco’s lineup after he tossed six strong frames against the Dodgers last week. He won’t get the ball again until he faces the Phillies in a road matchup next Monday with Atlanta moving to a six-man rotation.

Holmes kept the Rockies off the board for the first four innings of this one. His first earned run came in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Jake McCarthy to bring home Zac Veen, but that was just the start of a three-run inning for the Rockies. A few batters later, Hunter Goodman would single to drive home Ezequiel Tovar, and Cole Carrigg came around to score on the following at-bat on a groundout by Cole Carrigg. Holmes would make it out of the inning but would not return in the sixth, bringing an end to his night. It was a strong final outing for Holmes, who held his opponents off the board in three of his five starts and posted a 3.04 ERA. Holmes’ next start is scheduled for Wednesday on the road against the Nationals.

Elder struck out five and walked none. He allowed eight hits, but all of them were singles. Elder was half-skipped in the rotation again last week, making the start tonight on eight days’ rest. He also pitched on 11 days’ rest in his final start before the break and 10 days’ rest in his first start after the break. It suggests he’s not quite 100 percent and hasn’t been for some time. However, he’s been more effective than not lately. He’ll take a 3.95 ERA into his next start, whenever that might come; the Braves probably won’t pitch him Sunday and they have next Monday and Thursday off, so they could give Elder another long rest if they’d like.

Holmes had only two batters reach against him through six, both on walks. He came out for the seventh and walked another before Andrew Benintendi broke up the no-hitter with a single. He was pulled then, and Didier Fuentes came in and struck out three in a row to keep the game 2-0. Holmes improved to 8-5 with a 3.64 ERA. There’s been talk about shifting him to the pen, but he hasn’t made it an easy call, with the Braves winning eight of his last nine starts. He’ll face the Dodgers next week.

Elder struck out five and walked one as Atlanta went on to win 5-3. The right-hander needed just 75 pitches to record 18 outs, but he’d struggled badly lately, so it makes sense that he wasn’t pushed. He came into Sunday with a 6.29 ERA over his previous 12 starts dating back to May 27. This was a step in the right direction, but there’s little reason for fantasy managers to trust him, with a trip to Milwaukee up next.

Holmes gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three. He fell to 7-5 with the loss. Holmes retired the side in order in the first inning before allowing three runs in both the second and third innings. Holmes hadn’t allowed a run in 12 innings over his last two starts entering play Saturday. His ERA is 3.82. Holmes is lined up to face the White Sox on the road next weekend.

Give Elder some credit: he looked like he ought to have been done after throwing 77 pitches while giving up five in the first and one more in both the second and third, but he was able to help protect the pen by pitching two scoreless innings afterwards. It’s the third time this year that Elder has allowed at least six earned runs, and two of those have come in his only two starts versus the Mets. He’ll take an 8-7 record and a 4.03 ERA into a start Sunday against the D-backs.

Holmes walked two and allowed three hits while needing just 77 pitches to record 18 outs. He typically struggles more the second time through a lineup, which is why so many of his starts are capped around five innings or low pitch counts. For instance, 14 of his 18 homers this season have come in that second turn through the order. That wasn’t an issue this time, though, and he allowed three or fewer runs for the 15th consecutive outing. Up next is a home start against the Diamondbacks.

Elder was in complete control for this entire start. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced before the Marlins scratched their lone run across in the fifth on a walk, double, and groundout. Then, he cruised through his final two frames to complete seven innings for the first time in nearly three months. He used his cutter to force a heap of lazy pop-ups and put this strong outing together while only forcing four total swings-and-misses. He now has a 3.69 ERA through 126 2/3 innings this season and is scheduled for a two-start week against the Mets and Diamondbacks coming up.