Bryce

Elder

Elder allowed two hits and two walks in the quality start, lowering his ERA to 2.66 on the year. The right-hander has now given up more than three earned runs in a start just once all season. Elder has been using three fastballs in 2026, adding a cutter while increasing the usage of his four-seamer at the expense of his sinker. Additionally, he’s leading with his slider for the first time in his career. The package is helping him outperform what the pitching models indicate, and he’ll look to keep rolling next time out against the Mets.

Elder gave up six hits, walked one and struck out six. He improved to 5-3 with the win. Elder allowed a two-run home run to Kazuma Okamoto in the second inning, but only allowed one other run. He has a 2.63 ERA. Elder is lined up to face the Pirates on Sunday.

Elder kept the Red Sox off the board for the first three innings despite allowing six runners to reach base over that span. In the fourth, things caught up with him a bit after he allowed a leadoff single to Masataka Yoshida to start the inning and followed that up with a walk to Mickey Gasper. Yoshida would come around to score on a fielding error, which was followed by an RBI single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. Elder would allow two more batters to reach base and runs to score before being pulled. This was easily the worst outing of the season for Elder, who hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his previous nine starts. He’ll draw another tough matchup in his next start, which is scheduled for Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Elder just keeps doing it. The addition of a new cutter this season has continued to be invaluable to his approach against left-handed batters. Again here he worked that pitch along with his fastball in on their hands to keep them honest and not allow them to dive out over the plate to hit his changeup or slider on the outer half. He’s still yet to give up more than three earned runs in any start this season and in the three where he allowed exactly three, he at least pitched into the seventh inning in each. At this point, it’s difficult not to trust him with a 1.97 ERA. 0.99 WHIP, and 64:22 strikeout to walk ratio over 72 2/3 innings so far this season. He’s scheduled to face the Red Sox in Boston next time out.

Elder had a 2-1 lead until Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer in the eighth. It was just the fourth homer allowed by Elder in 62 2/3 innings this year, and it led to his second defeat in 10 starts. He’ll take a 2.01 ERA into next week’s outing, which will probably come Friday against the Nationals.

In a battle of 2026’s biggest surprises to date, Elder easily outdueled Justin Wrobleski, even though he was pulled 3 1/3 innings earlier than the Dodgers hurler. Elder fanned eight for the third time in nine starts this season. He reached that total just twice in 28 starts last year. The victory moves him to 4-1 with a 1.81 ERA. His strikeout rate is up nicely, but his groundball rate has fallen some as a result, and he seems due to start giving up more homers. Long-term mixed-league value still seems rather unlikely. His next start will come at home versus the Red Sox.

Elder held the Mariners scoreless over two frames, then surrendered a two-run homer to JP Crawford. He’d go on to strand just two more baserunners over three more scoreless frames, leaving after six at 93 pitches with nine strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander has been off to a surprisingly good start, posting a 2.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 45/16 K/BB ratio across 49 innings. Elder will look to keep it going against the Cubs in Atlanta next Tuesday.

Elder struck out five, lowering his ERA to 1.88 on the season. While there’s some obvious regression coming eventually, it’s worth pointing out that Elder has mixed up his arsenal this season, adding a cutter while decreasing his sinker usage. Pitching models still aren’t buying it, but his ERA estimators mostly are. Elder leads a wounded Atlanta rotation in innings this year. He’ll look to keep rolling in Seattle next time out.

Elder struck out two against one walk while giving up six hits. It’s a solid outing despite the lack of swings and misses — Elder generated only six of them during Saturday’s outing — and it still sees his ERA rise from 1.50 to 1.95. He’s due for a clunker, but Elder has unquestionably done a nice job over the first month. He does have a potentially tricky one scheduled for Friday against the Rockies in Colorado.

Responding to two pitches that hit Ronald Acuña Jr. on his hands, Elder was allowed to get away with intentionally plunking CJ Abrams in the sixth. Abrams came around to score, but since it was on an Austin Riley error, that was the unearned run. Elder continued into the seventh, retiring Drew Millas and Nasim Nuñez before being pulled before he could face James Wood for a fourth time. No Braves fans wanted Elder in the Atlanta rotation a month ago, but he’s now 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in five starts. A soft schedule has surely helped; he previously faced the Athletics, D-backs, Guardians and Marlins once apiece. In theory, things are about to get tougher, as he’ll face the Phillies and the Rockies in Coors Field his next two times out. Still, those don’t seem like bad matchups right now.