27 articles
ATL • Pitcher • #55
about 2 months ago
Elder allowed two homers among his six hits, and he didn’t issue a walk. It’s the final start of the season for the 26-year-old in what was an uneven — at best — campaign for the right-hander. He finishes with a 5.30 ERA along with a 131/51 K/BB ratio across 156 1/3 innings. Elder should have a spot in the Atlanta rotation to open 2026, but it’ll be hard to justify him as a fantasy option to begin that campaign.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
2 months ago
Elder piled up six strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. The Braves staked him to an early six-run lead and all he needed to do was keep the train on the tracks to earn a victory on this one. The only blemish on his night was a solo homer off the bat of Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning. The 26-year-old right-hander got nine whiffs on 98 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll look to finish the season strong as he carries a 5.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 124/51 K/BB ratio (149 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Nationals.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
2 months ago
At least he helped out fantasy managers in the strikeout department, punching out seven batters on the evening while issuing three free passes. The Astros jumped on him for three runs in the second inning then continued the onslaught with three more in the third — capped off by a two-run blast from Christian Walker. Elder got 17 swings and misses on 89 pitches in the game — 13 of those on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 35 percent. He’ll attempt to get back on track as he carries a 5.56 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 118/51 K/BB ratio (142 1/3 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Tigers in Detroit.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
2 months ago
Elder was staked to a three-run cushion by the second inning, which was more than enough for him as he kept Chicago off the scoreboard entirely until the seventh inning when reliever Pierce Johnson allowed an inherited runner to cross the plate. The underrated 26-year-old hurler has reeled off four consecutive quality starts and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his last eight outings since August 1. He’ll face the Astros on Sunday to close out a two-start week.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
What a gem by Elder. The only reason the Cubs were able to muster one run against him is because Eli White tried to throw behind Ian Happ at first base after a bloop hit to left field and sailed it out of play. Otherwise, just one Cub reached scoring position as they were hopeless against Elder. He commanded his sinker beautifully along the edges of the plate and it set up both his changeup and slider to dart below the zone. Elder has now made three consecutive fantastic starts against the Mets, Phillies, and Cubs after getting hammered for eight runs by the White Sox. That’s baseball for you. He’s scheduled for a rematch against these same Cubs next week.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
Elder spotted his sinker and slider well low-and-away from this left-handed heavy Phillies lineup. He wasn’t able to put many hitters away, but they struggled to square him up or put any runs on the board. This now makes four out of six starts by Elder where he allowed two runs or fewer. On the flip side, he was hammered for 13 runs in those other two starts which came against the White Sox and Marlins. It’ll be a risky proposition to consider him next time out when he faces the Mariners at home.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
Both runs came on a second-inning homer from Mark Vientos. Elder allowed just two other hits, walked two and struck out six. He has two quality starts against the Mets and one against the Reds this month, but since he gave up a total of 13 runs to the White Sox and Marlins, his ERA has held pretty steady since the end of July, decreasing only from 6.29 to 6.12. He’ll likely face the Phillies next weekend.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
The 26-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out three batters on the night. The White Sox got to him for three runs in the third inning — the final two on a two-run double by Kyle Teel — but Elder still strolled into the fifth inning with a 4-3 advantage. That is until the White Sox erupted for five more to chase him and put the game seemingly out of reach. Elder got seven swings and misses on 84 pitches on the night, registering an uninspiring CSW of 25 percent. He’ll try to pick up the pieces as he carries a 6.29 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 90/43 K/BB ratio (111 2/3 innings) into Monday’s matchup against the Marlins in Miami. His rotation spot also seems to be in serious jeopardy once Chris Sale is ready to return.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
Elder bounced back nicely from his shaky — at best — start Friday against the Marlins. He struck out six, and he scattered five hits while allowing a solo homer in the third to Francisco Lindor and two more runs in the sixth. It was a solid effort, but there just haven’t been enough of these in 2025. A 5.89 ERA is pretty obvious evidence of that. He’ll try and repeat this effort against the White Sox next week.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
3 months ago
Elder gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out three. The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed at least five runs in two of his last three starts. Elder has a 6.12 ERA and 81/39 K/BB ratio in 100 innings this year. He’s lined up to face the Mets on the road next week.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
4 months ago
Rarely in trouble today, Elder allowed one run on a single, walk, single combination in the sixth. The remaining run came in the seventh, when Elder retired two straight after a leadoff walk, only to get pulled with Will Benson coming up. Benson immediately hit a two-run homer off Dylan Dodd, leaving the Braves in a 3-0 hole. Elder dropped to 4-8 with a 6.03 ERA. He’ll face the Marlins next.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
4 months ago
Elder also issued four walks in the forgettable outing while striking out three. The Rangers jumped on him early and often in this one as Wyatt Langford smacked a three-run double in the first inning, Josh Smith added a two-run blast in the second and the Rangers tacked on three more while chasing Elder in the third. He got just six swings and misses on 63 pitches on the afternoon, posting a CSW of 24 percent. Elder now sports an unappealing 6.29 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and a 73/35 K/BB ratio over 87 1/3 innings in 17 starts for the Braves this season. He’ll look to right the ship when he takes on the Reds in Cincinnati on Friday.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
4 months ago
Elder was given five runs to work with in the first and three more in the fourth, which was especially lucky for him; it’s hard to imagine the Braves would have let him complete five innings in a closer game. Elder wound up surrendering eight hits, walking three and striking out one in the 108-pitch outing. The win makes him 4-6 with a 5.63 ERA ahead of a start against the Rangers.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
4 months ago
Elder didn’t have to pitch to the best of his abilities with Atlanta putting up a nine-spot during Wednesday’s bout, but he was pretty darn good, anyway. The 26-year-old struck out seven, and that helped him work around eight hits while blanking the A’s over the first four innings. Elder still has a 5.65 ERA on the season, and it’s hard to take him too seriously as a fantasy option even after this solid outing.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
5 months ago
The 26-year-old right-hander struck out five batters on the evening, though he also issued three free passes. Elder struggled to keep the ball in the yard as Nolan Schanuel tagged him for a two-run shot in the second inning and Zach Neto added a solo blast in the fourth. He got 13 swings and misses on 101 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 28 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he carries an unimpressive 5.92 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and a 62/27 K/BB ratio (73 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Athletics in West Sacramento.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
5 months ago
Elder gave up eight hits, walked four and struck out two. The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed 18 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings over his last three starts. Elder now has a 5.82 ERA on the season, though his 3.86 xFIP suggests he hasn’t been quite that bad. Still, Elder is difficult to trust in all fantasy formats at the moment. He’s lined up to face the Angels at home next week if he remains in the rotation.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
5 months ago
Since his career-best outing against the Giants, Elder has allowed nine runs on 17 hits in 8 2/3 innings against the Rockies and Marlins. That’s not exactly the follow-up that fantasy managers were expecting. The injury to Chris Sale means that Elder will remain in the rotation, but he does not need to be in your lineups next week against the Phillies.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
5 months ago
After striking out 12 Giants last time out, Elder seemed like a fine streaming choice against the impotent Rockies tonight. However, he couldn’t make it out of the fourth while giving up seven hits and three walks. A couple of meekly hit doubles and groundball singles didn’t help the cause. Oddly enough, the Rockies were 3-for-8 when they hit the ball hard against him and 4-for-6 when they didn’t. Elder isn’t recommended with the Mets next on the schedule.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
5 months ago
Elder held the Giants scoreless before Wilmer Flores took him deep for a solo homer to lead off the fourth. That would be one of only three hits Elder would allow on the day as he went eight innings of one-run ball while collecting a career-high 12 strikeouts. It was just the second double-digit strikeout performance of his career and first since 2022. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 4.08 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 49/16 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings into a start against the Rockies in Atlanta on Friday.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
6 months ago
All of the runs came in the first, when a double, a single and a walk were followed by a three-run double. Elder bounced back nicely from there, but the offense never bailed him out today, and he fell to 2-3 with a 4.56 ERA. A.J. Smith-Shawver’s replacement in the Braves’ rotation, Elder should stick for now and face the Giants next time out.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
6 months ago
Elder draws the starting assignment for Sunday’s series finale at Fenway Park against the Red Sox and figures to stick around for a while with top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver done for the season with a UCL tear in his elbow. The 26-year-old righty has compiled a respectable 4.50 ERA (4.90 FIP) across 44 innings (eight starts) this season at the highest level.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
6 months ago
Elder was the most likely candidate to fill in for the injured AJ Smith-Shawver in the Braves’ rotation, so this move makes sense. Instead of joining the rotation next week as anticipated, he’ll arrive a few days early and give everyone else an extra day of rest. If he pitches well, expect Elder to stick around for a while this time. He holds a 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 33/13 K/BB ratio over 44 innings in eight starts for the Braves this season.
Source: Mark Bowman
ATL • Pitcher • #55
6 months ago
Elder was the most likely candidate to fill in for the injured AJ Smith-Shawver in the Braves’ rotation, so this move makes sense. Instead of joining the rotation next week as anticipated, he’ll arrive a few days early and give everyone else an extra day of rest. If he pitches well, expect Elder to stick around for a while this time. He holds a 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 33/13 K/BB ratio over 44 innings in eight starts for the Braves this season.
Source: Mark Bowman
ATL • Pitcher • #55
6 months ago
It was a really nice outing for Elder until Alexander Canario and Jared Triolo hit back-to-back homers in the sixth. The Braves failed to score while Elder was in the game, so he fell to 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA. Still, this makes four solid showings in a row; he’s posted a 3.52 ERA during the current span. He’ll make his next start at home against the Nationals.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
7 months ago
The 25-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the evening while issuing a pair of walks. Elder allowed an RBI double to Max Muncy in the fourth inning and then exited after putting runners at the corners with no outs to start the sixth. One of those inherited runners ultimately scored. Elder generated six swings and misses on 86 pitches in the game, posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. He’ll look to win his third consecutive start when he brings a 5.06 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 22/12 K/BB ratio (32 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
7 months ago
All three runs against Elder came on a homer with two on by Hunter Goodman in the first. After that, Elder was able to hold the lowly lineup off the scoreboard and lowered his ERA to a still shaky 5.33 over his five starts. He does get his first win, and he’ll go for his second against the Reds next week.
ATL • Pitcher • #55
7 months ago
It’s borderline surreal to look back at Elder’s success from early in his career when he had a 3.66 ERA over the first 228 innings of his career. Since then, it’s over seven and his struggles were front and center in this start. As a sinker, slider pitcher he doesn’t have a great plan of attack for left-handed batters and routinely floated noncompetitive, subpar changeups to the Twins lefties. The worst of which Trevor Larnach sent into orbit for a 407 foot home run. Yet, the Braves opted for him here over A.J. Smith-Shawver, but that could change soon. Whoever gets that next turn, this spot in the rotation is scheduled to face the Cardinals next time out.