The Braves will be deploying Bryce Elder in hopes of avoiding their seventh loss in as many games against the Dodgers.
The Atlanta Braves are taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in a clash of two teams that are having polar opposite starts to their seasons. The Braves are six games into the season, and have yet to win a game. The Dodgers are seven games in and have yet to lose a game.
The Braves will be bringing Bryce Elder to the mound who was called up to make the start with the sad news that Reynaldo López needs surgery to determine the extent of his injury. The Dodgers on the other hand will be bringing one of their flashy free agent signings, two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell.
Bryce Elder made the All-Star game in 2023, but since the end of May that year he has been far from good. In 2023 from start of June through the end of the year he had a 4.95 ERA, 5.04 FIP, forty-four walks to seventy-two strikeouts, and hitters had a slash line of .250/.325/.418 against him. He also gave up six runs against the Phillies in 2.2 innings in NLDS game three that year.
2024 was not any better. In 49.2 innings over ten starts, he had a 6.52 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 1.631 WHIP, and 3.1 walks per nine innings. Hitters had a slash line of .311/.367/.490 against him in that span. To be fair, he was a bit unlucky last season. Hitters had an inflated .366 BABIP against him and his strand rate was an abysmal 64.1 percent. Bad luck aside, his expected ERA (xERA) was still a 5.04.
No Dodger has seen Elder more than eight at-bats, but the stars of the team have been successful against him. Freddie Freeman has a .929 OPS in seven at-bats, Shohei Ohtani has a 2.334 in three at-bats, Mookie Betts has a 1.158 in seven at-bats, and Teoscar Hernández has an .833 in three at-bats. The only player that could be considered a core member of the lineup that Elder has had success against is Will Smith, who has a .375 OPS against Elder in five at-bats.
All of these sample sizes are relatively small, but they do not paint a pretty picture. The Braves offense will need to come alive against one of the best pitchers of the past decade, and Bryce Elder will need to have one of the best starts of his career if the Braves want to win their first game of the season.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, April 2, 8:38 p.m. EDT
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: FanDuel Sports South, Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan