The Atlanta Braves suffered a brutal blow on multiple fronts Friday night, as a disastrous outing from Bryce Elder compounded the team’s ongoing rotation concerns in the wake of the Chris Sale injury. In a 13-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Elder allowed nine earned runs in just two innings in a performance that underscored Atlanta’s lack of pitching depth following Sale’s absence.
A lengthy two-hour rain delay pushed the start time back at Truist Park in Atlanta, but that wasn’t the only storm the Braves would endure. The 26-year-old Elder, who was already on thin ice after back-to-back rocky outings, delivered one of the worst starts of his MLB career.