Bryce Elder struggles against Dodgers lineup

LOS ANGELES — Bryce Elder had shown positive signs since returning to the Braves rotation. But his encounter with the Dodgers on Saturday night was met with all kinds of trouble.

The Atlanta right-hander allowed seven hits — three of them homers. Location issues contributed to four walks. That combination resulted in seven runs over 3 1/3 innings in an 11-2 Braves loss. Atlanta has dropped the first two of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium and five of its last seven.

The fourth inning summed up Elder’s difficulties. The Braves scored a run in the top half to cut the deficit to 3-1. But Elder gave the run back in the bottom half. His first offering to leadoff batter Andy Pages was a fastball at 88.5 mph that ended up in the left-center-field seats.

He then allowed a free pass to James Outman. With one out, he walked Mookie Betts. And even as he had trouble locating, the relentless Dodgers lineup was making him pay — specifically when Shohei Ohtani went the other way on a sinker out of the zone. The RBI single was Elder’s 71st and final pitch.

“That’s what makes them good,” Elder said. “You can’t be careful because the next guy is really good too. You just have to try and make pitches. Sometimes they beat you. Sometimes they don’t. Tonight they did.”

The second inning started with a walk to Will Smith and was followed with a slider to Max Muncy on the outside part of the plate. Muncy sent the pitch over the center-field wall.

“I didn’t think it was a bad pitch,” Elder said. “I’m more concerned about the walk in front of it.”

Ohtani added another long ball an inning later. He connected on a 90 mph fastball high and inside.

After Ohtani’s next at-bat resulted in the end of the night for Elder, Dylan Lee came in and surrendered run-scoring base hits to Freddie Freeman and Smith.

The disappointing start countered Elder’s previous two outings since being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett, where he began the season after spending the majority of 2023 with the big league club.

Over the first 12 innings with the Braves in 2024, Elder allowed two runs – including 6 2/3 scoreless frames without a walk in his debut outing versus the Miami Marlins on April 22.

“I was getting into some deep counts [tonight],” Elder said. “I’d like to attack more.”

The deficit put the Braves in a challenging spot, as runs have been hard to find lately. Facing Tyler Glasnow doesn’t make it much easier.

The Dodgers starter struck out 10 and held Atlanta to two runs and five hits over seven innings and helped to prolong the Braves’ offensive struggles. Atlanta has scored three runs or fewer in five of their last seven contests.

“[Glasnow is] rough,” said manager Brian Snitker. “We knew that going in.”

Some promise came from reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who homered on Friday, indicating he may be coming into form. He went 3-for-4 on Saturday with two singles, a double, a stolen base and a run scored.

Acuña created a scoring opportunity in the fourth with a hit and a steal, his 14th of the season. He came around once Austin Riley singled past a diving Betts.

Acuña nearly went deep in his next at-bat. A 107 mph liner went off the right-field wall and wound up as a double.

Acuña’s efforts made little difference in the end. The Dodgers added to their lead in the seventh as Tyler Matzek surrendered Muncy’s second of three home runs on the night. Los Angeles pushed two more runs across as a shallow fly ball off Betts’ bat couldn’t be hauled in by Ozzie Albies.

“We’re going through a little bit of a rut right now,” Snitker said. “We have no other choice but to rebound and go get ’em next time.”