'Really crisp' Elder makes statement in rotation bid

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- It didn’t take long for Bryce Elder to put his rough Spring Training debut in the rearview mirror.

Elder, who is in the mix to be the Braves’ fifth starter, bounced back nicely in his second start Friday in Atlanta’s 11-8 loss to the defending World Series champion Astros at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

Elder needed only 32 pitches to maneuver his way through an Astros’ lineup that included Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and no walks. He registered three strikeouts and started an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play in the third to exit the game having faced the minimum nine batters.

That performance was in stark contrast to Elder’s first spring start last Sunday, when he threw 22 pitches before recording his first out as the Yankees jumped on him for four runs on four hits in the first inning.

“I thought he was really good today,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You kind of throw away the first one to get them out there. But I thought he was really crisp today. Command was a lot better today, and stuff was live, kind of like what we’re used to seeing out of him.”

Elder said that he felt he had better command of all his pitches Friday, particularly his location.

“Obviously this early in the year, I’m just trying to command the ball down. That’s really kind of my game,” Elder said. “If I keep it down, I’ve got a chance. Each week, just work on driving the ball down in the zone. I think the other day [against the Yankees] I was down [in the zone] for the most part, but I started getting up a little bit and got beat by it. I’m just going to try to build off of this and keep getting better. The pitches I need to get guys out, I just got to continue to make each of them better.”

With the uncertainty surrounding the return of Michael Soroka from a right hamstring strain, Elder is perceived to be in a battle with Ian Anderson for the No. 5 spot in Atlanta’s starting rotation. Elder showed last season after he was called up that he is capable of being a reliable starter. He appeared in 10 games (nine starts) and had a 3.17 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 23 walks in 54 innings.

Snitker said he’s “a long way away” from making any decision on the fifth starter when the Braves break camp later this month. But Elder’s outing Friday certainly didn’t damage his chances of being that fifth man.

“All I can do is kind of lock in on the day, and the decision is going to be made whoever gives us the best opportunity to win,” Elder said. “I hope that’s me, obviously, but if it’s Ian, so be it. I love Ian to death, he’s one of my favorite guys on the team. We’re trying to win a World Series. It’s not about me being the fifth starter. Obviously I would like to be in that role, and that’s what I’m working toward. But at the same time it’s about the Atlanta Braves, it’s not about me.”

Nonetheless, he’s confident he has the tools to be a contributor to another NL East title run.

“Just the success I had at the end [of last year] gives me confidence knowing that my stuff plays at that level, so just trust that,” Elder said.

Snitker said Anderson is scheduled to pitch again Sunday, following starter Charlie Morton against the Yankees. Elder’s next start likely will be in the middle of next week.

“Him and [Anderson] are going to be on a regular rotation [in the spring],” Snitker said. “They need to get results. [Elder] did a fine job for us last year, and it’s early in spring and he knows he’s fighting for a job. That was really encouraging today to see.”