Elder, Bullpen Shine in Efficient 3-0 Victory over Marlins in Series Opener

The Atlanta Braves cruised to the easiest 3-0 win you'll ever see

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder got the win tonight with an incredibly efficient performance against the Miami Marlins / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves cruised to an easy 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins in Truist Park to open the series with a win. They’re now 3-1 against the Marlins this season, a team they’ve dominated in recent years. 

Here’s what you need to know about from the contest.

Bryce Elder is SO back

Elder, a 2023 All-Star whose statistics tailed off in the back half of the schedule as he faced the longest season of his life, looked invigorated tonight. Elder went 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing eight hits but no runs, striking out four with no walks in 87 pitches (56 strikes). 

The command for Elder tonight was absolutely great - he was consistently landing his sinker on the glove side black, while the slider stayed in that same tunnel but dropped below the zone late, getting him two inning-ending double play balls. He had a total of seven whiffs, with three coming on the slider and two on each fastball, and finished with a perfectly acceptable 30% CSW on the night. Elder even flashed some improved velocity, with his average four-seam fastball sitting 0.9 mph higher than last season at 91.6 mph. 

For a starter who struggled down the stretch last season and couldn’t win the 5th starter’s job out of spring, Elder checked every single box you could have asked for in tonight’s outing. 

6.2 scoreless from Bryce 🔥#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/jfAYgJ0c56

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 23, 2024

Travis d’Arnaud is the hottest hitter in baseball

The Braves veteran catcher had a weekend to remember, hitting four homers in six at-bats between Friday and Saturday and picking up eight total RBIs. 

After a maintenance day on Sunday, where Chadwick Tromp started behind the plate but d’Arnaud took a pinch-hit at-bat in the 9th, d’Arnaud picked up where he left off tonight. 

Travis homered in the 4th inning of this one, finishing 2-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. It’s an absurd run for the Braves catcher, who is now 6-10 across his last four games (three starts) with five homers and ten RBIs. 

He's d'ifferent#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/eRVLjt5VFQ

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 23, 2024

The pitching staff’s efficiency in this one

What a clean game in almost every respect, but let’s talk about the staff for a minute: 

The Braves were able to use Pierce Johnson to get the final out of the 7th, with A.J. Minter taking the 8th and Raisel Iglesias taking the 9th. Every reliever struck out a batter, giving the Braves seven punchies on the night with no walks. Not a one. Johnson took five pitches for his one out, while Minter took only six for his entire inning and Iglesias got it done in eleven. 

The efficiency means that Atlanta still has Joe Jiménez unused plus the ability to bring any of these three back tomorrow if needed (and Wednesday if they’re not).   

What’s next for the Atlanta Braves?

Atlanta’s back at it tomorrow with game two against Miami. Max Fried gets the start on Tuesday night, facing off against lefty Trevor Rogers at 7:20 PM ET.