Today's Three Things: Bryce Elder continues to impress in easy Atlanta win
Atlanta's resident sinkerballer put up his second straight quality start, rebounding after a tough first inning
The Atlanta Braves took down the Colorado Rockies 6-3 in Coors Field on Monday night.
Here’s Today’s Three Things from the contest.
The Turning Point
I’m going to go with the fifth inning here.
Having already tied the game at three, the Braves had the heart of the order up to start the fourth and got it done. Marcell Ozuna singled to open the inning, Ozzie Albies singled to move him to second base, and then Michael Harris got a two-out double to clear the bases and give the Braves a two-run lead.
I was very impressed with Michael’s at-bats in this one, too. That 5th inning double was an eight-pitch at-bat where Michael did expand the zone, yes, but it was to protect with two strikes. Ultimately, he battled and was able to take advantage of a mistake pitch, a curveball in the bottom third of the zone, sending it back up the middle at 110.9 mph.
The Braves put up four two-out RBI tonight, two coming on this hit that gave Atlanta a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Today’s Player of the Game
Could it really be Bryce Elder? That’s who I’m going with.
In what’s becoming a pattern for the young sinkerballer, he struggled early. His first inning was an eighteen-pitch slog with a double, a walk, and a three-run homer that put the Braves in an early hole.
But after that, he settled. His next five innings had just two Rockies hits, a double and a single, as well as one walk and no runs on just 72 pitches.
It’s his second consecutive quality start, coming five days after a one-run outing against the Twins in Truist Park. Elder made a few changes recently, including his targets in the zone and a grip tweak to his sinker in an attempt to get more depth on the pitch, and they all paid off here.
By moving the thumb off of the seam and to the side of the ball, Elder is getting more depth on his sinker and helping keep it down in the zone.
What You’ll Be Talking About
The bottom of the order.
I talked about it on today’s podcast, but the bottom of the order trio of Michael Harris, Eli White, and Nick Allen continues to make outsized impacts on baseball games. Those guys combined for six hits, three RBI, and two runs scored from the plate, as well as a stolen base and a few key defensive plays in the field.
There’s just no way to take any of these three guys out of the lineup right now.
What’s Next for the Braves?
The Braves try to secure an early series win on Tuesday night. Atlanta’s hasn’t yet announced a starter, but they’re expected to call up AJ Smith-Shawver for this one. Germán Márquez (0-4, 9.30 ERA) gets the start for Colorado and first pitch is scheduled for 8:40 PM ET.
Wait, are the Braves stretching Suarez out at AAA? Or is he just opening?