PHILADELPHIA – Starting Bryce Elder wasn’t a problem. Sticking with him too long proved detrimental to the Braves, who are now on the verge of ending their historic season early.
The Braves waited until late Wednesday morning to announce that Elder would start Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Debates over that decision faded into the background, however, when manager Brian Snitker reached the bullpen late in a 10-2 loss to the Phillies on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
“I’m going into the third inning, I thought [Elder] could go five [innings]said Snitker. “He looked like himself. His stuff was really good. It just happened pretty quickly.”
Would things have been different if Snitker had called Brad Hand to play Bryce Harper before the Phillies slugger hit the first of his two home runs? The strength of that argument diminished when Hand finally gave up Harper’s second home run. Might things have turned out differently if Charlie Morton’s right index finger injury hadn’t forced the Braves to search for a suitable starter for Game 3?
All of this makes for a great sports debate. But the only thing that matters to the Braves is the fact that they are down 2-1 in this best-of-five series. They will send Spencer Strider to the mound in a win-or-win Game 4 on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
“We knew it was going to be a tough battle coming in here and it just didn’t go our way tonight,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “The nice thing about it is that we get another chance tomorrow.”
The Braves find themselves in the same situation as last year after suffering a very similar loss to the Phillies in Game 3. Strider dominated the first two innings of that game on October 14, 2022, but then he tired during a six-run third inning. Due to an oblique strain, he had not played a game in the last 26 days.
On Wednesday, Elder impressed as he posted four strikeouts and was perfect in the first two innings. But the young right-hander also quickly faded during a six-run third. The first sign of trouble came when Nick Castellanos spun an inside fastball and drilled it over the left field fence.
“It’s a really good team there, one of the best in baseball,” Harper said. “Elder had a great year. We knew we had to get there and get it going early.”
When asked before the game how long the leash might be for Elder, Snitker said. “After the season you have to come out and we’ll see where it goes.”
After Castellanos’ home run, several relievers began stretching in the bullpen. They continued to stretch when Brandon Marsh followed with a single. Two quick outs gave hope that Elder could escape trouble. But Harper stood out.
Was there any talk of having a reliever start throwing before Harper came to the plate?
“No, not really,” Snitker said. “He had two outs and a man in the inning when it went on.”
After Trea Turner hit an infield single, Harper came to the plate, still without a warmup throw from a Braves reliever. Michael Tonkin didn’t start pitching out of the bullpen until Harper drilled a Statcast-projected 408-foot home run into the second deck behind the right field wall.
Did Snitker consider taking Harper along on purpose?
“Yes, I did,” Snitker said. “I was just hoping that maybe we could make a pitch and he would throw a ball up. Or if we had unintentionally accompanied him, that would have been fine.”
A walk would have been fine for Elder. Harper fouled a pitch on the outside corner, spit on two pitches outside the zone and then took advantage of an errant slider that stayed up.
“I had no intention of throwing that in the zone, and I don’t even know,” Elder said. “It’s playoff baseball. If you miss a shot, you’re down 2-1 in the series.”
Elder gave up a single and drew a walk before striking out for Tonkin, who promptly allowed a two-run double to JT Realmuto. That final six-run third gave the Phillies and Aaron Nola a five-run lead.
Why Tonkin instead of a higher leverage option in this situation?
“Because he’s the guy that can release quicker, and that’s the guy we used in the game,” Snitker said. “You can question everything we do. If it doesn’t work, it’s not the right move.”
The Braves offense corrected many problems throughout the regular season and again in Game 2. But the group, which set an AL/NL record with a .501 slugging percentage and tied an MLB record with 307 home runs, has totaled three extra-base hits, including two home runs, in the first three games of the series .
The offensive was not expected to collapse. But since Morton’s injury on Sept. 22, the knowledge that the Braves might have trouble cobbling together 27 outs in Game 3 has been a concern. Five days earlier, Dylan Lee was placed on the 60-day injured list, leaving Atlanta with just two left-handed relievers.
All of this put the Braves in a bind until they finally decided to start Elder just before flying to Philadelphia on Tuesday. The 24-year-old hurler was named to the All-Star selection this year, but he showed signs of fatigue in the final starts of his first full big league season.
With their season on the line on Thursday, the Braves will hand the ball to Spencer Strider, who heard Phillies fans chanting “We want Strider” during Wednesday’s loss.
If the Braves win on Thursday, they could hand the ball to Max Fried for Game 5, which will be played Saturday night in Atlanta. Top players like Strider and Fried tend to no longer have doubts.
“I feel pretty good about the next two starters we got,” Snitker said.