Bryce Elder’s struggles continue as Braves shut out by Giants

On May 22, after Elder threw six innings and allowed just one run and five hits to the Nationals, he had a 1.97 ERA and hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any one start in his first 11 appearances of the season. The month since has been a struggle, to say the least.

Manager Walt Weiss believes the issues could be workload related. Elder called it a possible midseason lull and was confident there are no injury concerns.

“The ball wasn’t coming out quite like it had been, especially early on tonight. Stuff was down a little bit. So we’ll talk with (Elder),” Weiss said. “Maybe there’s some fatigue there. Looks like he’s having to work a little harder to get the ball to come out the way he wants to, where it was it was pretty much effortless early on this year. We’ll sit down with him and see, and I’m sure ‘Hef’ (Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner) will, see what they can do there. He just had to labor tonight through it.”

Staked to a 5-0 lead after three innings, all Webb had to do was pump in strikes, and that’s what the Giants’ veteran right-hander did. After a one-out double from Mauricio Dubón and a two-out walk to Mike Yastrzemski in the second, Webb retired 16 straight.

Webb (5-5) threw 92 pitches (60 strikes) in seven innings of work and allowed just the one hit while striking out six.

It was Devers and the Giants (34-48) who struck first Saturday in the second innin,g as the first baseman began the celebration of his bobblehead night with a solo homer. Devers turned on an inside fastball and hit it 404 feet out to center into the Braves’ bullpen.

“Obviously, he’s a good hitter,” Elder said. “Really thought I could get it up there. He’s a strong guy and he got the barrel to it and he muscled it out of here. So hat’s off to him.”

One out later, Bryce Eldridge drove a ball to deep left field that went just over the glove of a leaping Dubón for a double. Eldridge went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Drew Gilbert’s sacrifice fly to left.

Devers struck again in the third, golfing a 2-2 slider off the foul pole in right, a three-run homer that put the Giants up 5-0. It was Devers’ first multihomer game since Aug. 27.

After allowing eight earned runs in the second inning Sunday in his start against the Brewers at Truist Park, Elder conceded something needs to change between how he begins the game and how he continues it.

“I always thought maybe it was a focus thing. But over the past couple, it’s like you build up in your warmups and you come out and you get your good bolts in the first inning and then you go sit and then you get stiff,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s something I gotta stay active in between innings or just figure out a way to come out and keep making a pitch in the second and third. Long season and we’re in the heart of it so gotta keep going and figure out a way to get people out.”

Elder was able to pitch a 1-2-3 fourth before the Braves turned to Grant Holmes to eat some innings. Holmes, who started Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Padres in San Diego, threw four scoreless innings and allowed only one hit while striking out four.

The Braves, shut out for the seventh time this season, are 49-32 halfway through the season.