Key Trait Remains Bryce Elder's Most Important to Braves

Bryce Elder got back on track on Sunday, as the Atlanta Braves avoided being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 5-3 win.

In the game, the right-hander was rather efficient, needing 75 pitches to get through six innings. He could have gone a little longer, but he pushed his way through a knee ailment, and manager Walt Weiss has played it safe.

This knee injury won't keep him out. Weiss said that Elder had been managing it for some time. It means the teams most available starter can keep at it.

Getting six innings from your starter is always a plus, but with Elder, giving the team innings has mostly been the floor. Even if a night doesn't go as planned, he's likely to still cover and help take pressure off the bullpen.

Last year, his 156 1/3 innings pitched and 28 starts led the team. So far, his 137 2/3 innings pitched lead the way, and his 23 starts are tied with Grant Holmes for the most by a Braves pitcher this season.

Starting pitchers have been one of the most uncertain positions on the Braves this season. Among the chaos has been one certainty over the past two seasons. For better or for worse, Elder has been that consistent presence.

"I guess it feels good," he said after Sunday's game. "I mean, it's not always pretty, but I take pride in it, you know, getting out there and eating as many innings as I can when it goes south. So, yeah, do whatever I can to give these guys a chance, and they pick me up usually when it's bad."

As the old cliché saying goes, the best ability is availability. But availability matters when it comes to sticking around long enough to prove yourself. Innings, effective or not, are going to keep someone in this league longer than they might otherwise.

Weiss went to the length to use a similar analogy that's been used for Matt Olson's Iron Man streak. It's a tool of his. That isn't Elder's innings are comparable to an Iron Man streak, but the idea is there. The other tools don't matter as much if you're not around to use them.

"Bryce is very durable," Weiss said. "He always takes the ball - a lot of time on regular rest, and he's been really good for us for a few years now."

Over his last six starts, he has posted a 3.34 ERA, and that's with the seven earned runs from last week ballooning the number. Remove that start, and his ERA shrinks to 1.50.

The Braves have won four of those starts. They arguably should have won five of them, but the bats went quiet against Baltimore in late July.

While the rotation gets closer to another potential change, don't count on Elder to take a back seat. His outings can be frustrating, but this is still a season where the Braves get a better version of him more often than not.

So, as long as he's healthy and racking up innings in a way most pitchers haven't come close to the last two seasons, he'll be back on the mound, most likely evey five days.

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