White’s Three-Run Homer, Elder’s Grit Fuel Braves Win

Apr 23, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder (55) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

On a Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park, the Braves and Cardinals squared off in the rubber match of their three-game series. Atlanta took the opener before dropping the second game in a bullpen-heavy effort, and today they turned to Bryce Elder while St. Louis countered with Miles Mikolas. Bryce Elder has been kind of the heavily criticized pitcher on the staff. He's given up some costly innings in this short season, but is looking to tighten up his game and give the Braves longer and more effective outings. Well, let's see about that.

Elder had a rocky start, throwing five straight balls to open the game. He was briefly bailed out by a Wilson Contreras double play, but the Cardinals still drew first blood. A walk to Nolan Gorman set the stage for Nolan Arenado, who drove an RBI double to left-center for a 1-0 lead. Elder’s command issues were glaring early, and the Braves were fortunate to escape the inning having allowed just one.

Michael Harris II returned to the leadoff spot with Alex Verdugo getting the day off. Harris picked up a hit in his first at-bat, and Austin Riley followed with a sharp single to put two on with no outs. But the Braves’ familiar issue returned—stranding runners in scoring position. Ozuna struck out, and both Olson and Albies flied out to end the early threat.

To Elder’s credit, he began to settle down in the second. He retired the side in order, which was a welcome sight given how shaky the first inning looked. With Spencer Strider sidelined for a couple weeks, outings like this from Elder are crucial for the Braves to keep momentum going.

The Braves created another scoring chance in the second with Nick Allen and Drake Baldwin executing a hit-and-run perfectly, putting Baldwin on third. But a botched steal attempt by Allen led to another wasted opportunity. Mistakes like that hurt especially when runs have been hard to come by.

Still, Elder kept Atlanta in the game. He limited St. Louis to a walk in the third, a double in the fourth, and a single in the fifth—no further damage done. Through five innings, Elder had thrown 84 pitches, giving up just one run on five hits. The Braves continued to scatter base runners but couldn't string hits together. Olson’s seven-game hitting streak stayed alive, but the runs remained elusive.

The breakthrough finally came in the bottom of the seventh. Nick Allen doubled to left and was driven in by Harris, who dropped a soft RBI single over first base. That tied the game at 1-1, and Harris capped off a stellar 3-for-4 day with that knock.

Rafael Montero, who struggled the night before, came in for the eighth and put up a gritty effort. After walking Contreras to start, he retired the next two before Alec Burleson notched his third hit. Daysbel Hernández took over and promptly struck out Jordan Walker with a slider that froze him up. Hernández showed poise, just as he did Monday when he earned the win.

This felt like a game Atlanta should win, especially with the strong work on the mound. And in the eighth, they finally turned that energy into runs. Matt Olson led off with a single, Albies reached on an infield hit, and Sean Murphy, pinch-hitting, advanced both runners. That set up Eli White, who crushed a three-run homer off Ryan Fernandez, giving the Braves a 4-1 lead.

Hernández returned to close the ninth and finished the job without issue, earning his third win of the year. The Braves took the series and wrapped up their homestand with a strong 5-1 mark.

Next up, Atlanta heads out West to begin a road trip starting in Arizona. They’ll enjoy a day off Thursday before Chris Sale takes the mound Friday night at 9:40 PM EDT on FanDuel Sports Network.