ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves faced plenty of outside criticism after they failed to pick up a top-line starting pitcher Monday night as Major League Baseball’s trade deadline for the 2026 season came and went.
Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes have pitched like they didn’t need one.
Elder threw one-hit ball in seven innings Wednesday, a night after Holmes pitched six scoreless innings to lead a pair of victories over the Miami Marlins.
“One of our messages to players, especially young players, is you’ve got to find something that puts a chip on your shoulder in this league or the rest of the league will chew you up,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said after Elder’s sterling performance in a 4-1 victory that pushed Atlanta’s streak of wins to a season-best seven. “Maybe that’s their response to the narrative over the last several days.”
The only hit off Elder was a soft liner that fell in front of left-fielder Lane Thomas and wound up a double when Jakob Marsee hustled to second to beat the throw. Owen Caissie, who had walked with one out, raced around to third on the play, putting Elder is his first serious trouble of the night.