Braves allow Phillies to get to barrel in Game 3 loss

PHILADELPHIA — Starting Bryce Elder wasn’t a problem. Sticking with him too long proved detrimental to the Braves, who are now on the brink of seeing their historic season end prematurely.

The Braves waited until late Wednesday morning to announce Elder would start Game 3 of the National League Division Series. But debates about this decision faded into the background as manager Brian Snitker turned to his bullpen too late in a 10-2 loss to the Phillies on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Would things have been different had Snitker called upon Brad Hand to face Bryce Harper before the Phillies slugger hit the first of his two home runs? The strength of that argument faded when Hand ended up surrendering the second of Harper’s home runs.  Might things have been different had Charlie Morton’s finger injury not forced the Braves to scramble for a suitable Game 3 starter?  

All of this makes for great sports debate. But the only thing that matters to the Braves is the fact they are down 2-1 in this best-of-five series. They will send Spencer Strider to the mound in what is a win-or-go-home Game 4 on Thursday night in Philadelphia.

The Braves find themselves in the same position they were in last year, after suffering a very similar Game 3 loss to the Phillies. Strider dominated the first two innings of that game in 2022 and then became fatigued during a six-run third inning. He hadn’t pitched in a game over the previous 26 days because of an oblique strain. 

On Wednesday, Elder impressed as he recorded four strikeouts while proving perfect through 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 turned on an inside fastball and drilled it over the left-center-field fence.

Asked before the game how long the leash might be for Elder, Snitker said. “Postseason, you’ve got to get outs, and we’ll just see where it’s going.” 

After Castellanos’ homer, a few relievers started to stretch in the bullpen. They continued to stretch when Brandon Marsh followed with a single. Two quick outs provided hope that Elder might escape trouble. But Harper was looming.  

Once Trea Turner hit an infield single, Harper came to the plate, still without any Braves relievers having thrown a warmup pitch. Michael Tonkin only started throwing in the bullpen once Harper drilled a Statcast-projected 408-foot homer into the second deck beyond the right-field wall.

Elder surrendered a single and issued a walk before exiting for Tonkin, who promptly allowed J.T. Realmuto’s two-run double. This latest six-run third gave the Phillies and Aaron Nola a 7-1 lead. 

There was reason to wonder if the game might have evolved differently had Snitker had Hand ready to face Harper in the third. But Harper hurt the lefty reliever with his third homer of the series in the fifth. 

If the Braves hadn’t started Elder, they could have gone with AJ Smith-Shawver, a 20-year-old who has thrown just 25 1/3 innings at the big league level. Smith-Shawver ended up surrendering three runs over 2 2/3 innings after entering in the fifth.