4 Braves to blame for brutal Game 3 loss to Phillies

Bryce Elder and A.J. Smith-Shawver deserve blame for struggles on mound

Atlanta fans were (rightfully) dreading the Braves' pitching situation entering this game. With Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright out of commission, the decision for Brian Snitker came down to Bryce Elder, 20-year-old A.J. Smith-Shawver, or a bullpen game. He landed on Elder and it went predictably poorly.

Elder made his first All-Star appearance after a dominant first half of the season, with his precise location control and gnarly pitch movement confounding batters. After the All-Star break, however, his ERA plummeted as teams began to figure the 24-year-old out. He wouldn't have been in the mix for postseason starts if not for the aforementioned injuries to Morton and Wright.

The game started strong for Elder, who pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts before things quickly fell apart in the third inning. He was yanked after conceding five hits, one walk, and six earned runs in 2.2 innings. All the damage was done in that fateful third.

Snitker bounced around the bullpen briefly before going to Smith-Shawver in the fifth inning. The young gunslinger only lasted 2.2 innings of his own, giving up three hits (all home runs) and a walk for three earned runs.

Atlanta's two most reliable arms were completely shellshocked. In a more fortunate timeline, the Braves wouldn't have been in this situation to begin with, but Elder is an All-Star. He deserves to be held to a higher standard than this. This was a disappointment for the Braves' pitching group.