Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder wasn't elite entering 2026, but that might change. The right-hander entered Saturday's matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over five starts, and he had another quality start on Saturday.

Elder allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings, with two strikeouts against one walk. The 2023 All-Star allowed an RBI single to Adolis Garcia in the top of the first before retiring the next nine hitters. Then, he gave up a single to Brandon Marsh in the fourth, who was plated by Bryson Stott on a triple.

Elder also gave up an RBI single to Bryce Harper in the fifth, but he then retired the next seven hitters to end his night. The Texas native left the game with a 4-3 lead, but Atlanta's bullpen couldn't shut the door.

Bryce Harper tied the game with a sacrifice fly off of southpaw Dylan Lee in the eighth, and nobody scored again until the Phillies' four-run rally in the 10th. Harper hit a two-run single off Jose Suarez before Marsh followed up with another two-run single, and the Braves mustered only one run in the comeback effort to end the contest.

Although Atlanta lost, Elder's performance was another step forward long-term. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder now has a 1.95 ERA and hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start this year.

Elder is part of a rotation that's pitching as well as the team could've hoped for to start the campaign. Ace Chris Sale is 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA, while right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA and right-hander Grant Holmes is 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA. Furthermore, southpaw Martin Perez is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA over five outings (three starts).

Meanwhile, No. 2 starter Spencer Strider (oblique) has yet to pitch a big-league game this season, but he logged eight strikeouts with one hit and one walk over 4.1 shutout innings in Tuesday's Triple-A rehab start, per MLB.com. The right-hander is 39-24 with a 3.74 ERA over 90 career MLB outings (77 starts), so he'll be another asset to the rotation when he returns.

Meanwhile, the Braves have several hitters performing at a high level, such as infielder Dominic Smith (.349 batting average), outfielder Michael Harris II (.333), second baseman Ozzie Albies (.318), and catcher Drake Baldwin (.302). It's no coincidence that they're at the top of the NL along with the San Diego Padres (18-8) with a 19-9 record.

Up next for Atlanta is a rubber match with Philadelphia at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday. Sale will start against right-hander Aaron Nola.