Braves Anticipate Stellar Bryce Elder Performance Against Cleveland

The Braves will host the Cleveland Guardians in Atlanta this weekend. Both clubs enter the series still unbeaten in any series. Game 1 will feature Bryce Elder on the mound for Atlanta.

Starting pitchers

Bryce Elder

Elder has shown an excellent early-season score in a small sample. His pitching run value sits in the 98th percentile. He has limited walks, generated ground balls, and produced quality strikeout numbers.

Elite chase rate has helped him. He has added a cutter and increased the depth on his slider this year. Those pitch changes suggest more consistency, though a full Cy Young breakout remains unlikely.

Slade Cecconi

Cecconi was the 33rd pick in the 2020 draft. The right-hander has worked in the low-90s with his fastball this season. That is about a tick and a half below last year.

He introduced a cutter this season and has used it frequently. The cutter accounted for roughly 26% of his pitches. He pairs a very slow curve with a sweeper, after moving away from a traditional slider.

How the two match up

Filmogaz.com notes both pitchers have made adjustments. Elder’s mix leans on chase rate and improved breaking pitch depth. Cecconi relies on cutter usage and a soft curve to keep hitters off-balance.

Cecconi hasn’t missed many bats this year. He ranked near the bottom in several 2025 contact metrics. Those include 1st percentile in hard-hit percentage, 2nd percentile in average exit velocity, and 3rd percentile in barrel percentage. His ground ball rate sits close to league average.

Outlook and prediction

The Braves anticipate a stellar performance from Bryce Elder against Cleveland this weekend. Atlanta will hope his current form holds up against a Guardians lineup. If Elder pitches well, it should set the tone for game 1.

Against Cecconi, Atlanta’s hitters could find good opportunities. Filmogaz.com expects the Braves to attack the righty when he misses his spots. I’ll be bold(ish) and predict Ronald Acuña will finally hit his first homer of the season off Cecconi.