Bryce Elder couldn't have wished for his first full season in the big leagues to go any better. He was named an All-Star and has proven to be one of the Atlanta Braves most important starters. But, Elder is struggling immensely as of late, giving up 12 earned runs across his previous two outings. Despite that, the 24-year-old is confident he will turn it around soon and find that previous brilliance again.

Via MLB.com:

“Things are going to happen, and it’s just unfortunate that these are back to back,” Elder said. “But I’ll be ready to get back out there in five days.”

Elder allowed seven earned in just 3.1 innings on July 9th against the Tampa Bay Rays. With a whole nine days off, he returned to the hill on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but things did not go to plan.

The righty only lasted 2.2 frames this time around, surrendering seven runs (five earned) on seven hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Elder had no problem finding the strike zone, but the D-Backs were essentially hitting everything he threw.

On the year, Bryce Elder now owns a 7-2 record and a 3.31 ERA in 19 appearances. While that's still very respectable, Atlanta needs him to find consistency again because after all, the Braves' staff is dealing with a ton of injuries right now. They need all the help possible.

It's now becoming clear that Brian Snitker's squad will probably go out and try to acquire another arm or two at the trade deadline, too.

As for Elder, let's hope he can come back out on the weekend and respond with a quality start.