Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder did not help his chances of locking up a spot in the starting rotation of the team when he had a forgettable performance Sunday in a spring training game against the New York Yankees.

Despite his struggles in that game, Elder looked and sounded unphased.

“You get three ground balls and [none of them] go to a guy,’’ Elder said after the 7-0 loss to the Yankees (h/t Joey Johnston of MLB.com). “Obviously, on paper, it looks horrible. I really didn’t think it was that bad. I mean, one bad pitch.’’

Elder started for the Braves against the Yankees and in just 1.2 innings of mound work, he allowed four earned runs on four hits while failing to record even a single strikeout.

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Braves manager Brian Snitker also did not seem bothered at all by the letdown showing of Elder on the hill, implying that he believes the youngster will only get better with more experience.

“As long as Elder stays healthy and his stuff keeps doing what we know it can do, I’m not looking for him to set the world on fire. He just needs to be himself, do exactly what he came in and did last year. If he does that, he’s going to be very successful. Just stay ready. You never know when you’re going to need a guy like that.’’

With Michael Soroka still dealing with a hamstring issue, Elder has a shot at making the Braves' rotation for the No. 5 slot.