ATLANTA (Interstat) — Bryce Elder delivered six scoreless innings and Mauricio Dubón drove in three runs as the Atlanta Braves shut out the Athletics 4-0 on Monday night at Truist Park.

A crowd of 24,478 watched the Braves improve to 3-1, while the Athletics remained winless, dropping to 0-4 to start the season.

The most important part of the game came immediately, as Atlanta’s offense erupted in the first inning against Athletics starter Jacob Lopez and never looked back. Ronald Acuña Jr. led off with a walk, Drake Baldwin followed with a single, and after an out, Matt Olson laced a run-scoring double to left field. Following another out and a walk to Eli White that loaded the bases, Dubón delivered the decisive blow, a two-run single to right field that staked the Braves to a 3-0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats.

That was more than enough support for Elder (1-0), who expertly navigated the lineup. The right-hander scattered five hits, walked none and struck out five over his six frames. He worked around a pair of singles in the fourth inning and never allowed an Athletics runner to reach third base.

Oakland’s best chance to break through came in the eighth inning against Braves reliever Robert Suarez. Shea Langeliers reached on a Dubón fielding error, and Tyler Soderstrom followed with a single to put two on with one out. But Brent Rooker grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play, snuffing out the threat.

Atlanta added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Yastrzemski led off with a triple off Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado and scored on Dubón’s third hit of the night, a sharp single to left field.

Oakland’s Lopez (0-1) took the loss, charged with three earned runs on five hits and three walks over four innings. The Athletics bullpen of Justin Sterner, Mark Leiter Jr. and Alvarado combined for four innings of one-run relief, but the offense mustered only seven hits and went 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.

Dubón finished 3 for 4 to pace Atlanta’s nine-hit attack. For Oakland, Soderstrom and Rooker each had two hits.

After Elder departed, the Braves bullpen preserved the shutout. Aaron Bummer struck out two in a scoreless seventh, Suarez worked around a hit in the eighth, and Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth to seal the victory.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes, defied the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-5 Braves victory, and the total score of four runs fell well under the over/under line of 9. Atlanta had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite pregame.

The Athletics, who were swept in a three-game series at Toronto to open the season, continue to search for their first win. They will send right-hander Joe Boyle to the mound Tuesday night in the second game of this three-game set. The Braves will counter with left-hander Max Fried as they look to secure a series win.

Oakland’s upcoming schedule offers little respite, with a series against Houston and a road trip to face the New York Yankees and Mets on the horizon. Atlanta will conclude its homestand before embarking on a seven-game West Coast trip to Arizona and Los Angeles to face the Angels.