Umpiring is as bad as I’ve ever seen it.
Angel Hernandez is the worst but CB Bucknor is pretty close. Ron Kulpa is also pretty bad.
Balls and strikes should probably be automated or at least challengeable like line calls in tennis.
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Just this year I have seen so many games lost [or won] on bad calls. It may not be the actual call that gets a batter out, but the knowledge that he has to defend a bigger strike zone makes him swing for the next pitch that would also be a ball and so get out
It’s almost like MLB has got Gil and his mates in to advise how to stuff up their game.
Yeah Bucknor is awful
Must run in the name.
The West Indian cricket umpire was a shocker too 
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Are they related? I always wondered that.
Steve Bucknor just went on too long. He was good, and then, he was bad.
Yonny Chirinos, the Braves’ latest starting acquisition, who gave up 5 runs to the Mets on walks, HBP to avoid a father-of-a-hiding sweep last week, took no time to break the run of 3 successive shutouts by giving up a homer to the leadoff batter.
Braves trailed most of the game until Eddie Rosario hit a 2-run HR in the 8th to win 6-5.
The Cardinals held on to Paul DeJong for years, finally trade him, and his new team DFAs him within three weeks.
Seems like other front offices are able to see things that Mozeliak et al cannot.
I look forward to the Mets completing a four game sweep at Busch tomorrow.
Sorry to pile on but my Giants picked up DeJong and he just had one of the all time greatest debuts by a Giant, ever! 3 hits 4 RBIs
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Absolute disaster 
Ohtani has torn his UCL and may need Tommy John surgery.
EDIT: folks are now trying to estimate the potential impact on Ohtani‘s free agent contract. This UCL injury may cost him upwards of $200 million.
Phillies are fun to watch at the moment. Great hitting.
Alex Cobb carried a no-hitter into the 9th, got 2 outs and then gave up a hit to the 3rd batter. Ouch!
Hrrrmph! Although it looks as if they’re not going to have to scramble into the wild cards this year, like last year. I always worry when the Braves are confirmed some days out and rest their key guys, while the chasers are having to bat, pitch and field like demons and come in sharper. Happened repeatedly through that 14-year stint a NL East winners, and quite a few times got knocked out early…as they did last year.
But Strider and Fried hit the playoffs ailing.
I saw some ridiculous stat the other day about Braves hitting and they have 5 or 6 guys with over 25 homers…Olson 43, Riley 31, Ozuna 30, Acuna 29, Albies 28 then Rosario 20 and Murphy (only plays every 2nd day) with 18. Harris and Arcia both have a dozen or so and d’Arnaud 9.
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Big series coming up in LA with the Dodgers facing the Braves over 4 games.
Braves are 5-1 on their western trip so far after sweeping the Rockies 14-4, 3-1 and 7-3 with Darius Vines winning on his ML debut. Atlanta’s premier pitchers should start against the Dodgers with Strider, Fried, Elder and Morton scheduled to start. Still with Kyle Wright who won 20 games last season to come back this month, but unlikely to be ready to start in the post-season, just relieve.
Edit…Ronald Acuna Jnr has become the first player in MLB history to have a 30 homer 60 stolen base season with a grand slam against the Dodgers…and there’s still a month to go.
Braves lead 7-1 bottom 5 with homers to Acuna (30), Riley (32) and Harris (13).
And a 3-run HR by Mookie Betts, his 37th, makes it 7-4.
Finished 8-7 Braves…homer by Busch, a second by Betts and one by Muncy (32)
Game 2…Fried vs Urias
Braves up 3-0 after 4 with 3 solo HR’s from d’Arnaud, Acuna and Ozuna. You can’t relax against these ■■■■■■ though.
Acuna and Riley both double, Albies and Ozuna single, contribute 2 runs in the 5th.
Ended 6-3. Fried came out after 7 with no runs and 3 hits. Johnson got 2 outs then fell apart, giving up a 3-run HR to Kolten Wong.
Game 3…Braves and Dodgers 1-1 going into extras, Braves on a monster HR from Acuña, Dodgers on a GIDP with bases loaded.
Dodgers had sat 19 successive Braves bats, until Murphy walked in the 10th, Arcia followed with a homer to left to make it 4-1 (runner starts on 2nd in extras), now Harris singled and Acuña up with 2 outs.
Finished 4-2 with Muncy hitting a sac fly. About time that Olson and Murphy got back to hitting homers again. They’re not playing for Oakland still.
And the Dodgers won the finale 3-1. At least Olson took my criticism on board hitting his 44th homer.
Edit…3 days later…
Braves have come home from their 10-day trip west, which they went 8-2 in, only to lose the first two games against the Cardinals, quite badly.
At least Matt Olson is back hitting homers, but Sammy Sosa-homers…solo shots when well behind…homers which don’t make any difference to the result.
And an 8-5 win today behind Max Fried over Atlanta-reject Adam Wainwright (although it was about 20 years ago when you trade a prospect for a gun at the trade deadline). Can’t even remember who it was, but he was good, then buggered off to the Yankees next season. First or third baseman. Olson homered for the 4th game in a row, now 47, but at least this time his homer put the Braves in front. I think I’ll concede the Wainwright trade as a bad one for the Braves. Wainwright’s been a gun.
Oh dear.
Noonan I’m just as mystified by the Braves-Cardinals series as you are. I guess our lineup is occasionally good enough to outscore our abysmal bullpen. Whenever the Cardinals do win, the score is usually like 11-8 or something.
The latest MAGA slogan is “Awake not Woke”. Looks like Wells is living up to the irrelevant boomer stereotype.
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Always struck me as that type…
Braves started a four game set in Philadelphia with a double-header to kick off.
Pretty obvious they were using the series to help set the starting rotation because they didn’t declare the Game 2 starter until after Game 1, which they won 10-8 in extras after Harper hit a 2-run homer in the 9th to tie the game.
Since they won Game 1, they were happy to start Kyle Wright after a long absence through injury. Didn’t go well for him, giving up 6 runs in 3 innings. Matt Olson hit 2 homers (4 RBI) to bring up the 50, 1 short of Andruw Jones’ franchise record.
Acuna hit a homer in the first to further his chances at a first ever 40HR/70SB season. He’s already the first with a 30/60 season. He has 36 HR’s and 65 SB’s, with 18 games left.
Teams currently in strong contention…NL East Braves 15 games up on the Phils, Central Brewers 3 games up on the Cubs, and West, Dodgers 13 up on the Snakes. Phils and Cubs leading Wild Card, with Marlins, Giants and Reds well within reach.
In the AL, the O’s lead the Rays by 3 games and Jays, Red Sox and Yankees a fair way back. In the Central, Twins lead the Guardians and in the West, the Astros lead the Mariners and Rangers both well within reach of the Wild Card.
Giants do their darnedest to lose but somehow win in extra innings against Cleveland. Still 1.5 games out of a Wildcard spot.
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