MLB Bullets is going home early

The Red Sox are now 1-5 on the season. Do you think Red Sox fans are panicking right now?

Oh, who am I kidding? Red Sox fans would panic if they were 5-1, as long as the most recent game was the loss.

I saw a kid at my daughter’s elementary school getting picked up in a Tesla. Not only do I think that’s pretty unusual anywhere, I’d say it’s really weird for the small farming community that I live in. Does Tesla make tractors now?

• Ahead of his first game back in DC after signing with the Phillies, outfielder Bryce Harper put a message on social media thanking the fans and the Nationals organization for his time there.
• So of course the Nats faithful were grateful and expressed their love for their departed star. Of course not. Harper was roundly booed in DC. But Harper also hit a massive two-run home run, punctuated by an epic bat flip.
• There is a report that the reported ten-year, $300 million deal that the Nationals offered Harper the final weekend of last season was just handed to Harper in an envelope during a rain delay. I mean, why would you do that and not make a formal offer through his agent if it wasn’t just a cya “we tried” offer?
• Extension-mania continues in MLB as the Braves have locked up young superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. with an eight-year, $100 million deal that will keep him in Atlanta through the 2026 season.
• Demetrius Bell says now the Braves need to build a team around Acuña.
• Michael Baumann notes that Acuña is just another player who accepted a deal far below his true market value.
• Craig Calcaterra tries to explain why a player can get $100 million and still be considered underpaid.
• Bill Baer explains why using diacritical marks on the names of players who use them is important. I have to say that I’ve been inconsistent on this front. Some of that is not wanting to take the time to figure out the right way to do it. Some if it is that our automatic linking software doesn’t work with the diacritical marks. I’ll try to do a better job in the future but I can’t promise that I’ll always get it right. However in the case of Kiké Hernandez, it’s vitally important that you don’t forget the marks.
• Acuña isn’t the only player to sign an extension. The Rockies inked pitcher German Marquez to a five-year, $43 million deal. Marquez said he signed the deal because of the Colorado schools. (No, not really.)
• And the Blue Jays signed outfielder Randal Grichuk to a five-year, $52 million extension.
• More bad news for the Nationals as shortstop Trea Turner suffered a broken finger on a bunt attempt. He’s expected to miss several weeks.
• Rockies infielder Daniel Murphy will miss at least a month with his broken finger.
• Yankees third baseman Miguel Andújar has a small labrum tear. He’s going to miss at least two weeks, but season-ending surgery is still a possibility.
• Buster Olney looks at some trade options that the Yankees might pursue to replace Andújar. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• The Reds top pitching prospect, Hunter Greene, will have Tommy John surgery. High school pitchers who throw 100 mph have a terrible track record staying healthy. Luckily, Greene is still just 19.
• Jay Jaffe looks at the Brewers options now that closer Corey Knebel is having Tommy John surgery.
• The Giants made a move to improve their anemic outfield by trading for Kevin Pillar from the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays got pitcher Derek Law, infielder Alen Hanson and a minor league pitcher.
• Dan Szymborski writes that Pillar is now the best outfielder on the Giants, which is a bit like saying Wayne Sermon is the coolest member of Imagine Dragons. (Yes, I had to look up the name of someone in Imagine Dragons.) Szymborski also notes that while getting Pillar makes the Giants better, they’d have to get at least two more outfielders as good as Pillar or better to even have a small chance of making the playoffs.
• In a different trade, the Padres picked up right-handed reliever Matt Wisler from the Reds for a minor league pitcher. The Reds had earlier designated Wisler for assignment.
• The Royals got catcher Andrew Susac from the Orioles in exchange for “cash considerations.”
• Orioles manager Brandon Hyde pulled starter David Hess in the seventh inning after only 82 pitches. Hess was throwing a no-hitter at the time.
• Some people are really upset about this. (That’s just one of many similar pieces.)
• Jay Jaffe looks at the new trend of pulling pitchers with a no-hitter.
• A gif of Hess’ face when he got pulled is quickly making the rounds on social media. (See the picture above.) At that link, however, you also get an explanation from Hyde as to why he did it and Hess saying he was surprised he was pulled, but he appreciates how much his skipper cares about his health.
• David Schoenfield evaluates Brewer outfielder Christian Yelich’s strong start to the 2019 season.
• Sung Min Kim gives a scouting report on Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi after his first two starts.
• Mike Axisa looks at the early trends of the 2019 season. More strikeouts!
• Michael Baumann makes the case for teams trying to steal more bases.
• Sam Miller lists the minimum accomplishments of each MLB team for their season to be considered a success.
• Ken Rosenthal has six managers who are on the hot seat. (The Athletic sub. req.) Yes, Joe Maddon is on it.
• Do-Hyoung Park profiles the legend of La Tortuga, Twins catcher Willians Astudillo.
• Hall-of-Fame manager Bobby Cox has been hospitalized after suffering a possible stroke.
• The security at Dodger Stadium is being criticized again in the aftermath of another violent attack in the parking lot.
• Lenny Dykstra says he’s going to sue his former teammate Ron Darling over Darling’s book that says that Dykstra repeatedly screamed racist slurs at Red Sox pitcher Oil Can Boyd in the 1986 World Series. Between Ron Darling and Lenny Dykstra, I know which one I believe.
• And finally, here’s a collection of the best socks in baseball for the 2019 season. Socks, not Sox.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.