MLB Bullets is right on the nose

Nothing like a bad case of projectile vomiting to make you not care that the Cubs lost to the White Sox.

• Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer broke his own nose when a foul bunt hit him during batting practice. There’s video at that link. Whether Scherzer will make his scheduled start today against the Phillies is now unclear.
• R.J. Anderson thinks that the NL East could soon be a two-team race if the Nationals and Mets don’t start winning soon.
• Marlins rookie pitcher Jordan Yamamoto is off to a great start to his career. He became the first pitcher since at least 1908 to throw at least seven innings and not allow a run in his first two major league starts.
• Padres third baseman Manny Machado was suspended for one game for arguing with an umpire (and allegedly making contact) and the Umpires’ Association issued a very angry statement arguing that the punishment should have been much more severe.
• Major League Baseball issued a statement saying it was “not appropriate” for the MLBUA to comment on disciplinary actions.
• Bill Baer thinks all sides are to blame here, although he’s especially critical of the MLBUA’s statement. But Baer thinks that there needs to be a blanket rule against arguing with umpires.
• Sheryl Ring writes about a new development in umpire Angel Hernandez’s lawsuit against MLB that could have bigger implications in baseball labor-management relations going forward.
• Michael McCann looks at the arrests made in the David Ortiz shooting incident and what they tell us about the incident. Ortiz’s condition has been upgraded to “good.”
• Devan Fink has everything you wanted to know about the intentional balk* (*but were afraid to ask.)
• Jon Tayler thinks that Padres/Rockies series where 92 runs were scored was nuts, but he loved it anyway.
• The Padres are in fourth place after an offseason filled with optimism. But as Michael Baumann writes, the Padres path to contention is still on track. It was always more about 2020 than 2019 anyway. And they’re not out of it this year anyway.
• Alden Gonzalez examines why relief pitchers are so unpredictable and why it’s so tough to build a terrific bullpen.
• Ben Clemens answers why, in an era of record home runs, are pitchers throwing fewer and fewer sinkers, the pitch most likely to get a ground ball?
• The Athletic has a pair of strong articles about life after baseball. Rustin Dodd profiles Chris Lubanski, who was the fifth pick of the 2003 draft and because of injuries and bad timing, never played a game in the majors. Lubanski went back to school and his post-baseball career has been anything but a “bust.” (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Huston Street was an All-Star, but in the two years since he threw his last pitch, he’s thrown himself into various business ventures looking for the same kind of excitement he found as a pitcher, writes Pedro Moura. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Brewers infielder Mike Moustakas has gone through free agency twice now and has still not gotten the long-term contract that he was looking for. But he’s having another all-star season again in 2019, writes Bob Nightengale.
• Dan Szymborski ranks all 30 pitching staffs from best to worst. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• David Schoenfield has the “Ketel Marte All-Stars,” or a team of hitters that have surprised everyone with their power this year.
• Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter bunted for a double.
• And finally, Twins mascot T.C. took on AL MVP (and terrific bowler) Mookie Betts in a bowling showdown before a game at Target Field. Betts is still the top bowler in baseball, I must report.

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