ATLANTA - The Fourth of July may have been a day away Sunday afternoon, but that didn't stop Chipper Jones from setting off a few fireworks following the Atlanta Braves' 5-4 loss to Baltimore.
"Substandard," was Jones' term for National League umpiring in general after home plate umpire Mark Ripperger ended the game on Chipper's at-bat by calling strikes on two pitches from Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg that appeared to be balls.
Added Braves catcher Brian McCann, who would have been next at the plate had Jones note been called out on strikes: "Man, that was a brutal call. And did you see [Ripperger] stare [Jones] down right after that? He's going to stare down a guy who's been in the league 16 years, been an All-Star and didn't do anything but walk away? Brutal, just brutal."
This is not how a five-game winning streak is supposed to draw to a close in your home ballpark. Especially not when you've got 77 games remaining, most of which could possibly come down to an umpire's call or two, given the Braves' .237 batting average, which stood 14th among the NL's 16 teams on Sunday.
Then again, Atlanta also entered Sunday tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL lead in earned run average (3.04) and at the top of the league in opponent batting average (.230).
So maybe the Braves know enough about pitching to know a rookie umpire when they see one. Or as Jones said after wrongly trotting to first following a pitch he felt was ball four: "I knew I was dealing with a larger than average strike zone at that point."
Reasonable men can disagree over Ripperger's strike zone on the second of the two pitches Jones thought was a ball. Some media members thought it was arguable. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez thought differently.
"I thought they were awful," he said. "Balls away, both of them. Not even close. I know it's hot. I know it's going on three and a half hours. But for Chipper, who never complains ..."
It's tough to get too upset about one game in a 162-game season. The Braves now stand 49-36, a mark that would give them the lead this morning in four of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Alas, they remain four games behind the Phillies in the NL East.
But Atlanta also knows that with an offense only the Bad News Bears could love, every out, every run, every game matters.
"I'm not saying we win this one if Chipper walks, like he should have," said McCann. "I just wanted a chance to drive him in. I wanted a chance to keep the game alive and see if we could win the kind of game we've won all year."
In truth, they've won very few games when falling behind early, which they did against the Orioles, landing in a 3-0 hole over the first five innings. The Braves are but 14-28 when the opponent scores first.
There's also lessening logical reason to believe anything is going to get drastically better on offense anytime soon. Oh-for-4 on Sunday, second baseman Dan Uggla is now batting .175 on the season despite 12 HRs. Apparently he's channeling Dave Kingman as a way to pull out of his slump.
Then there's second-year outfielder Jason Heyward, who went 0-for-5 against the O's, bounced one to the pitcher for an inning-ending double-play with the bases loaded in the fifth and is now hitting .228. Even Jones - named by the players to his seventh All-Star team on Sunday - is hitting just .256.
"I was shocked," said Jones, who'll be joined on the team by McCann (a starter for the first time in his sixth appearance) and Braves first-time pitchers Jair Jurrjens and Jonny Venters.
"Fredi called me into his office and when he told me I was like, 'Where's the hidden camera?' I thought it was a joke or something. Now I'll have to cancel my vacation plans. But it's a great honor to have the respect of your peers. Now I'll try to hold up my end of the deal."
His remarks ripping Ripperger - "He can stare me down all he wants ... those were balls and I didn't say a word after the last pitch" - could soon cost Jones a great deal in the wallet.
Not that he seemed to care as he headed to the shower.
"If I get fined, I get fined," Chipper said. "I'm always going to stick up for my team."
Judging by Sunday, his team is always going to stick up for him. Not that loyalty has ever been substandard on the Braves.