What made baseball fun this week: Elly De La Cruz is the best thing to happy to Cincinnati since Joe Burrow

You’re killing me, Smalls…: Pete Alonso wanted Bryce Elder to throw it again…

You may hate your favorite team’s arch rival, but I can’t begin to tell you how much baked-in animosity there is between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets these days. The only way to make Braves Country madder is Bryce Harper in a third NL East jersey, the one with blue and orange on it. Well, the next closest thing to rile up Braves fans has to be Mets star Pete Alonso.

After taking a Bryce Elder hanging slider deep into the night, he uttered three words he would soon later regret: Throw it again.

The Mets proceeded to get one hit the rest of the game after Alonso’s third inning moonshot.

The Braves would rally to win on Tuesday night 6-4 to take the first of the three-game series. Atlanta would win Game 2 on Wednesday night to claim a series victory over their bitter rival. Shockingly, the Braves were able to pull off a monumental comeback to sweep the Mets Thursday.

To add insult to injury, Alonso was unfortunately hit in the wrist by Charlie Morton in the top of the first on Wednesday night. Thankfully, Alonso didn’t break anything. Morton felt terrible about it. He apologized to Alonso, who was appreciative of it. While it was not great to hear Braves fans cheering about Alonso getting hit, Mets fans would do the same thing if it were Ronald Acuña Jr.

Neither fan base is as sophisticated or as holier than thou as it would actually like to think it is.

So where do we go from here? Turn all the lights down and smile from ear to ear? I’m not feeling the hurt feelings, but I am Feeling This bitter rivalry be cranked up another notch. Fate fell short last time, as smiles faded in the summer for the Mets, as they went Down, Down, Down, Down to the hated Braves once again. Through All of This I know, there is no cure for hate outside of love.

What is Love, though? Baby, don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me? No more! I had a way to write this prompt and not be so petty, but I’m also Buhler, and you know what this Dawg is all about, Dawg. As we bob our heads in unison to the left-hand side, we don’t want No Scrubs trying to holler at us, unless it’s Emilio Estevez or the Mighty Duck man’s kid brother Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn.

Coming out of the bullpen is No. 99 Problems but a pitch ain’t one in Strokes fan Spencer Strider.

Hot cleats, Gatorade baths | But what about the fans???