a tongue lashing

Jonathan Papelbon took the loss for Philadelphia on Monday night and then went off on the home-plate umpire postgame. The former Mississippi State standout was upset about a potential third strike that wasn’t called in the ninth inning of a tie game; the batter, Los Angeles’ Dee Gordon, then tripled and scored the go-ahead run on another hit. The umpire in question was a fill-in up from Triple-A, and Papelbon said he should be sent back down for not doing a good job. “There’s no room for that up here,” Papelbon told mlb.com. Papelbon is 15-for-15 in save opportunities with his new club but hasn’t pitched as well in non-save situations. After the 4-3 loss to L.A., his record is 0-2 and his ERA 2.31. P.S. Ole Miss product Seth Smith had a “Wendy’s Slam” for Oakland: a triple, a double and two singles. His four hits led the A’s 15-hit attack in a 12-1 win over Texas. Smith is hitting just .238 for his new club. … Minus their best player — Andrelton Simmons, now with Atlanta — the wheels are coming off for the Mississippi Braves. After a fifth straight loss on Monday, they are 24-34, worst record in the Southern League. Maybe they’re looking forward to wiping the slate clean for the second half on June 21. Maybe that’s it.