Got to hand it to Ausmus... he's put some serious trust in his starting pitchers this series (during their control spats and on the verge of getting blown out), and so far they've come through for him. That can go a long way for the rest of the season... in addition to keeping your bullpen from getting frequently overtaxed.
Was in St. Louis for 5 years.... yes, they do it there too. Acoustics much better at MMP when the roof is closed and the place is somewhat full... so that's probably playing a role in the exaggerated response.
The umpires made the correct call: "A batter is out when an infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first, second and third base occupied before two are out. The ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their original base or bases. APPROVED RULING: in this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly rule applies."
I'm not. Most fans watching a game live are going to have a similar response, even in baseball towns.