TORONTO — After floating the idea Saturday night of shaking up his lineup to find some offense, the most notable change Aaron Boone ended up making was sitting Jazz Chisholm Jr. for José Caballero.

And while Boone said Sunday morning that he expected Chisholm “to be back in there regularly” at second base moving forward, Caballero at least gave him something to think about on Monday’s off day.

Making only his second start since George Lombard Jr. was called up on Aug. 4, Caballero provided a lift for a slumping offense, scoring a run and then driving in another as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 4-3 in 10 innings at Rogers Centre.

“Certainly hoping for [a spark], and he was good,” Boone said. “Obviously good defense, but a big hit for us, a big walk, a [steal] to set up the first run, drove in the next run. … A lot of really good things by him and a big difference in the game today.”

The Orioles are in line to throw three righty starters against the Yankees in the series that begins Tuesday at Camden Yards, making it possible that Boone will in fact go right back to Chisholm at second base.

The pending free agent is in the midst of a rough season, finishing Sunday batting just .216 with a .683 OPS, though he did hit a single in the ninth inning and stole a bag after entering the game as a pinch runner in the seventh.

But Caballero, who has shown he can be effective in spurts, did it again Sunday.

Leading off the third inning against Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease, Caballero drew a four-pitch walk that began with him using back-to-back challenges to turn two called strikes into two balls.

He then took second on a groundout, swiped third for his 30th steal of the season and came home to score on Luis García Jr.’s sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.

“I always try to help my team in any way possible and see any opportunity that is out there to take advantage of,” Caballero said. “I was able to take third base on him and make it easier for my teammate behind me to drive me in.”

In a 1-1 game in the seventh, with two outs and runners on first and second against lefty reliever Brendon Little, Caballero roped a single to left field that scored Lombard for the 2-1 lead.

It initially appeared like another run might score on the play, as Caballero got in a pickle between first and second that went on long enough for the pinch-running Chisholm to score, but replay review showed Caballero got brushed with a tag during a drop and roll before Chisholm crossed the plate.

“I already messed it up — I think I decided to go to second a little late, so in my head, I was like, ‘Let me stay in the rundown, maybe I can get an extra run out of it,’ ” Caballero said. “That was the plan after I got caught in between. I tried my best, and it almost worked out, but it didn’t.”

The boos were heard both on the field and virtually Sunday.

After watching their beloved Los Angeles Dodgers stumble through a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, dropping the four-game series 3–1 and surrendering a potentially critical postseason tiebreaker, angry and frustrated Dodgers fans turned to social media to voice their complaints. 

“The Dodgers just haven’t looked like a good baseball team for a few weeks now,” wrote one fan, stating the obvious. 

Since July 25, the Dodgers are 7–13 — one of the worst records in baseball of that three-week span. Going back even further, they’ve been a below .500 team since the end of June. 

The Dodgers still remain atop the NL West at 74–51, but they have fallen into third in the National League standings. That means LA would be playing in a best-of-three Wild Card series if the postseason began on Monday instead of enjoying a first-round bye. 

Entering the series with the Brewers, the Dodgers were fresh off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals and had an opportunity to leapfrog Milwaukee for the best record in baseball if they won the series. 

The fact that they instead lost three of four at home, and the manner in which they lost, transformed frustration from Dodgers fans into something closer to an alarm bell. 

“These #Dodgers at bats are pathetic,” one fan posted. “Zero hard contact. Not making the pitcher work AT ALL.”

Another was even more direct: “This offense is dog s*** and I’m not really sure who to blame for that.”

Sunday supplied plenty of ammunition: Tarik Skubal delivered another quality outing, yet the Dodgers once again provided little run support. Their prized trade-deadline acquisition is now 0–2 with a 3.18 ERA through three starts. The Dodgers offense has provided him with just four runs in his 17 innings pitched. 

Some fans believe the problem runs deeper than approach or execution.

“The Dodgers have played more baseball than any other team from spring training 2024–present,” one user wrote. “They’re also the oldest team in baseball. Fatigue is certainly a factor.”

Others aren’t interested in excuses.

“This team is on a serious slide,” another fan wrote, adding that the chances of a three-peat seems to be fading with each lifeless performance.

World Series trophies aren’t handed out in August, but it seems like Sunday’s loss has reached a breaking point for the fanbase. October is getting closer and patience in Los Angeles for the Dodgers offense to rise to their potential is getting shorter. 

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Mariners 3, Astros 2

On fire (complimentary): Andrés Muñoz 0.20 WPA, Bryan Woo 0.13 WPA
On fire (emergency!): Josh Naylor -0.19 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day

With two outs in the 6th, the Rockies up 8-7, Mickey Moniak greeted Reiver Sanmartin, San Francisco’s third pitcher of the inning, with a punched single into left.

One run scored as left fielder Turner Hill overran the ball, allowing Moniak to take second and a second run to race home. The top of the half started with the Rockies in a one-run hole. After that single punctuating a four-score rally, the half-inning ended with them in possession of a commanding lead that would only grow as the game progressed. 

A rough frame for Sam Hentges, JT Brubaker, and Sanmartin for sure. And only a brief dip into the weeds of the inning is required to recognize that rough isn’t a strong enough word. 

Four walks were handed out in the 6th. Tack on a wild pitch and a hit batter — that’s six gifts of 90 feet. 540 feet of hassle-free, ‘round the bases travel before Moniak’s 80 MPH punch — Colorado’s first and only hit in the inning — turned the diamond into a carousel. Hentges faced four batters, walking two and retiring two. Brubaker came in as the fireman and bag the third out; instead he spiked a change-up that catcher Drew Cavanaugh lunged to get in front of. Cavanaugh deadened the ball but lost track of it as it trickled comically out behind him. Everyone on the field and the stands could see where the ball ended up except for the desperate catcher, and those brief moments of frantic searching was enough for Zac Veen to race home and tie the game. A wild pitch that ended up about six inches from the plate.

That unfortunate break (along with some excellent aggressive base running) left Brubaker rattled. He walked Amador, then on four pitches, forced the bases loaded with another free pass to Jake McCarthy. In an 0-2 count, he plunked Cole Carrigg to surrender the lead and bring Moniak up to the plate. 

As awful and clumsy and amateurish and goofy and embarrassing and u-g-l-y as that 6th inning, it was not an anomaly. That 2-run single was just Colorado’s fifth hit of the day, and yet, somehow, they had scored ten runs. That kind of production doesn’t come without some generous handouts.

Starter Blade Tidwell walked five over 4.1 innings, though he limited Colorado to just three hits they still tagged him for six runs. In the 2nd, two walks and two singles preceded number-9 hitter Amador’s 2-out, 3-run shot to right. Tidwell would walk two more before being pulled in the 5th for Hentges, and both would eventually reach home after a double by Carrig and Moniak sac fly. Keaton Winn surrendered a walk and another 3-run homer before he recorded an out in the 7th.     

Eight of the 11 walks (10 BB + 1 HBP) gifted by the Giants came around to score. It’s the 38th time this year that a pitching staff has walked at least 10, and the second time (their 16-2 loss to Milwaukee on June 1st) in which San Francisco has walked as far onto the wild side. It’s just the 15th game in which the team walked at least ten while giving up 9 or fewer hits.

38? 15? Doesn’t that feels like a lot? Almost commonplace, even. I mean, what we did is just another day at the ballpark for the Rockies — they worked ten walks against the Diamondbacks four days ago. If we really want to wallow around in this suck, let’s pile on the other crimes and misdemeanors. Sunday’s loss was the fourth time in the 21st century that a Giants team has handed out at least ten walks, hit at least one batter, thrown at least one wild pitch, committed at least one error, and surrendered at least ten runs in a game, with the most recent franchise collapse coming in a 14-3 loss to the Phillies in 2024.

Less common, but 2024 feels very close. There’s still some level of precedence for the bad we witnessed this afternoon. Does that make it worse? Absolutely! Not only did we get treated to one of the worst pitched games a team can put together against one of the worst teams in baseball — but it’s not even one-of-a-kind, barely even unique.  

If you’re chasing that feeling of distinctive despair, consider how one-sided the incompetence was. This loss was far from a team effort. The offense scored 7 runs — that’s a solid performance. The last time a Giants team scored as many while also committing all that aforementioned nonsense was 1979.

What will really salt the wound was how nice the start of this game was thanks to the offense. The bats kept up their groove from yesterday, going 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Six of their runs came with two outs. Rafael Devers hustled out a double in the 1st and came home for the game’s first run on a Bryce Eldridge single. Next ups, Devers responded to Amador’s 3-run shot with one of his own in the very next half-inning — he even put his in the water for his first Splash Hit. Lead-off extraordinaire, Drew Gilbert bagged another RBI knock. Turner Hill collected one too for his first Major League hit, and Buddy Kennedy worked a bases loaded walk in the 5th, earning the San Francisco arms their third lead of the day.

All of that didn’t matter. The seven Giants’ arms (well, five in particular) were dead-set on their artlessness. Everything the offense gave to them was repackaged and offered up to their opponents — a turn even more vexing considering zero walks were handed out yesterday. (That kind of 180 might explain why the Giants have yet to win four games in a row).   

A 13-7 loss, and a 6-7 season series loss to the Rockies (their first since 2020). Truly a fitting end to the Battle of the Bad.

The Mets are calling up Christopher Morel from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of their series-opener against the San Diego Padres on Monday, according to multiple reports.

Morel, 27, played in 22 games with the Miami Marlins earlier in the 2026 season, but was designated for assignment on June 21. He had struggled mightily with Miami, hitting just .162 with three doubles and one RBI. 

New York then signed him to a minor league deal on June 30.

Since joining Syracuse, Morel has turned it around. He's hitting .321 with a 1.098 OPS, 12 home runs, and 29 RBI over 31 games. Defensively, he's seen time at first base (10 games), third base, second base, left field, and right field.

Last year with the Tampa Bay Rays, Morel hit .219 with 11 HRs and 16 doubles over 105 games. His best season in the big leagues came with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, hitting .247 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI over 107 games.

The Colorado Rockies have done it: They’ve won their 50th game this season, something they have not achieved since they won their 50th game on August 28, 2024.

In honor of this feat, and the excellent community we have here on Purple Row, we’d like to do a giveaway!

To enter, comment with your favorite Rockies win of 2026.

We will select two winners after the game on Sunday, and they will receive one of two Larry Walker bobbleheads.

Since we’ll also be celebrating Larry Walker getting a (long-overdue) statue this weekend, it seemed like a perfect time for this particular giveaway.

We look forward to reading your responses!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

After a tough outing on Aug. 5, Mets starter Jonah Tong has now turned in two straight strong performances for Triple-A Syracuse.

The right-hander struck out six over 4.2 IP on Sunday against Jacksonville, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks.

He came out of the gate firing, striking out two in the first inning, but let up the one run on a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning. Tong fought back to retire three straight including back-to-back strikeouts and kept it going with a 1-2-3 third inning.

Tong hit the leadoff man in the fourth inning before getting some help from his defense on a double play and caught stealing. His day came to an end in the fifth inning after surrendering a two-out walk and single. Reliever Joe Jacques came in to get the third out and keep the runs off Tong's scorecard. 

Syracuse's bullpen was then able to hold Jacksonville hitless for the rest of the game, pulling out a 2-1 win. Hayden Senger drove in the team's first run in the second inning, and Eric Wagaman's sacrifice fly in the seventh gave them the lead.

While Tong didn't earn the win, he did lower his season ERA to 5.15 and is up to 115 strikeouts over 94.1 IP.

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a brutal week where they’ll play 5 games in 4 days against the Cincinnati Reds beginning with a day/night doubleheader on Monday. What we know about pitching matchups already shows this might be one of the most interesting and possibly pivotal weeks of the season so far.

Here are the probable (key word) pitching matchups according to MLB.com:

Monday, Aug 17 (12:40 PM Central Time): TBD (Game 1 of Doubleheader) vs Quinn Mathews

Monday, Aug 17 (5:40 PM Central Time): Rhett Lowder (RHP) vs Andre Pallante

Tuesday, Aug 18 (5:40 PM Central Time): Andrew Abbott (LHP) vs Kyle Leahy

Wednesday, Aug 19 (5:40 PM Central Time): Chase Burns vs Matthew Liberatore

Thursday, August 20 (11:40 AM Central Time): TBD vs Michael McGreevy

It’s important to emphasize that the pitching matchups are somewhat tentative and changeable. I was able to confirm the Cardinals starters for Monday’s day/night doubleheader based on a report from Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch:

Here’s how the projected Reds starters have been performing. Rhett Lowder is 1-1 over his last 3 starts. He lost his most recent start on August 12 against the Chicago White Sox although it wasn’t his fault. He tossed 5 1/3 innings and only allowed 2 earned runs giving up 7 hits while striking out 4 and walking just 1. He won the previous start to that against the Athletics throwing 6 innings giving up 4 hits and 2 earned runs on August 5.

Andrew Abbott is also 1-1 over his last 3 starts. His most recent outing on August 13 against the White Sox was a no-decision as he pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up 7 hits and 5 earned runs while striking out 3, but also walking 3. Prior to that, he was victorious on August 6 tossing 6 2/3 innings against the Athletics giving up 7 hits, 3 earned runs while striking out 4 and walking 2.

Chase Burns is the most effective Reds starter the Cardinals are expected to face as he’s 14-2 on the year. His most recent game on August 14 was a gem against the Marlins as he pitched 7 innings giving up only 4 hits and no earned runs with 8 strikeouts and no walks. The outing prior was a dud on August 8 as he got rocked by the Washington Nationals giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3.

Who are the Reds players to watch?

Sal Stewart – JJ Wetherholt’s main competition for the NL Rookie of the Year leads the Reds with 26 home runs and 91 RBI’s with a batting average of .259. St. Louis can’t let Stewart beat them.

JJ Bleday – Bleday currently has 20 home runs with just 47 RBI’s and an average of .217.

Elly De La Cruz – Elly has 20 home runs, 56 RBI’s with 21 stolen bases and an average of .262

Spencer Steer – Steer has 16 home runs, 40 RBI’s with an average of .238

Eugenio Suárez – Cincinnati’s DH has 18 home runs, 49 RBI’s with an average of just .205

The Cincinnati Reds, who sit in the cellar of the National League Central, are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost the past 2-in-a-row to the Miami Marlins this weekend. The St. Louis Cardinals, by comparison, are 7-3 in their last 10 games winning the past 2-in-a-row against the Cubs in Wrigley. The Cardinals have a 5-3 record against the Reds this season overall. They split a doubleheader in Cincinnati on May 23 winning game 1 decisively 8-1, but losing game 2 in 11 innings 7-6.

Even though he was hitless on Sunday after his historic MLB debut Saturday, Joshua Baez brings a different look to the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. There are no doubts that he’ll have to make adjustments to Major League pitching, but I noticed that Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson seemed to be seeing better pitches when they hit in front of Baez this weekend against the Cubs. The sample size is much too small to draw any real conclusions, but I’m hopeful that his presence will continue to light a fire under the St. Louis Cardinals offense so their bats support some great pitching efforts recently. I also recognize this is a development year, but I’m not conceding a run at the playoffs yet. I greedily want to see the Cardinals take at least 4 of the 5 games in Cincinnati this week if not a sweep. At minimum, St. Louis needs to win the series and grab at least 3 of 5. There’s no reason the Cardinals shouldn’t come out of Cincinnati with a better look at a playoff spot than they have going in. Will that happen? We’ll find out starting Monday.

Tejay Antone never should have been tasked with this. To be quite clear, I am ecstatic that Antone not only made it back to the big leagues in very successful fashion after his third Tommy John surgery almost two years ago, but he never should’ve found himself in the situations he was in this weekend against the Miami Marlins in Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati had slugged its way back into the lead on Saturday, and they took a 4-3 lead into the Top of the 8th when Tejay took over. In a blink, he was tagged with 3 ER in an inning that eventually saw the Reds surrender 4, and that 4-3 lead turned into an eventual 8-4 loss.

Sunday afternoon in GABP told a similar story, albeit one that wasn’t technically just the bullpen’s fault. Nick Lodolo turned in 5.0 scoreless innings in a game where the offense completely failed to show up, but it was once again Antone on the mound in the Top of the 8th in a 0-0 game, and he served up the go-ahead solo homer before the rest of Cincinnati’s beleaguered bullpen collapsed in a 7-1 loss.

Again, this ain’t about Tejay. It’s just that he’s the only one standing despite being the last one anyone should’ve expected to be standing in a unit that – whether by injury, design, or mismanagement – has completely burned through every single thread it once had.

We’ve not seen Graham Ashcraft since late May. Tony Santillan’s been gone since late June. Caleb Ferguson was a total bust before he was shipped out at the trade deadline, and none of Zach Maxwell, Lyon Richardson, or Kyle Nicolas panned out as hoped. Connor Phillips was such a disaster again at the start of the year that we haven’t heard a peep from him in months, while Sam Moll, Pierce Johnson, and Julian Garcia have been so-so at best.

Ron Marinaccio, who was just claimed off waivers when there was nobody else in the quiver, was on the bump for the 5-run Top of the 9th inning in today’s loss.

The weekend was indicative of just what the Reds bullpen has become – a mix of poor, run down, overworked, and overmatched, with only Tejay there to be the one guy who actually looks the part. Unfortunately for him, he’s been tasked with that job so damn often of late that it finally came back to haunt the Reds this weekend, the end result them dropping a home series to a struggling Marlins club and dropping (once again) back into last place in the NL Central.