José Caballero homers, steals base against Red Sox

Run support was hard to come by for both pitchers in this one, as Cease and Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy combined to allow just two earned runs on the night. Cease’s lone earned run came in the fifth inning when Jordan Walker singled to bring home Nathan Church to put the Cardinals up 1-0, but he was bailed out of the loss in the sixth inning thanks to a Kazuma Okamoto double that brought home Vladdy Jr. to tie the game at 1-1. Were it not for a three-run outing against the Rays, Cease’s numbers for July would have been even more impressive than the 3-1 record he posted with a 1.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP. He’ll look to continue his recent run of dominance in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday on the the road against the Astros.

A little run support would have been nice for Leahy, who has allowed just four earned runs in his last 18 innings of work but doesn’t have a win to speak of over that span. The righty did his part to hold the Jays in check, but exited after six innings with the game deadlocked at 1-1. The lone run he allowed came in the sixth inning after he allowed back-to-back doubles to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto to start the frame, with Vladdy coming around to score on Okamoto’s double. He earned only one win in July, but fantasy managers won’t be mad at the 1.38 ERA and 0.88 WHIP leahy provided on the month. He’ll look to stay hot in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Yankees.

Alonso’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning tied the game tied at 2-2. It was the 23rd homer of the season for Alonso, who enjoyed a strong July, slashing .261/.375/.466 with four homers, 10 RBI and six doubles. He has also hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and continues to be one of the top fantasy producers at his position.

Young got off to a rough start in this one, allowing Trea Turner to reach off with an infield single, which he followed with a walk to Kyle Schwarber. A single by Bryce Harper would bring in Turner to put the Phillies up 1-0, and an RBI ground out by Brandon Marsh extended that lead to 2-0 before Young was able to get out of the inning. Young made it through the second inning without any issues, but after allowing solo homers to Turner in the fourth inning and J.T. Realmuto in the sixth inning, he found himself on the wrong side of a 4-2 ball game. This was Young’s worst start since July 4th, when he allowed four earned runs over five innings to the Reds, but he has been relatively strong as of late. He’ll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday at home against the Angels.

Raley has been dealing with a flexor strain in his forearm and the elbow issue for a while now, and it’s possible that it may ultimately require a trip to the injured list to get it right. If he’s not able to go at some point this weekend, the Mariners’ hand could be forced.

The 26-year-old infielder was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning after experiencing the soreness. It’s not believed to be a major issue and García is currently considered day-to-day.

Turner legged out an infield single in the top of the first inning and later came around to score to put the Phillies up 1-0. Then, in the third inning, Turner got the best of Orioles starter Brandon Young when he left a fastball over the plate, which Turner deposited into left-center field to put the Phillies back on top 3-2. July proved to be a great month for Turner and his fantasy managers. He slashed a season-best .287/.333/.564 with seven homers and 15 RBI and is now sitting on 17 homers for the season.

Painter took the mound with a 2-0 lead and immediately gave it back. A leadoff double by Dylan Beavers got things started for the O’s and was followed by a two-run homer by Pete Alonso to draw things even at 2-2. Despite the rough start, Painter settled in to allow just one hit over his remaining five innings of work while striking out six batters, his most in any game since May 2nd against the Marlins. Painter was promoted from Triple-A to start tonight’s game. If he sticks around for another start, it will most likely come on Wednesday at home against the Nationals.

Ohtani has already admitted that his knee is unlikely to be at 100 percent for the remainder of the season, so it sounds like the Dodgers will have to be careful to mix in some off days to help to try to keep him as fresh as possible. He’s back in there atop the Dodgers’ lineup for Friday’s matchup against Red Sox’ southpaw Ranger Suarez.

Bratt turned in his best start of the season on Friday. Despite some shaky command that resulted in three walks, Bratt never allowed more than two baserunners in an inning, and the lone run he surrendered came in the first inning on an RBI single by Rhys Hoskins to bring home José Ramirez. Bratt has now pitched out of the fifth inning in back-to-back starts and is scheduled to make his next appearance on Wednesday against the Padres.