Sports
Eighth-inning homers lift Red Sox to series win over A's
Jul 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Lawrence Butler (4) slides under the tag of Boston Red Sox second baseman Anthony Seigler (48) during the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning to help the Boston Red Sox notch a 5-4 victory over the Athletics on Thursday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Sonny Gray went seven innings and Aroldis Chapman worked out of a jam in the ninth as the Red Sox claimed their third win in the conclusion of a four-game series. Ceddanne Rafaela had two hits and two RBIs and Contreras also had two hits for Boston, which has won 20 of its past 23 games.
Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson each had two hits and one RBI for the Athletics, who have lost five of six games and 26 of their past 33.
A’s All-Star Nick Kurtz (bruised left forearm) went 0-for-4 with a walk one day after being hit by a pitch. His Thursday MRI exam came back clean.
Abreu led off the eighth with the tying blast against Luis Medina (2-3). He smacked a 2-1 changeup 422 feet, sending it over the fence in straightaway center.
Contreras blasted the next pitch well over the wall in left-center to put Boston ahead. He jumped on a curveball and swatted it 414 feet.
In the bottom of the ninth, Athletics pinch hitter Alika Williams doubled off the center field wall with one out. Chapman then struck out pinch hitter Colby Thomas and Kurtz to record his 26th save.
Gray (13-2) gave up four runs and seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Greg Weissert worked a scoreless eighth for Boston.
The Red Sox scored three times in the fifth to overcome a 3-0 deficit.
A’s starter Mason Barnett started the inning by plunking Caleb Durbin, who moved to second on a grounder by Jarren Duran. Andruw Monasterio singled to center to score Durbin.
One out later, Anthony Seigler reached on an infield hit. Rafaela then ripped a two-run double to left to tie the score.
The Athletics moved back ahead in the sixth when Butler doubled and came around to score thanks to two fly balls. Cortes hit the tiebreaking sacrifice fly to left as Butler narrowly beat Duran’s throw.
Barnett allowed three runs and four hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Carlos Cortes drew a walk to start the bottom of the third inning and moved to second on an infield out. He advanced to third when shortstop Monasterio booted Kurtz’s grounder. Wilson then drilled a single to center to score Cortes.
One inning later, Jonah Heim led off with a double and scored on Butler’s one-out two-bagger. Jeff McNeil followed with a single to put runners on the corners. After Cortes struck out, Donovan Walton singled to right, plating Butler.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Goldeneyes move Cara Gardner Morey from GM to head coach
A general view of hockey sticks. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images The Vancouver Goldeneyes are moving Cara Gardner Morey to head coach after serving as general manager during their inaugural PWHL season in 2025-26.
Gardner Morey, 47, previously served as head coach of the women’s ice hockey team at Princeton from 2017-25.
“I’m excited to return to coaching,” she said in a news release on Thursday. “Over the course of the offseason, I spent a lot of time reflecting and discussing what was best for our team and for me personally. Through that process, I realized how much I missed being behind the bench.
“While I continue to be incredibly proud of what we built in Vancouver during our inaugural season, coaching is where I know I can make the biggest impact. To have the opportunity to coach the roster we’ve assembled is an incredible privilege, and I can’t wait for us to take the ice later this year.”
Coach Cara ??
°The Vancouver Goldeneyes announced today that Cara Gardner Morey has been named Head Coach after serving as the team’s General Manager during its inaugural season.
°A search for the team’s next General Manager will begin now.
Details: https://t.co/urKPuV7R3B pic.twitter.com/JeymVedqjx
— Vancouver Goldeneyes (@PWHL__Vancouver) July 30, 2026
Gardner Morey helped Princeton win an Ivy League title and capture its first ECAC Tournament championship during her time with the Tigers.
Under previous head coach Brian Idalski, the Goldeneyes finished in sixth place in the PWHL standings during their debut season with 37 points. Idalski is now the head coach of the women’s team at Syracuse.
The league will lead the search for Vancouver’s next general manager.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Zach Johnson grabs first-round lead at Portugal Invitational
Zach Johnson participates in the trophy presentation after winning the Kaulig Companies PGA Championship Final Round, July 12, 2026, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. PGA Tour Champions rookie Zach Johnson carded an 8-under-par 64 on Friday to take the first-round lead at the Portugal Invitational in Algarve.
Johnson posted nine birdies and one bogey at The Els Club Vilamoura to build a one-shot lead against Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini, who is in solo second place after a bogey-free round with seven birdies.
Alex Cejka of Germany, Charlie Wi of South Korea, Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Mikael Lundberg of Sweden are tied for third place at 6-under-par, with six golfers another shot behind in a tie for seventh place.
Johnson, 50, already has won three times on the senior tour this season, including two of his last three tournaments at the Principal Charity Classic and Kaulig Companies Championship. He finished T7 at last week’s Senior Open.
“I would argue it’s the best tour in the world,” he said. “I’m enjoying it. I would love to have my family out more, but I know my wife’s enjoying it as well. She likes to watch golf and take a nap, so that works out well.”
Johnson opened with birdies at the first three holes, suffered his only bogey at the par-4 13th hole and grabbed the clubhouse lead with another birdie at the par-4 18th. He birdied all five par-5s on the course.
“It was just solid,” Johnson said. “There were very few stressful situations. I hit an errant tee shot on 13, just complete brain meltdown, just lack of focus on the tee shot, and it cost me a bogey. But other than that, it was a very simple day.”
Sabbatini started on the back nine and also played the par-5 holes in 5-under.
“The par-5s are scoring opportunities but you still have to be very cautious because if you try and be overly aggressive on them, they tend to bite you pretty hard,” Sabbatini said. “So you’ve got to try and remain within yourself on those holes and give yourself opportunities, but be prepared that if you try and take off a little bit more than you should, it’s probably going to result in either a par if you’re lucky and sometimes some bogeys.”
This is the first PGA Tour Champions tournament ever held on Portuguese soil.
Sixty-four of the 78 golfers shot even par or better on Friday. In addition to Harrington, the field includes World Golf Hall of Famers Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers scratch RHP Casey Mize with trade deadline looming
Jul 25, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize (12) pitches in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images The Detroit Tigers scratched right-hander Casey Mize with a non-injury designation ahead of Friday’s game against the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, may be joining two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in departing Detroit ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. Both become free agents at the end of this season.
“There’s a lot of unknown with what the next (few) days are going to bring,” Mize said Wednesday. “I’m just as curious as anybody. It’s all around us, can’t really avoid it. We’ll see. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m aware. (Last Saturday) could’ve been my last home start.”
Mize, 29, has battled a nagging groin issue all season and made a pair of stints on the injured list.
He owns a 4-6 record with a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts this season.
The Tigers, who did not announce a replacement for Mize on Friday, are seven games below .500 and rank among the American League’s biggest disappointments as the trade deadline nears.
Detroit was part of the playoff field the past two seasons but enter Friday’s play 4 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who hold the AL’s third wild-card spot. Four teams stand between the Guardians and Tigers, with the Toronto Blue Jays just one game worse than Detroit.
–Field Level Media
Goldeneyes move Cara Gardner Morey from GM to head coach
Zach Johnson grabs first-round lead at Portugal Invitational
