Sports
Red Sox bid to carry July success into clash vs. Dodgers
Jul 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Boston Red Sox are bidding a fond farewell to the month of July.
The calendar turned to August on Saturday with the middle contest of a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox won again on Friday, taking down the Dodgers 9-4 in the series opener. Ceddanne Rafaela belted a go-ahead two-run homer in a five-run seventh inning as the visitors rallied for the victory.
Boston went 21-4 in July, an .840 win percentage that was best in franchise history for a month with a minimum 15 games.
“Obviously the month of July was incredible and necessary with where we were at,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It was necessary that we played better and got on a run and we got on a heck of a run. We have to continue that now because we’re playing very good baseball.”
While the Red Sox struggled to score early runs while taking three of four against the Athletics to open the road trip, they took a 3-0 lead Friday. Boston flashed even more offense after Shohei Ohtani hit a home run to give the Dodgers the lead in the fifth inning.
Andruw Monasterio added a two-run double in the seventh and Jarren Duran had two RBIs on Friday, one day after causing a stir when he gestured toward third base after Willson Contreras did not tag up from third base on his fly ball.
Friday’s game was not without its concerns after Contreras was hit in the helmet by a 95.4-mph pitch in the third inning and left the game. According to Tracy, initial concussion tests “went fine,” with Contreras set to undergo more tests Saturday.
The Red Sox are set to send left-hander Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) to the mound Saturday. Boston has won each of Tolle’s last four starts, as he went 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA during the stretch.
Tolle will be facing the Dodgers for the first time.
Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not appear in the All-Star Game in order to get some extra rest, and the decision seems to have worked wonders.
Yamamoto (11-6, 2.72) will pitch Saturday after he delivered a pair of wins immediately following the break.
In a July 19 road start against the New York Yankees, Yamamoto pitched the first regular-season complete game of his career, earning the win after allowing two runs on four hits. Almost one week later, he battled his command before giving up one run over six innings in a road win against the New York Mets.
After the 102-pitch complete game, battling to get on track again was far from a surprise.
“He wasn’t as efficient as he has been,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But he’s just such a good competitor. … I think that the tell was that he made pitches when he needed to. But the fastball command, the split, just wasn’t where it has been in the last six weeks.”
Yamamoto will be facing the Red Sox for the first time.
Ohtani’s home run came after he sat out a game Thursday with soreness in his left knee. It is the same injury that has kept Ohtani out of the rotation since the break.
After winning six of eight games immediately after the break, the Dodgers have lost three of their last five.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday in exchange for two prospects.
Doval, 29, is 3-1 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances out of the New York bullpen this season. The Pirates were seeking late-game relief help.
The Yankees received catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz in the deal. New York also included cash as part of the trade.
New York acquired Doval, a former All-Star closer, in a deal with the San Francisco Giants at last year’s trade deadline.
Doval is 29-20 with 109 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 341 career relief outings with the Giants (2021-25) and Yankees. He tied for the National League lead with 39 saves in 2023 when he made the NL All-Star team.
Alfonzo, 22, was batting .238 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 62 games this season, including 60 for Double-A Altoona.
Cruz, 18, was batting .300 with eight RBIs and eight steals in 19 games for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan (20) runs up court after a basket during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Portland Trail Blazers forward Jeremy Sochan agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, per ESPN.
Sochan was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
Across three-plus seasons with the Spurs, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 212 games (149 starts). He shot 46.8% from the field and 28.7% from 3-point range.
He was waived by the Spurs in February. He then signed with the New York Knicks.
The 23-year-old only appeared in 16 regular season games for the Knicks, averaging a meager 6.9 minutes per game. In that limited run, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists, while shooting 56.7% from the field.
During the postseason, he appeared in eight games during the team’s championship run, playing 26 total minutes and averaging 2.5 points.
Now, the former lottery pick will look to earn a bigger role on a revamped Blazers squad. Portland has a loaded backcourt with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. The 6-foot-8 Sochan will give them frontcourt depth behind Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics select LHP Ben Bowden, demote RHP Luis Morales
Jul 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Athletics relief pitcher Ben Bowden (62) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images The Athletics selected left-hander Ben Bowden from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
The 31-year-old was a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies back in 2016, but has not had much production at the major league level.
Bowden was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 32 relief appearances for Las Vegas this season.
In 2021, he made his MLB debut for the Rockies, going 3-2 and posting a 6.56 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 42 strikeouts across 35 2/3 innings.
He returned to the big leagues in 2025, away from hitter-friendly Coors Field, as a member of the Athletics. He had a 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.
Right-hander Luis Morales was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. He was 0-2 and had a 14.06 ERA across 16 innings over five appearances (two starts) this season.
Morales was 1-3 with a 7.18 ERA in 19 appearances (nine starts) for Las Vegas earlier this season.
–Field Level Media
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
