WEST SACRAMENTO — Instant reactions from the Red Sox' 4-2 win over the Athletics on Monday at Sutter Health Park:
1. Boston improved to 55-50 while the Athletics dropped to 44-62. The Red Sox are 18-3 in July and won their 10th straight game on the road. They are 23-4 since June 25.
2. Ceddanne Rafaela's first career grand slam and 11th homer this season put the Red Sox ahead 4-1 in the sixth inning. It was only Boston's second hit of the game. The All-Star center fielder connected on a slider from left-handed reliever José Suarez and belted it 382 feet, just clearing the left field wall.
3. Boston didn't record its first hit against A's starter Jack Perkins until Connor Wong doubled to lead off the sixth inning. Perkins retired the next two hitters, Masataka Yoshida and Anthony Seigler, on groundouts before walking Willson Contreras.
Suarez replaced Perkins with runners at the corners. He walked Wilyer Abreu to load the bases, then allowed Rafaela's grand slam.

#first #grand #slam #inning

Curtis Mead's debut with the Boston Red Sox did not go as planned on Monday night.
Mead left the Red Sox's 4-2 win over the Athletics early after being hit in the hand by a pitch. Mead was up to bat in the fourth inning of the contest at Sutter Health Park when a pitch from Athletics starter Jack Perkins came up and drilled him directly in his left hand.
Mead was clearly in significant pain as he walked it off, and he was quickly replaced by Anthony Seigler.
Curtis Mead left the game in his Red Sox debut after being hit by a pitch on the hand

Mead was acquired from the Nationals on July 25th pic.twitter.com/DXhS6aEY6b
Further specifics of the injury are not yet known.

#curtis #Monday #sutter

The Kansas City Royals' disappointing 2026 MLB season has taken another devastating turn. On Wednesday morning, the Royals announced that superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. will be placed on the injured list after exiting Monday night's game with a back injury.
While the team has not yet provided a timetable for his return, the decision to place him on the IL indicates the injury is significant enough to sideline one of baseball's brightest young stars. For a team already buried in the standings, losing Witt is the last thing Kansas City needed.
MORE: One player every MLB team will trade at the 2026 trade deadline
Apr 29, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) flips his bat after hitting a single against the Athletics in the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Witt has been one of the few bright spots for the Royals over the past couple of seasons, making this latest injury particularly concerning.

#kansas #team

A former California reserve deputy sheriff has been identified as the person who died after a pleasure boat carrying members of an extended family capsized in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island.
Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, died after the three-level recreational vessel sank Tuesday afternoon with 20 people aboard, authorities said. The Sutter County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that Boisa served as a reserve deputy sheriff beginning in 1987.
Three passengers remained missing Wednesday after 16 others were rescued, including three people who were taken to local hospitals.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday it planned to suspend its search for the three missing passengers at sunset after crews spent roughly 23 hours searching more than 950 nautical square miles of San Francisco Bay.
"We have completely saturated the search area," Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Commander Capt. Jarod Tosczko said during a Wednesday news conference, thanking Good Samaritans who helped rescue people from the water.

The Athletics were .500 and a half game out of first place in the AL West just about three weeks ago after they staged a comeback, 10-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on June 19. Now at the All-Star break, the A's are staring at a 41-55 record. They're fourth in the AL West and eight games back of the division-leading Texas Rangers.
They're 3-17 in their past 20 games, losers of 13 of their last 14 and currently mired in a nine-game skid. Looking to snap out of their midsummer malaise, the A's made a staff change Monday, firing longtime pitching coach Scott Emerson.
The Athletics rank second to last in the majors with a 5.21 ERA this season. Only the Colorado Rockies (5.44) are worse in that often fateful category. Of the A's last 17 losses, 11 of them have featured their opponents scoring six or more runs.
The A’s have dismissed pitching coach Scott Emerson. Bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will serve as interim pitching coach for the remainder of the 2026 season.
It's important to note, however, that the Athletics have had a hitter-friendly home ballpark since moving into a Triple-A stadium last year, Sacramento's Sutter Health Park. That's certainly factored into the A's settling near the bottom of MLB's ERA table, next to the Rockies, who of course carry the double-edged sword of playing at the high-altitude and power-charged Coors Field in Denver.

Mexico had so much to celebrate on Tuesday night, with the national team taking down Ecuador 2-0 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32. And that was true for one Los Angeles Dodgers fan in attendance at the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
In the bottom of the third inning, with nothing much happening in the game, mics picked up a sound of screaming: "GOLAAAAAAAZOOOOOOO! GOALLLLLLLL! GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL! GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" Cut to a man behind home plate in a green jersey standing and screaming in celebration.
Which goal was it that he was celebrating? Maybe the Julian Quinones golazo? Either way, this was so fun.
So so good.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Screaming Mexico fan interrupts Dodgers game to celebrate World Cup goal

SACRAMENTO — Milestones have become commonplace during this era of Dodgers baseball, but Tuesday night delivered one that placed Dave Roberts in a class of his own.
Behind a career performance from Justin Wrobleski and a breakout night from Tommy Edman, the Dodgers cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, giving Roberts the 1,000th managerial victory of his career.
The Dodgers improved to 56-30, extending their lead over the Padres to 12 games atop the National League West while continuing to separate themselves as baseball's most complete club.
For Roberts, the win was historic.
Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

Only one Max Muncy starts Tuesday.
Teams: Dodgers at Athletics
Ballpark: Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento
Time: 6:40 p.m.
TV: SportsNet LA

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
Jared Jones and Carmen Mlodzinski were knocked around, and the Pirates fell below .500 for the first time since March after being pummeled 11-2 by the Athletics on Monday night at Sutter Health Park.
Bottom 2nd, 3-0 ATH: Jared Jones (1-1) escaped a jam in the first, but the Athletics (36-36) tagged him for three runs in the second. Jeff McNeil plated a run with a single to left field, and Nick Kurtz hit an opposite-field two-run home run to left.
Top 4th, 3-1 ATH: With runners on second and third and one out, Jake Mangum got the Pirates (36-37) on the board with a single to left field off J.T. Ginn (5-3).
Bottom 4th, 5-1 ATH: McNeil delivered again for the Athletics by lining a two-run home run to right field. It was only his third homer of the season.