Red Sox Week in Review: California Dreamin'

Image courtesy of © Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Red Sox Video

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot

Record Last Week: 6-1

Runs Scored Last Week: 36

Runs Surrendered Last Week: 22

Standings

3rd in AL East

5.5 GB First Place

2nd in AL Wild Card

3 GB First Place

Transactions

07/27/26: Boston Red Sox optioned SS Tsung-Che Cheng to Worcester Red Sox.

07/27/26: Boston Red Sox activated 3B Curtis Mead.

07/29/26: Boston Red Sox recalled 3B Nick Sogard from Worcester Red Sox.

07/29/26: Boston Red Sox placed 3B Curtis Mead on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 28, 2026. Left wrist fracture.

08/01/26: Boston Red Sox traded LHP Jojo Ingrassia to Detroit Tigers.

Scores

Game 105: BOS 4, SAC 2

Game 106: BOS 3, SAC 4

Game 107: BOS 4, SAC 2

Game 108: BOS 5, SAC 4

Game 109: BOS 9, LAD 4

Game 110: BOS 3, LAD 2

Game 111: BOS 8, LAD 4

Series Breakdown/Highlights

A’s Series: It’s safe to say this series could also be called the ‘Red Sox Couldn’t See Until the Sixth Inning’ series. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team go from completely cold through the first half of each game of a four-game series to catching fire to close them out like this. In game one, Payton Tolle continued his post-All Star-Break run of good but not great starts. He tossed 5.1 innings, giving up three earned runs while walking one and striking out seven. His start to the season was so electric that it’s maybe easy to get disappointed in these types of outings for him, but he’s blowing past his career high in innings and navigating that while helping lead the team to, hopefully, a playoff appearance come October. This version of Tolle isn’t what we saw earlier but it’s more than serviceable and gives us hope that he can take the next step to becoming the ace he seems primed to be. Behind Tolle, Justin Slaten, Jovani Moran, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman finished out the game. On the offensive side, Ceddanne Rafaela provided all of the firepower with a ‘Sacramento Grand Slam’ that just barely cleared the wall in left field. He was so sure it was a fly out, slamming his bat in frustration before he was able to celebrate as he rounded first base.

In game two, Jake Bennett followed Tolle’s lead by having a good, but not great, start in Sac-Town. He tossed 6.1 innings of three-run baseball while walking two and striking out four. Behind him, Ryan Watson and Moran worked to keep the Sox in it but Watson allowed another earned run so the rally in the ninth inning would come up short. To further echo the Tolle comp, there’s little reason to worry as Bennett figures out the life of a major-league starter. On offense, Connor Wong contributed two RBIs on one home run and Wilyer Abreu drove a run in as well.

Game three saw the Sox get back to their winning ways behind Patrick Sandoval on the mound. He tossed five innings of two-run, seven-strikeout baseball. Chad Tracy seemed to pull all the right levers in the bullpen for this one with Tyron Guerrero, Slaten, Whitlock, Chapman, and Greg Weissert all coming in in relief. Newcomer Jahmai Jones contributed one RBI on a home run and Nick Sogard added another as well. In extras, Andruw Monasterio clobbered a two-run home run that put the Sox in front for good.

Game four was more of the same. Sonny Gray started off the game very shaky, but settled in through seven innings. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits while striking out five. Weissert and Chapman came in and worked clean to close out the game, even if Chapman did get lucky on a Lawrence Butler double (that looked like a home run and should have been a triple if Butler was legging it out of the box). On the offensive side, this was the game that people kept talking about but mainly because of an interaction between Jarren Duran, Willson Contreras, and third base coach Chad Epperson that the team has mostly swept under the rug. Rafaela and Monasterio both provided RBIs but the big swings of the game belonged to Abreu and Contreras on back-to-back home runs that put the Red Sox in the lead for good.

Dodgers Series: The Red Sox were hoping to ride the wave of wins from Sacramento but knew they were in for a tall task as they prepared for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the best team in baseball. In game one, the Dodgers decided to run with a bullpen game while the Red Sox had southpaw Ranger Suarez on the bump. Suarez operated on a pitch count like he has in every start since coming off the injured list last month. He tossed 4.2 innings of three-run, two-strikeout baseball before being replaced by Moran, who didn’t look stellar. Bullpen superstar Brayan Bello entered into the game after that and shined, again. He tossed four scoreless innings en route to the win. What his performance out of the bullpen did, more than anything else, was save a taxed bullpen a night of work. On offense, Rafaela continued his hot streak with a home run and two RBIs. Also driving in runs were Masataka Yoshida, Carlos Narvaez, Duran, and Monasterio.

Game two was penciled in to be must-see TV with Tolle on the bump for the Sox and superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto standing opposite him. Tolle looked like the bright LA spotlight didn’t impact him at all as he threw six innings and allowed just two runs against a lineup that was ready to redeem themselves from the night before. Slaten, Guerrero, and Chapman all shut the door for the Sox win to take the series. On the offensive side of the baseball, Rafaela was the story once again. He took Yamamoto deep twice, and almost three times, off two splitters. Going into the game, Yamamoto had given up only one home run on his splitter all season and Rafaela got him for two in back-to-back at-bats. The other run came after a Monasterio double, a Duran bunt that was perfectly placed, and a Connor Wong double play that plated Monasterio for the final run.

Game three saw Bennett get the ball for the Sox on Sunday Night Baseball. While the defense let him down early, he settled in nicely. He went 5.2 innings and gave up three earned runs. Like Tolle, he didn’t seem to be too bothered by the pressure of pitching against the best team in baseball on a national stage. Slaten worked his way out of an inherited jam to close out the sixth inning cleanly. Guerrero allowed a run in his one inning of work but Moran, Weissert, and Whitlock all worked clean to close the game and secure the sweep. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Rafaela homered. Along with that, Abreu, Duran, and Yoshida all sent the ball over the wall as well. On top of that, Duran laid down another excellent sacrifice bunt to move Durbin and Monasterio up a base each, which allowed Durbin to score on a wild pitch while Anthony Seigler was pinch hitting. The Red Sox came into L.A. looking to keep rolling and did so in incredible fashion. If this team can add a legitimate bat at the deadline, the league will be put on notice.