The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.LOS ANGELES — With each successive win, the Boston Red Sox have put their atrocious start to the season further behind them, but this weekend at Dodger Stadium has felt different.In case there was any lingering doubt about what this Red Sox club can do, they’ve made a statement in Los Angeles with two straight wins against the Dodgers, the latest a gritty 3-2 performance Saturday night. It clinched a series victory against the two-time reigning World Series champions, who own the second-best record in baseball.“They’re a very good team,” interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said of the Dodgers. “I think at this point in the season, a series win against anybody is significant, but certainly, at the tail end of this road trip, that’s meaningful for sure.”The win guaranteed Boston’s eighth straight series win and pushed the Red Sox to 27-5 since turning around their season with a series sweep of the New York Yankees beginning June 25.
No, you're not rewatching Ceddanne's 1st inning HR.
This is his 3rd inning HR! pic.twitter.com/yqjQj7WohL
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 2, 2026Even with Willson Contreras sidelined as he goes through concussion protocols after being hit in the helmet Friday night, the Red Sox didn’t wilt. Ceddanne Rafaela, in the midst of a career-best year at the plate, clocked solo homers off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in consecutive at-bats, and Payton Tolle gutted through six innings against one of the top offenses in baseball. Tolle allowed two runs, both on a homer from Teoscar Hernández, but stranded the bases loaded in an impressive second inning.Rafaela, who hit a go-head homer in Friday night’s 9-4 win, smoked his first homer off Yamamoto in the first inning for a 1-0 lead and followed it up in the third to tie the score after the Red Sox had fallen behind 2-1. The center fielder is hitting .288 with a .798 OPS and 14 homers.“He’s otherworldly right now,” Tracy said. “He’s been outstanding. He’s been really good all year. Obviously, the home runs on this road trip showing up, and so many of them massive home runs. I think it’s safe to say, he’s probably the most key contributor to some of these wins. But he’s been outstanding.”Tolle navigated a tricky Dodgers lineup with poise and didn’t get rattled in the second after giving up the lead on Hernández’s homer. The rookie loaded the bases on a single, a double and an intentional walk of Shohei Ohtani, but he escaped with a groundout and worked around base runners in other frames.“He was awesome,” Tracy said of Tolle. “The biggest thing was seeing him navigate through five hits in an inning, including a two-run home run. When you hear that, you’re thinking four or five runs. It’s two, and he gets out of a bases-loaded spot. That could go sideways and he locked in from there and was outstanding.”Rafaela’s homers were the only hits the Red Sox had off Yamamoto through seven innings. But in the eighth, Andruw Monasterio led off with a double, Jarren Duran bunted for a single to move him over. Connor Wong grounded into a double play but that scored the go-ahead run.The bullpen kept the Dodgers in check after Tolle exited. The defense, led by two terrific throws from Wilyer Abreu to get Ohtani and Andy Pages advancing to second on separate plays, added to the well-rounded win.
