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It’s the home stretch of the 2026 MLB season with teams jockeying for playoff position in hopes for lengthy postseason runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani continues his quest for an NL MVP three-peat, but sluggers Juan Soto and James Wood are also compiling impressive campaigns.
The Dodgers once again look like the team to beat in the National League, having already amassed a double-digit games lead in the NL West. Meanwhile, the American League features astonishing parity; just one-third of the league had a winning record coming out of the All-Star Break, and no team had a division lead greater than three games.
Some standings surprises include the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, both of whom occupied the basement of their respective divisions despite lofty expectations. Conversely, the Chicago White Sox have flipped the script on their recent run of malaise and are in a prime position to claim a postseason spot in 2026.
The MLB action continues on Sunday as the Boston Red Sox visit the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
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Pages’ patience paid off. After fouling back six pitches from Boston reliever Tyron Guerrero, he finally put his barrel on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, extending his bat below the zone to connect on slider and line it down the left field line. Muncy scored from second base on Pages’ double, his third RBI on the day and the Dodgers’ first run since the second inning.
Red Sox lead 6-4.
Bennett got a nod of appreciation from the Red Sox fans in attendance at Dodger Stadium as he walked off the mound with two outs in the bottom of the 6th. The 25-year-old left-hander did a solid job quieting the Dodger bats, not allowing a hit after giving up a three-spot in the second until Freddie Freeman’s infield single in the sixth.
Bennett finishes the day with six hits, three runs, three earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts on 88 pitches over 5 2/3 innings.
Duran caps off a much-needed productive series in LA by crushing a changeup from Kyle Hurt 420 feet into the right field pavilion seats for his first home run since July 5. It’s also Boston’s fourth long ball of the game as they open up a three-run lead heading into the final third of the game.
The Dodgers’ shiny new trade deadline acquisition emerged in the dugout wearing a blue interlocking LA hat and hoodie as he dapped up his new teammates and greeted manager Dave Roberts. As Clayton Kershaw said on the NBC broadcast, “He looks a little weird in Dodger blue, but I think Dodger fans will get used to it very quickly.”
It didn’t take long for Boston to re-take the lead. Ceddanne Rafaela jumped all over a slider that Emmet Sheehan left over the heart of the plate and drove it over the fence in left-center field for his fourth home run of the series. Sheehan hung another slider to Wilyer Abreu, who crushed it 431 feet to give the Sox two quick runs to lead off the third inning.
Masataka Yoshida later put his bat on an inside fastball for a liner that hugged the right field foul pole for a third long ball of the frame. Sheehan was pulled after plunking Andruw Monasterio in the next at-bat.
Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández connected on back-to-back singles with one out, but didn’t score on Max Muncy’s single off the right field wall as it hung in the air, prompting Tucker to hold up at third to load the bases up.
Rookie Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. scored Tucker on a shallow groundball to shortstop for LA’s first run of the game. Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked to re-load the bases with two outs, and Andy Pages made the Sox pay with a screamer down the right field line to bring in two runs and give the Dodgers the lead.
The 26-year-old right-hander responded in a big way to his 30-pitch first inning by striking out the side on 15 pitches in the second.
Sheehan gave up a lead off walk to Nick Sogard and continued to find himself falling behind his counts as he gave up three hits in the opening frame. Masataka Yoshida drove in Ceddanne Rafaela from second base on a single to left field for the first run of the game and Caleb Durbin immediately followed that up with an RBI base hit of his own to score Wilyer Abreu.
Sheehan threw 30 pitches in the top of the first before striking out Andruw Monasterio for the third out.
Rushing had been slated to bat ninth in LA’s order, but was pulled just before first pitch. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported that Rushing was sat with a “minor arm issue” and is not cause for concern. Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. started in Rushing’s place.
Los Angeles Dodgers lineup
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Andy Pages, CF
- Tommy Edman, 2B
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Teoscar Hernández, LF
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Eliezer Alfonzo, C
Boston Red Sox lineup
- Nick Sogard, 2B
- Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
- Wilyer Abreu, RF
- Willson Contreras, 1B
- Masataka Yoshida, DH
- Caleb Durbin, 3B
- Andruw Monasterio, SS
- Jarren Duran, LF
- Carlos Narváez, C
What time is Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers?
First pitch between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Aug. 2.
How to watch Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
- Matchup: BOS at LAD
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 2
- Time: 7:20 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Dodger Stadium
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- TV: NBC and Peacock
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
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MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for Aug. 2 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.