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MLB News & Moments: The Dodgers Lose Again

Will the Dodgers ever win again?

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News An Hour Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the baseball season reaches a point where the after-effects are still felt, many times in organizations deciding to make a headtstart on next season. Friday began with the news that A’s GM David Forst was no longer part of the team, in a move that was probably inevitable considering the state of the franchise and its upcoming move to Las Vegas.

It is hard to understand just how deeply the A’s have fallen apart, considering they were in contention for nearly half of the season. However, as injuries and regression mounted up, the team’s barren roster construction was exposed and left Forst as a natural fall guy. To consider how bad it has gotten for the A’s, their sneak preview series in Vegas may have been seen as ominous, as they ended play on June 13 with a 35-35 record. Since then, they have gone 10-36 with a -132 run differential. To add insult to this proverbial injury, the Athletics were dismantled during Friday’s slate.

Today’s Headlines

 

The L in LA

Looking to snap their six-game losing streak, the Dodgers appeared to have everything under control heading into the ninth. Starter Roki Sasaki did his job, limiting the Diamondbacks to two runs over six innings, with five strikeouts. The offense did its job, as RBIs from Freddie Freeman and Tommy Edman tied the score at two, followed by a clutch solo homer from Andy Pages that appeared to be the deciding moment for LA. The middle relievers did their jobs, stopping a couple of potential Arizona rallies to keep the lead intact. Alas, recently-returned closer Edwin Díaz did not do his job. It all started with Max Kepler, who worked a heroic eight-pitch walk before being pulled for a pinch runner. Diaz got his first out with a K, but that left the door open for Ryan Waldschmidt, who entered this at-bat with all of one career homer. With a 2-2 count, the closer left a slider in the middle of the plate, and Waldschmidt connected for career homer #2, stealing a 4-3 win for the Dbacks, as the crowd went crazy. The Dodgers have now lost seven straight, and there should be at least a few serious concerns around the franchise.

Taking its Tolle

In one of the most unfair matchups of the 2026 season, the red-hot Red Sox hosted the free-falling A’s, and the result went about as expected. Starter Jack Perkins managed to pitch a scoreless first, but the wheels fell off in the second, as he allowed five runs and quickly left the game at the hands of the A’s terrible bullpen. Relievers Hayden Juenger and Scott Blewett allowed four runs apiece, as Boston feasted in a 15-hit effort that included seven extra-base hits. However, the biggest story of the contest came from Payton Tolle, who needed only 84 pitchers to cruise through six innings, with an impressive 14 Ks and only one run allowed, earning his seventh win of the season. The career high in strikeouts was the icing on this 13-1 cake for the Red Sox, who have now won nine straight.

Mr. McMahon

Following a two-hour rain delay and with Boston’s result already known, it looked as if the Yankees would fall behind their rivals for the first time in months. After all, Atlanta had ridden an unexpected team debut from Tyler Mahle (six scoreless with nine Ks) and a couple of solo homers to head into the ninth with a 2-0 lead and lights-out closer Raisel Iglesias on the mound. Iglesias allowed a single and committed a throwing error to put a man on third with one out, but a strikeout appeared to cool things down. Instead, the closer allowed four straight Yankees to reach, including a Ben Rice single that tied the contest. As the game went to extras, a shocked Atlanta offense failed to score the ghost runner, while New York did not miss its chance. The much-maligned Ryan McMahon took advantage of a bases-loaded chance and lifted the ball enough for a walk-off sac fly, snapping Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak in the process. The 3-2 final score immediately became one of the best moments of the Yankees’ season.

Getting Chippy With It

In his Blue Jays debut, José Soriano had the unenviable task of facing Zack Wheeler, as the Phillies had the clear edge. However, the game was weird in several ways, as Toronto’s dugout constantly complained to the umpires about Wheeler’s foot possibly coming off the rubber as he pitched. The situation escalated in the fourth, as Toronto’s hitting coach was ejected by the home plate umpire, with Wheeler looking aggravated and annoyed by the whole ordeal. Possibly distracted as well, Wheeler went on to have one of his worst starts of the season, allowing four runs over 5.1 innings, with seven hits and five walks in his ledger. Soriano was not much better, needing 94 pitches to barely make it to 4.2 frames. Toronto’s bullpen followed a bend-don’t-break approach to close the game, including a rare three-walk, two-run scare from Tyler Rogers, who served as closer. The 5-4 final gave the Blue Jays a valuable win, while the rest of the series has the potential for animosity and constant chirping.

He’s the Gausman

After getting his wish of not facing the Blue Jays, Kevin Gausman made the most of his first game as a Cub, with a dominant outing against the Royals. The righty had some jitters, allowing a walk, two hits, and a run in the first, but quickly settled down after his offense provided plenty of run support. Chicago’s four-run second, which included five batters reaching after two outs, was more than enough for Gausman, who ended his performance with no more walks, and overall only two runs allowed in seven frames. While Kansas City managed to score a couple more to make the game interesting in the eighth, closer Jacob Webb shut the door with a perfect ninth to earn his seventh save of 2026, as Chicago has now won five straight.

 

By The Numbers

 

6 With a first-inning homer that opened the scoring against the Marlins, Mike Trout celebrated his 35th birthday in style. This marked the sixth separate b-day with a homer for Trout, matching the highest total in MLB history with Mark Reynolds and Alex Rodriguez.

.900 After their 13-1 win over the A’s, the Boston Red Sox have now played at a .900 clip over their past 30 games, with an impressive 27-3 mark. They have become only the 10th team in MLB history with at least 27 wins over a 30-game span in a single season, and the first to do it since Cleveland in 2017.

179 Despite taking a tough walk-off loss in the Bronx, Atlanta still managed to add a nice moment to their ledger, as Matt Olson collected his 33rd homer of 2026, and his 179th of his Atlanta tenure. He owns the second-highest total for an Atlanta player over his first five seasons with the team, and has an outside chance to catch Eddie Mathew’s 190.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Long Live the King

It is always kind of mistifying to think that the Seattle Mariners have employed so many iconic players and yet have failed to win a single pennant. A stark reminder came in the form of Félix Hernández being back on the mound, this time to throw a ceremonial first pitch in the stadium that saw him win 95 games. As the crowd roared for its former ace, it was then treated to a premium pitching duel, as Drew Gilbert was good (two runs and six Ks over 6.2 innings), but Drew Rasmussen was downright great, with seven scoreless frames and eight strikeouts. While Julio Rodríguez hit a solo homer to get closer in the ninth, the 2-1 final score served as a bittersweet reminder of the Felix era for Seattle fans – great pitching from the home pitcher still resulting in a loss.

Happy B-day, Mike

One of the true powers of baseball is its ability to create memorable moments even in meaningless games. Take an Angels-Marlins matchup in the middle of August, with an announced crowd of 16,000+ plus that felt quite overstated. However, the sleepwalking Halos had the bonus of trying to give franchise icon Mike Trout a nice birthday gift, with a win that could cap his own gift to himself, with a solo homer that started the scoring. A Nolan Schanuel two-run blast in the seventh was the first step towards a b-day celebration, giving LA a two-run lead. Closer-du-jour José Fermín was tasked with completing the job, but he was shaky and allowed a run to score, immediately followed by a double from Javier Sanoja that appeared certain to tie the contest. However, Jose Siri, who had entered the game primarily for defense, made a perfect throw to nab Leo Jiménez at the plate, securing the birthday win for Mike Trout. The Angels’ broadcast excitement was evident in the final call, as even a 45-71 team can find happiness in the little things.

Cool Culpepper

The Twins, who somehow are still in the middle of the playoff chase, had one of the worst possible scenarios in 2026 baseball: a quick massive deficit against the Brewers (in Milwaukee, to boot). However, they persevered through that adversity, scoring twice in the third, twice in the fourth, twice in the fifth… and also twice in the sixth! The improbable and quirky comeback included a memorable moment for rookie Kaelen Culpepper (no relation to NFL legend Daunte), making his MLB debut at age 23. Culpepper popped out in his first trip, but had enough experience by the second, hitting a 390-foot dinger for his first hit as a major leaguer. The energy provided by the rookie fueled an offense that finished with 13 hits in this impressive 8-6 win, as Minnesota’s bullpen kept Milwaukee scoreless through the final four innings.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Twins have placed starter Joe Ryan on the 15-day IL due to a mild left glute strain. This stint comes after a string of bad outings from Minnesota’s ace, who had allowed 17 runs in his past three starts. With the Twins hanging on the fringes of playoff contention, Ryan’s eventual return could represent a massive difference. 

⚾ The Reds announced that starter Hunter Greene will undergo elbow surgery, although the type of surgery has not been determined. The difference between needing full Tommy John or a brace will be extremely significant for the franchise, as the former could mean that Greene returns until 2028, while the latter represents hope for a 2027 timetable. The righty already had Tommy John before pitching in MLB, and Cincinnati will surely be cautious with his recovery, as he is expected to be the franchise’s ace for the long haul.

⚾ A couple of sidelined lefty aces received good news, as New York’s Carlos Rodón and LA’s Blake Snell are scheduled for returns to the mound as early as next week. In the case of Rodon, it will come as a rehab assignment over the weekend, while Snell is tentatively considered for a start with the Dodgers on Tuesday against the Royals. Their returns should be a nice boost for both contenders, who need all the pitching they can get for the stretch run.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Arraez Avoids the Tag! (but forgets home plate) — Shanti Sepe-Chepuru, MLB.com

The All-Pajama Team — Davy Andrews, Fangraphs

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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