Written By Mauricio Segura // Photo By: Mauricio Segura
JUL 1, 2026
Jonah Heim hits a 444-foot solo homer on reliever on Charlie Barnes in game 2
The Dodgers’ first regular-season visit to West Sacramento brought three packed evenings, 37,373 fans, and enough blue shirts to make Sutter Health Park resemble a northern branch of Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles won the series two games to one and controlled most of the first two contests, but the Athletics avoided a sweep with their best all-around performance of the week.
Monday June 29, 2026 A’s vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (L) 4-9
The opener turned into a showcase for Los Angeles power, though the A’s briefly grabbed control. The Dodgers scored twice in the second against rookie left-hander Gage Jump, but Colby Thomas answered with a solo homer. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, in his major-league debut, followed with his first career hit and RBI, and Henry Bolte’s fielder’s choice gave the A’s a 3-2 lead.
That advantage lasted until the fourth. Former A’s draft pick Max Muncy tied the game with his 17th homer, then Andy Pages launched a two-run shot that put Los Angeles ahead for good. Shohei Ohtani added the knockout blow in the sixth, driving an 82.3 mph sweeper from Matt Krook an estimated 432 feet at 112.3 mph for a three-run homer. The ball landed on the grass beyond the bullpens as the blue-heavy crowd celebrated.
Kuroda-Grauer finished 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and one run in an impressive debut. Jump allowed five runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, while Eric Lauer worked six innings and allowed three runs despite yielding nine hits. Los Angeles finished with 17 hits, including two apiece from eight starters.
Tuesday June 30, 2026 A’s vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (L) 3-9
The middle game belonged to Tommy Edman, Justin Wrobleski, and manager Dave Roberts. Edman, who missed the season’s first 73 games while recovering from right ankle surgery, went 4-for-5 with four RBIs. His first homer of the year was a three-run drive off Jeffrey Springs in the third, turning a 2-1 game into a 5-1 Dodgers lead.
Wrobleski gave the A’s little room to recover. The left-hander struck out a career-high 11 over seven innings, allowed seven hits and three runs, and did not issue a walk. Shea Langeliers scored from first on Jonah Heim’s first-inning single, while Thomas supplied the remaining offense with a two-run homer in the seventh, his second home run in as many nights.
Springs surrendered six runs, eight hits, and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. The A’s struck out 15 times and managed only seven hits. After the final out, Roberts owned his 1,000th regular-season managerial victory, reaching the mark in 1,606 games, faster than any manager in major-league history. The milestone carried a neat twist: Roberts’ first game as a major-league manager was an interim assignment for San Diego in 2015, a 9-1 loss to the A’s.
Wednesday July 1, 2026 A’s vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (W) 7-1
The finale looked dangerous early when J.T. Ginn needed 29 pitches to escape a bases-loaded first inning. He settled down, and the A’s finally made Los Angeles chase them. Jonah Heim greeted long reliever Charlie Barnes with a 444-foot solo homer on Barnes’ first pitch of the second. Freddie Freeman tied the game in the third, but that was the Dodgers’ final run.
Lawrence Butler’s groundout and Bolte’s RBI single produced two runs in the fourth. Langeliers opened the fifth with his 20th homer, making him the first American League catcher to reach 20 in 2026. Nick Kurtz singled and scored on Thomas’ double, then Heim added an RBI single. Alika Williams completed the scoring with a solo homer in the eighth.
Ginn allowed one run and three hits over six innings, working around five walks while striking out four. Los Angeles managed five hits, Ohtani went 0-for-5, and Kyle Tucker drew four walks for the first time in his career. Mookie Betts was scratched shortly before the game, and the Dodgers used a bullpen plan that left Barnes responsible for seven runs and 12 hits over seven relief innings.
Los Angeles won the series and held a 19-14 scoring edge, but the A’s left with proof that their younger players could trade blows with baseball’s top club. As of July 19, the Athletics are fourth in the American League West at 42-57, eight games behind the Texas Rangers.
