The Athletics came out on top against the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 on July 1, 2026, at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, to prevent a three-game series sweep. The game ended the A’s four-game losing streak and also concluded the Dodgers' nine-game road trip with a 7-2 record.
After two lopsided results against the Dodgers, the A’s finally got one over them, although the Dodgers were resting many of their starters for the game. The game also snapped the Dodgers’ four-game winning streak. The Athletics have their 41st win of the season and face the Marlins next, while the Dodgers face the San Diego Padres in a four-game set to begin their 10-game homestand extending until the All-Star break.
Comfortable at the Top
The league has just flipped into July, but the Dodgers look to have wrapped up the National League West. With a comfortable 12-game lead in the division, even the latest 7-1 loss won’t put a damper on the team’s camp. The lead looks set to be further extended with games against divisional opponents, the Padres, Rockies, and D-backs visiting for a 10-game homestand.
Manager Dave Roberts wants the team to go into the break playing well and further consolidating their position.
“You want to finish playing well going into the break,” Roberts said. “We have some division rivals, opponents. Yeah, we’ve got to take care of business,” he continued.
Langeliers’ 20th, J.T. Ginn Shines
Shea Langeliers hit his 20th home run, with Jonah Heim and Alika Williams also hitting homers for the A’s. J.T. Ginn (7-4) allowed one run and three hits in six innings to win for the fourth time in his five starts. Ginn walked five and struck out four.
For the Dodgers, Freddie Freeman homered for the major league-leading team, taking his on-base streak to 16 games. The game ended a successful 7-2 road trip, one night after manager Dave Roberts crossed the 1,000 career wins in record time as a manager.
How the Game Played Out
After heavy defeats of 9-4 and 9-3, losses in the previous games, the A’s took an early lead in the second courtesy of Heim’s homer. Freeman tied it with his 14th home run in the very next inning, before the A’s accelerated away by scoring twice in the fourth and adding three more in the fifth.
Heim walked and scored on Lawrence Butler’s groundout in the fourth, with Henry Bolt following up with an RBI single. Langeliers upped the ante in the fifth with his 20th homer off triple-A call-up Charlie Barnes (0-1). Nick Kurtz came next with a single and scored on Colby Thomas's double. Heim threw in an RBI single into the mix to make the scorecard read 6-1.
Williams homered in the eighth against Barnes, who threw 94 pitches in relief. He gave up seven runs and 12 hits over seven innings after opener Jack Dreyer struck out all three batters in the first.
What’s Next?
After a day of rest, both teams face opponents at home. The Dodgers look set to steamroll the whole competition until October. They have a 99.9% chance of winning the NL West at this point. They use a six-man rotation, with star players such as two-way player Shohei Ohtani given extra rest.
Manager Roberts, after the game, spoke to the media, “It’s kind of where we were at today. You don’t want to chase short money,” he concluded.
The Dodgers (56-31) came into the game doing what was needed by winning seven games and all three of their series to pull further ahead in the West division. They are in the perfect position in terms of playoff seeding, with them up 1 and a half games on the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the league and 4 and a half games on the slumping Atlanta Braves for a top-two position and first-round bye.
Up next, the Dodgers host the San Diego Padres in a four-game set while the Athletics host the Miami Marlins in a three-game series.
