Reigning champion Dodgers put on a show in Sacramento but can’t finish A’s sweep
The Los Angeles Dodgers, after back-to-back days of dominating offensive performances, ended what is likely the team’s first and only appearance at Sutter Health Park on a sour note.
The Athletics beat the Dodgers 7-1 on Wednesday night, giving the West Sacramento team its only win of the series with the Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, failing to secure a three-game sweep.
Unlike the two prior games, it was the A’s who came out strong with a multitude of home runs and extra base hits in the game. A’s right-hander J.T. Ginn, as he’s done all year, pitched well by allowing one run in six innings against Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup.
Even before the game, Dodgers fans, who poured into California’s capital region for the three-game series, had some disappointment: four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani was pulled from his scheduled start as a pitcher for the series finale in favor of additional rest.
Ohtani, a rare two-way player who is a star talent as both a pitcher and a hitter, remained the team’s designated hitter and received some of the largest cheers Wednesday though he went hitless with three groundouts. His next pitching appearance is Friday against the San Diego Padres, at home in Los Angeles.
Instead of putting forth a starter, Los Angeles opted for a bullpen game, which the A’s capitalized on. Three A’s players — Jonah Heim, Alika Williams and Shea Langeliers — launched homers.
Dodgers pitcher Jack Dreyer pitched a scoreless first inning before his teammate Charlie Barnes stepped and struggled to contain the A’s. He allowed seven earned runs and 12 hits across seven innings.
Batters love to hit in Sacramento
The Dodgers had dominated the A’s in the previous two games, scoring nine runs in both for victories of 9-4 and 9-3, respectively. Ohtani and Max Muncy, of the Dodgers, provided the firepower on Monday with two home runs.
But on Tuesday night, the two Dodgers to homer — left fielder Tommy Edman and second baseman Miguel Rojas — were players not known for their power.
Prior to the game, both players said Sutter Health Park had lived up to its reputation as a hitter-friendly ballpark.
“There’s certain stadiums where it seems like more hits tend to fall, and…I haven’t seen the statistics, but I’m pretty sure this plays like a pretty significant hitters ballpark,” Edman said.
His teammate Rojas agreed, saying that the stadium provided confidence that the balls would travel further and provide “good results” though he acknowledged the team’s scoring also stems in part from its lineup.
“I’m not gonna give it all the credit, because we have really good players on this team, and that’s the reason why we’re scoring,” he said.
A solo home run by first baseman Freddie Freeman accounted for the Dodgers’ lone run Wednesday. With that, five of the first six hitters from that evening’s lineup — Ohtani, Andy Pages, Freeman, Muncy and Edman — launched a home run at some point in the series.
Dodger fans make noise in West Sacramento
Dodgers fans, for the third straight game, packed the stands of Sutter Health Park and most stayed until the final out, even with their team trailing by six runs in the top of the ninth inning.
All three games of series were sellouts — a testament to the fandom of the two-time defending World Series champions and the team’s international baseball star, Ohtani.
From Monday to Wednesday, the ballpark was filled with spectators sporting blue baseball caps and Los Angeles-emblazoned jerseys. Loud chants of “Freddie” — reminiscent of Dodger Stadium — could be heard whenever Freeman stepped up to bat. At one point, in the ninth inning Wednesday, fans even chanted the name of the team’s third-string catcher Chuckie Robinson.
“A lot of people don’t get a chance to see us play,” Roberts said Monday night. “So people up here in this area, Northern California, get to see us, get to see Shohei put on a show.”
Wednesday’s night win moved the A’s up to 41-46. The Dodgers dropped to 56-31, which remains the best record in Major League Baseball.
It is highly unlikely the Dodgers will return to West Sacramento to face the A’s before the team relocates to Las Vegas, which is set for 2028. The teams are scheduled to meet in Los Angeles in 2027.
The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 9:26 PM.
