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Red Sox Move Start Time for Sunday

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Red Sox have moved the start time of their game to be played on Sunday, September 13, against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park from 1:35 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

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The change was made in consultation with Major League Baseball due to a forecast for an extended period of rain throughout the morning and early afternoon.

The 3:05 p.m. start time corresponds with a projected window of improved weather conditions later in the afternoon and provides the best opportunity to play the game on Sunday.  The game will be televised on NESN and will be broadcast in English on WEEI 93.7 FM and in Spanish on WESX 1230 AM/WCCM 1490 AM.

Suarez Tosses a Gem vs. KC

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FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ranger Suarez tossed his second straight seven-inning start and the Red Sox scored in their final three at-bats en route to a 5-1 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon in Boston.

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Suarez (7-4) struck out eight, scattered five hits and allowed one run while completing his seven frames in 96 pitches as Boston (81-68) snapped its three-game losing streak.

Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman and Nick Sogard each had multiple hits while Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run double that gave the Red Sox a sixth-inning lead they would not relinquish.

Carter Jensen’s 24th home run of the season marked the only scoring for Kansas City (66-83), which opened the series with a win Friday.

The Red Sox took the lead with two runs on three straight hits in the sixth. After Mickey Gasper and Rutschman knocked back-to-back singles to right to chase Royals starter Randy Dobnak (3-4), Abreu drove them home with a two-out double to deep center off reliever Anthony Gose.

The lead grew in each of the next two frames, beginning with Sogard hitting a leadoff double and scoring on Caleb Durbin’s RBI single off the Green Monster in the seventh.

After Garrett Whitlock struck out the side in the Royals’ eighth, Trevor Story and Sogard posted back-to-back doubles to plate another run.

Aroldis Chapman followed with a scoreless ninth to tab Suarez with the victory.

The teams plowed through three scoreless innings with just one baserunner: Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out single in Kansas City’s opening frame. Suarez stranded him on third after recording back-to-back outs, including an inning-ending strikeout of Vinnie Pasquantino.

Suarez retired the Royals 1-2-3 on 10 pitches in the second and third innings while Dobnak faced the minimum, striking out three batters through the first third of the game.

In the fourth, Anthony turned a leadoff single through the right side into the opening run. After moving to second on Gasper’s grounder, Anthony scored when Rutschman knocked a single into center.

After finishing the fourth around Pasquantino’s two-out double, Suarez retired five straight before Jensen’s one-out solo homer inside Pesky’s Pole in the sixth. The southpaw stranded runners in the next two frames, including back-to-back strikeouts to cap the seventh.

–Field Level Media

Royals Take First of Three vs. Sox

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Kansas City scored three runs over the first three innings and let its pitching do the rest as the Royals held on to beat the host Boston Red Sox 3-2 in their three-game series opener on Friday night.

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Carter Jensen (two doubles) and Salvador Perez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Royals (66-82), who were just 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

Seth Lugo (7-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven across five innings of two-run ball for the victory. Steven Cruz finished off his seventh save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Mickey Gasper hit his ninth homer of the season and Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI double for the Red Sox (80-68), who were held to just one hit over the final four innings. They have lost three straight since a five-game winning streak.

The Royals jumped ahead with a pair of first-inning hits off Sonny Gray (17-5), who went six frames. After Jensen crushed a leadoff double off the wall in deep center field, Perez knocked a two-out RBI single inside the third base line to open the scoring.

After Gray responded with a 1-2-3 second, Isaac Collins and Jensen started the third with back-to-back doubles, extending Kansas City’s lead to 2-0. Jensen’s wall-ball double high off the Green Monster brought in the run. Two batters later, Vinnie Pasquantino’s single through the right side made it a three-run game before a double play ended the inning.

After Adley Rutschman walked immediately following the homer, Wilyer Abreu’s RBI double high off the Monster brought the hosts within 3-2. Lugo stopped the threat there, striking out back-to-back batters.

Nolan Hoffman and Connor Thomas relieved Lugo with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, and Nate Pearson stranded Trevor Story on second base following a one-out double in the eighth. Story eluded second baseman Michael Massey’s tag to reach safely.

The Royals had a chance to extend their lead after Perez and Massey started the eighth with back-to-back singles, with Rutschman catching pinch runner Tyler Tolbert stealing second in between. Jovani Moran stranded two to end the inning before striking out two in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

A.J. Brown Out Four+ Weeks

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FOXBOROUGH – (Wire service Report) – The New England Patriots will put wide receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve because of a high-ankle sprain sustained in a season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, according to multiple media reports.

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Brown walked off the field with the injury to his right ankle on New England’s opening possession of the second half in the Patriots’ 13-10 road loss on Wednesday. An MRI confirmed the high-ankle sprain.

He must miss at least four games before the Patriots can activate him. The earliest Brown could return would be New England’s Week 6.

The injury occurred when Brown was targeted by a third-down pass from Drake Maye, but Seahawks nickel cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett deflected the pass to force a punt. Pritchett’s knee landed on the outside of Brown’s ankle, which twisted inward as he went to the ground.

Brown removed his right cleat and entered the blue medical tent on the sideline as the Patriots added a field goal to go ahead 10-0 in the third quarter.

 

Rested, Sox Face Royal Challenge

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Following back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Angels and a much-needed day off from their American League playoff race, the Boston Red Sox look to right the ship with Sonny Gray on the mound in their three-game series opener against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

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Boston (80-67) won five straight to reach a season-high 15 games above .500 before dropping the series to the lowly Angels, concluding a stretch of 14 games in 13 days with a 6-4 loss in Wednesday’s rubber game.

“We talked about two other gauntlets, with this being the last one where you can finally reach the three off-days over the next 10 days,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It’s helpful from the standpoint of rest for everybody that’s active and also for the guys we’re trying to get back.”

The Red Sox allowed six runs and double-digit hits in their last two losses and seven of their last 12 games. Outfielders Ceddanne Rafaela and Eli White and catcher Adley Rutschman have been sidelined in recent days, while others are on the way back from injury.

Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu homered to highlight Wednesday’s game for Boston, but three home runs off starter Jake Bennett helped Los Angeles build a 6-0 lead that was too much to overcome.

Anthony’s two-run shot was his third since returning from injury on Aug. 30. Abreu is tied for the American League lead with 13 since the All-Star break.

“I’m very proud of myself for what I’ve been doing,” Abreu said. “Hopefully I can hit a couple more before the season ends.”

Gray (17-4, 2.69 ERA) has pitched scoreless ball in three of his last six starts, including seven innings of three-hit ball last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Gray defeated the Royals on May 18 — striking out nine and allowing one run over six innings — to improve to 10-2 with a 1.74 ERA in his career against them. The Red Sox swept that three-game set in Kansas City.

The Royals (65-82) are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, but they bounced back from a pair of extra-inning losses for a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, avoiding their 11th series sweep this season.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning to provide the winning runs. Before going deep twice on Kansas City’s recent nine-game home stand, the three-time All-Star was homerless in 50 straight at-bats.

“Three-pointers are nice,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I know he’s felt like he’s left some runs out there, and he feels a lot of responsibility for that. That was a huge swing of the bat for him and for us.”

“Hunt the pitches and be able to do damage on the ones you’re looking for. And not miss them,” Witt added. “Take it one pitch at a time, and once you get those pitches, be able to capitalize on them.”

Carter Jensen hit his 23rd homer, tying Jac Caglianone for the team lead and marking the second-most ever by a Royals rookie. The catcher is on a 14-game on-base streak, and each of his last nine hits have gone for extra bases.

Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.04) gets the ball on Friday in search of his first win in his fifth career start against the Red Sox. He is 0-5 with a 5.61 ERA in seven head-to-head appearances, but allowed just two runs over six innings in his May 18 clash with Gray.

Lugo has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits over his last two starts (8 2/3 innings), though his five-inning appearance Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays was his eighth out of the last 10 without allowing a homer.

–Field Level Media

Seahawks Rally to Defeat Patriots, 17-10

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – Josh Jobe intercepted Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the end zone with 21 seconds remaining as the Seahawks beat New England 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday night.

Seattle picked off Maye on New England’s final three possessions to overcome a 10-0 deficit and the early exit of starting quarterback Sam Darnold.

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Well within the field-goal range of Andy Borregales, who connected on a 50-yarder earlier in the game, the Patriots went for the win in the final minute rather than taking the game to overtime. New England converted on fourth down twice on the final drive. Maye hit wide receiver Mack Hollins for 11 yards on fourth-and-9 on the first play after the two-minute warning to move the chains, after the QB ran for 5 yards on fourth-and-2 earlier in the possession.

His third-and-5 toss was underthrown, and Jobe was in front of Hollins one step into the end zone.

Backup quarterback Drew Lock helped save the day for Seattle. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks turned the tide in the fourth quarter with three interceptions and three sacks of Maye, who was rarely pressured in the first half. His first gamble of the game early in the fourth quarter was a deep pass intended for Romeo Doubs that was tipped in the air and intercepted by Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett.

Seattle turned the first takeaway of the game into points when Lock hooked up with Smith-Njigba on a short fourth-down completion. A play-fake froze the Patriots’ defense, and Lock fired to Smith-Njigba for a short gain, and the receiver turned upfield to open turf to do the rest for a game-tying 45-yard touchdown with 11:28 to play.

On the ensuing possession, Maye tried to go deep over the middle, but safety Julian Love leapt in front of wide receiver DeMario Douglas for another pick. The play came after Doubs dropped a pass for what would have been a clear first down on a crossing route.

The Seahawks drove inside the New England 5, but two incompletions and a delay-of-game penalty led to Seattle settling for a chip-shot field goal from Jason Myers with just under six minutes left in the game.

The Patriots lost wide receiver A.J. Brown to a right ankle injury early on their first drive in the third quarter.

Five plays into their title defense, Seattle had its script shredded. Darnold left the game with a hip injury after being dragged down for a sack by Dre’Mont Jones and didn’t return.

Seahawks first-time play-caller Brian Fleury was caught in the whirlwind with Lock, who played 38 total snaps last season, pushed into the primetime spotlight. Fleury was hired after Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak left to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

With the Seahawks trailing 10-0 and 5:30 left in the third quarter, Lock floated a pass down the right sideline to Cooper Kupp for the longest gain of the game to that point, a 24-yarder. Kupp adjusted to the underthrown pass and hauled it in with his right arm. Three plays later, Lock zipped a quick slant pass to his left and found Kupp for an apparent 7-yard TD, but it was negated by an illegal shift.

The Seahawks settled for a 30-yard field goal by Myers and trailed 10-3 with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

Maye finished 23 of 33 for 178 yards, one touchdown and the three picks.

–Field Level Media

Streaking Down the Wrong Street

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Zach Neto, Jose Siri and Denzer Guzman homered as Los Angeles started a rare winning streak with a win at Boston.

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The Angels earned two wins in the three-game series, and they logged back-to-back victories for the first time since beating the Texas Rangers on Aug. 12-13. Los Angeles starter Ryan Johnson (4-8) pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits. Ben Joyce yielded a run in the ninth inning but earned his fourth save.

Roman Anthony hit a two-run homer for Boston, which also received a solo home run from Wilyer Abreu. Jarren Duran amassed two hits and two runs.

–Field Level Media

US Open: The Latest Night Show

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FLUSHING MEADOW – (Wire Service Report) – Ben Shelton is New York’s new late-night king.

The eighth-seeded Atlanta native pulled off an upset at the U.S. Open for one of the biggest wins of his career, overtaking the defending champion, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, for a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) win in the quarterfinals early Wednesday morning.

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The 4-hour, 28-minute match ended at 3:33 a.m. local time, the latest-ever finish at the U.S. Open. The old record? A 2:50 a.m. finish in the 2022 quarterfinals, when Alcaraz defeated Italy’s Jannik Sinner en route to his first U.S. title.

A large crowd stayed until the end, rooting on the home-country competitor.

‘For me, it’s always about the people in the crowd, whether it’s my coaches and my team over there, all my family and friends over here or the city of New York,’ Shelton said postmatch on court. ‘They showed up tonight until 3 a.m. with the USA chants until the very end. That’s what kept me going and that’s what got me this win tonight. …

‘I always say that this is the greatest sports city in the world. I say that this is the greatest stadium in the world. … I’m just so grateful, so blessed … to be here in front of you (fans) tonight, it’s an absolute honor. Sharing the court with Carlos is an absolute honor, and I cherish every moment I have out here.’

Shelton set up an all-U.S. semifinal, as he will oppose Frances Tiafoe on Friday. The No. 11 seed completed a dramatic comeback on Tuesday, defeating fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6).

The Shelton-Tiafoe winner will be just the second U.S. man to appear in a U.S. Open final over the past 20 years. Taylor Fritz lost the 2024 championship match to Italy’s Jannik Sinner. The last U.S. player to capture the men’s singles crown at Flushing Meadows was Andy Roddick in 2003.

Shelton, 23, is through to his third career Grand Slam semifinal as he seeks his first appearance in a major final. He lost in the semis at the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 Australian Open.

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For Alcaraz, the quarterfinal defeat completes a disappointing summer. He won the Australian Open to begin the year but subsequently missed four months due to a wrist injury that kept him out of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Shelton had lost all three of his previous matches against Alcaraz, though the two hadn’t squared off in more than a year.

Earlier, Michelsen built a two-sets-to-love lead at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He served for the victory in the third set before Tiafoe broke and rallied to win three straight games, forcing a fourth set.

‘He’s a hell of a player, and he easily could have won today,’ Tiafoe said in the post-match on-court interview.

After powering through the fourth set, Tiafoe overcame an early three-game deficit to force a fifth-set tiebreak.

The 4-hour, 39-minute marathon finally came to an end when Tiafoe built a 9-6 advantage in the tiebreak and then connected on his winner in front of an energetic crowd.

‘The energy was incredible, as it is always,’ Tiafoe said to the appreciative crowd afterward. ‘You guys were really for me and I really appreciate that.’

Tiafoe, 28, improved to 3-0 against the 22-year-old Michelsen, who acquitted himself well despite the loss.

Michelsen at times showed dominant form with 21 aces. The world’s 46th-ranked player also endured 61 unforced errors, helping to open the door for the Tiafoe comeback.

‘He gave me some gifts, a couple double faults there, but then I slowly, slowly started to get my rhythm there,’ Tiafoe acknowledged.

Tiafoe is headed to his third career major semifinal, all at the U.S. Open (2022, 2024).

–Field Level Media

Aussie, Aussie Aussie – Go, Go, Go!

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MELBOURNE – (Wire Service Report) – Familiar foes find an entirely foreign entry into the 2026 season this week when the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers play in the first regular-season game ever staged in Australia.

“The jet lag didn’t hit me that bad,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said as San Francisco settled in for a week in Melbourne. But, remember. It’s “MEL-burnn” not “MEL-Born.”

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A flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles takes around 90 minutes, and the 380-mile drive can be done in around six hours.

However, it’s about 8,000 miles to fly the L.A. to Melbourne, and the Rams are taking a 16-hour flight to be the “home” team in Australia when the NFC West rivals reconnect on Friday morning local time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The extreme time difference means the regular-season opener for the teams will air in the usual Thursday NFL primetime slot.

“We always have an advantage of having one home game a year in L.A., just the way our fans are, to take over (SoFi) stadium,” Shanahan said. “So, it’s disappointing to let (the Rams) off the hook and get them out of that. But I have a feeling, knowing how our fans roll, I have a feeling it won’t be much different here.

The Rams’ travel plan is vastly different. Their departure is set for Tuesday night (U.S. time) to play in Australia.

“The most important thing to me is they know that everything we do is what we think is best,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of his players. “It doesn’t mean that we think we’re right and a different approach is wrong. It’s just what we think is best is based on the things that we’ve done (in the past) and what we’ve learned over our time here.”

McVay stands on the idea the Rams were, well, rebuilt for this. General manager Les Snead reclaimed his reputation in the offseason as “Trader Les” by acquiring reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. On the heels of setting the single-season record for sacks, Garrett helped Snead and McVay coax Aaron Donald out of retirement. Donald would suit up for his first game since January 2024 if he is in the lineup this week. He decided to retire following that wild-card playoff loss at Detroit.

“I feel like we’ve had a really solid offseason — a really nice, strong training camp on both sides of the ball,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “That puts you in a position to have confidence going into the season that you understand what your team’s about. Then, inevitably, things happen and you’ve got to morph and change and find the ways to be successful.”

Shanahan believes the 49ers are better this season. He’d love to steer San Francisco away from the injury subplots that crept up the past two seasons. Defensive end Nick Bosa accelerated his bid to return from a torn ACL sustained last September and is expected to play in Australia, as is tight end George Kittle.

Bosa has only been practicing without limitations for one week. Kittle is less than nine months removed from tearing his right Achilles tendon. He was hurt Jan. 11 in the 49ers’ wild-card playoff win at Philadelphia.

Bosa battled tendinitis and the 49ers scaled back workouts. Bosa said he is back on track to play, but until Monday (U.S. time), the team hadn’t joined in the chorus.

“Oh, he’s going out there,” 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said of Bosa. “Whatever you want to say, he’s going. He’ll be there. We’re not hiding that.”

Among the important additions the 49ers made since January, wide receiver Mike Evans signed as a free agent and San Francisco spent its top draft pick to select wideout De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round. Deebo Samuel re-signed after a year with the Washington Commanders, giving quarterback Brock Purdy a sturdy and physical group of targets. Purdy hasn’t had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since Brandon Aiyuk in 2023.

Purdy can also lean on McCaffrey, who had eight receptions in both matchups with the Rams last season.

The teams split a pair of regular-season games last season dominated by offense. The Rams outscored the 49ers 65-52. Both teams went 12-5 and reached the playoffs.

Los Angeles wideout Puka Nacua had 15 total receptions in two games against the 49ers last season. Nacua, limited in training camp due to groin/hip soreness, led the NFL with 129 receptions and posted a career-high 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025.

San Francisco hosts the rematch with the Rams in Week 14 (Dec. 13) just ahead of consecutive road games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.

–Field Level Media

Detmers, LA Angels Shut Down Sox

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FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Reid Detmers pitched six scoreless innings and Zach Neto hit a two-run homer to help the visiting Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1.

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Detmers (5-8) limited Boston (80-66) to one hit, a first-inning single by Wilyer Abreu. He struck out nine and walked one. Detmers was pulled after throwing 112 pitches (73 strikes).

Neto went 4 for 5 in the win. Los Angeles (55-90) received two-hit games from Vaughn Grissom, Christian Moore, Moises Ballesteros and Travis d’Arnaud.

The Angels, who collected 15 hits in the win, entered Tuesday’s game with two victories in their last 14 games.

Boston starter Patrick Sandoval (1-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.