ATLANTA – (Wire Service Report) Arctos Partners is adding a fourth NFL franchise to its portfolio by purchasing a 10% stake in the Atlanta Falcons, Front Office Sports and CNBC reported.

The private equity firm already owns stakes in the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.

The deal with Arctos includes a $10.6 billion valuation for the Falcons. Arctos will acquire the 10% stake in two stages, starting with a 7.5% stake, according to Sportico. A vote on the transaction is planned for October.

According to NFL rules, a private equity firm can invest in no more than six teams and the maximum stake size is 10%.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank owns about 73% of the team but it is unclear whether his shares are involved in the deal with Arctos, according to Front Office Sports.

Arctos, which is owned by the sports management company KKR & Co. Inc., also holds a stake in several franchises in the NBA, NHL and MLB.

–Field Level Media

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Maybe it was the humid summer weather turning to sub-70 degrees and a chill setting in at Fenway Park? Or, maybe it was the fact the MLB umpires went to “Fall” gear? Maybe it was the fact the crowd of 37,007 gave former Red Sox star Rafael Devers the cold shoulder and a chorus of boos as he was announced pre-game and later when he took his first at bat in his old ballpark? Maybe it was former Sox pitcher, World Champion and Duckboat Captain Jake Peavy‘s presence in the building?

Then again, maybe it was the fact two very good starting pitchers – Logan Webb (8-7, 3.50 ERA) of the San Francisco Giants and Sonny Gray (15-3, 2.65 ERA) – both struggling from the get-go, not sharp with extremely high pitch counts early in the game?

Boston prevailed, taking the first game of a three game series, 6-4. The Giants have lost nine of their last 12 games and stand at (52-76) on the season. Boston improved to (69-59)m three and one on the current six-game homestead and 5-3 over their last eight games. The Red Sox are 23-11 since the MLB All-Star break and 32-11 over their last 43 games.  Boston’s home record improved to 15-5 since the All-Star break and 20-7 in their last 27 home games, doing back to June 25.

Early on Friday night, Webb was sent packing after 2.2 innings pitched, five earned runs against, six hits, three walks and a hit batsman, as he threw 70 pitches with 41 strikes. He also let up a home run to Sox first baseman Willson Contreras in the third inning when Boston batted around and scored five runs on four hits but left three men on base.

On the other side of the scorebook, Red Sox ace and current Cy Young award contender, Sonny Gray, toughed it out for six innings, allowing four earned runs and seven hits while throwing 97 pitches (60 strikes). Gray allowed two home runs, back-to-backs, to centerfielder Drew Gilbert and then a meaningful drive to dead-center by Devers. The two HRs cut the Red Sox early lead to 5-3 in the fourth.

Boston picked up an important insurance run in the sixth inning when second baseman Nick Sogard singled to left and right fielder Wilyer Abreu knocked him in with a triple to right. That run closed out the scoring at 6-4 and a combination of Boston relievers Erik Miller, Alec Gamboa and then closer Aroldis Chapman cemented the victory for Gray, now (16-3).

Chapman struck out the Giants side in the top of the ninth to earn his 28th save of the season. Since Boston had trailed 1-0 in the top of the third inning, it earned its 30th come-from-behind victory.

The two clubs play the middle game of their three-game set on Saturday, a rare 7:15pm Saturday night special. San Francisco’s Blade Tidwell (0-0, 4.33 ERA) and Boston’s LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-2, 4.76 ERA) will take the mound in a game nationally telecast on FOX television.

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – As the Red Sox continue their American League playoff chase, a familiar face will pay a visit to Boston with the San Francisco Giants this weekend.

The teams begin a three-game interleague series on Friday night, with San Francisco slugger Rafael Devers returning to Boston for the first time since a blockbuster trade in June 2025.

Devers’ departure from the Red Sox was a sour one, stemming from a refusal to move from third base to first base or designated hitter following the team’s signing of Alex Bregman before last season. Ironically, he has played every game for the Giants at those slots in 2026.

While Devers will likely receive at least a smattering of boos when he steps into the batter’s box, his legacy as a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner and 2018 World Series champion in Boston will never be forgotten.

“I feel very happy going back over there,” Devers said, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I love the fans. … I’m not concerned about the reception. I just know that they were very good to me.”

The Giants have dropped eight straight road series after taking a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in their Thursday afternoon finale.

A two-run home run by Willy Adames accounted for all of San Francisco’s scoring. It was his 20th of the season, as he joined teammates Devers (25) and Casey Schmitt (21) at that plateau.

Devers went 1-for-3 with two walks and will return to Boston having hit safely in five of his past six games.

“At this point, there are so many transactions, there’s always that stuff going on,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Devers. “When the game starts, it’s just baseball.”

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (8-7, 3.50 ERA) will look to continue an outstanding August stretch on Friday. After pitching six innings of one-run ball Saturday in a win over the Colorado Rockies, Webb has allowed just two runs in 20 innings this month.

Webb is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.

The Red Sox spent Thursday taking a deep breath after completing a stretch of 16 games in 16 days with a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks the previous day.

“It feels heavy in our bodies this time of the year,” first baseman Willson Contreras said. “We grind through it. We played our best throughout 16 days in a row, and we lost (Wednesday). Tough loss, but it’s baseball. … Reset, come back and win.”

Contreras has strung together three straight multi-hit games.

That stretch also doubled as a breakout period for New Hampshire native Mickey Gasper, who hit his first three homers with the Red Sox in three days. He was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, replacing Masataka Yoshida (hamstring) on the active roster, then went deep in three consecutive games beginning the following day.

“We have a handful of those on our roster who are grinders,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “But yeah, he’s a grinder. Like a lot of the guys who have been up here this year, he’s ready to go when called.”

Another, Nick Sogard, belted his first career homer in three major league seasons on Wednesday.

Tracy is set to hand the ball to Cy Young Award candidate Sonny Gray (15-3, 2.65 ERA), who has pitched shutout ball in two of his past three starts. He struck out seven Pittsburgh Pirates in a scoreless seven-inning start on Saturday, becoming a 15-game winner for the first time in his 14-year career.

“When you lose Garrett (Crochet), obviously going into the season as the ace of the staff, and what Sonny has done as far as leading our rotation, you cannot understate how important that’s been,” Tracy said. “Especially with some rookies in there.”

Gray recorded a victory against the Giants in each of the past two seasons, giving him a 4-1 career record with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts vs. San Francisco.

–Field Level Media

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – An RBI single from Nolan Arenado and three walks allowed the Arizona Diamondbacks to score twice in the 10th inning and avoid a three-game sweep by beating the host Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Wednesday.

After Arenado’s single drove in Gabriel Moreno to give the Diamondbacks a 6-5 lead, Boston left-hander Jovani Moran (2-3) walked the next three batters. The third walk he issued forced in pinch runner Max Kepler from third to make it 7-5.

Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela scored when Willson Contreras grounded out for the second out in the bottom of the 10th, but right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga (4-3) retired Caleb Durbin on a pop-up for the game’s final out.

The Red Sox received a three-run home run from Mickey Gasper, who also homered in Boston’s victories on Monday and Tuesday. Boston also hit two solo home runs, one by Nick Sogard and the other by Jarren Duran.

Lars Nootbaar slugged a pinch-hit, two-run home run for the Diamondbacks in the sixth inning. It was his fourth home run of the season, and his first since he was traded from St. Louis to Arizona on Aug. 3.

The Red Sox led 1-0 after Sogard homered on the Diamondbacks’ first pitch of the game. It was the first home run in the 93rd game of his MLB career and ended Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt’s streak of 33 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

Boston extended its lead to 2-0 when Duran hit his 17th home run of the season in the third. His home run also came on the first pitch of the inning.

Three doubles plus a walk allowed the Diamondbacks to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Arizona cut Boston’s lead in half on back-to-back doubles from Jose Fernandez and Ryan Waldschmidt. After Corbin Carroll walked with two outs, Moreno came up with a two-run double that drove in Waldschmidt and Carroll.

Nootbaar’s home run pushed Arizona’s lead to 5-2 in the sixth, but Gasper’s three-run homer against Pfaadt tied the game, 5-5, in the bottom half of the inning. Pfaadt was replaced by right-hander Juan Morillo, who coaxed the final out of the stanza.

–Field Level Media

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Something has to give when one of the hottest pitchers in all of Major League Baseball faces a smoldering hot Boston offense in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale between the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and Red Sox.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.11 ERA) has allowed no earned runs in his last four starts. He’ll be facing a Boston team that has scored 20 runs on 29 hits in the first two games of the series. The Red Sox prevailed 11-1 Monday and 9-4 Tuesday.

Pfaadt began the season in Arizona’s starting rotation, but was moved to the bullpen after three starts. He was optioned to Triple-A Reno on June 3, when he had a 5.92 ERA.

In nine starts since being recalled on June 30, Pfaadt is 7-0 with a 1.15 ERA. He’ll enter Wednesday’s game having pitched the last 33 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

“I wish I could tell you what the magic potion was because I’d give it to everybody,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said after Pfaadt got the win in a 2-0 victory over Atlanta on Friday. “It’s work ethic and it’s confidence that’s continuing to develop every single day.”

Pfaadt is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two career starts against Boston, which will have left-hander Payton Tolle (8-6, 2.97) on the mound. Tolle, who is in his rookie season, is 0-1 with a 15.00 ERA in one career start against Arizona, giving up five runs over three innings in his second career start last September.

Boston will be seeking its first series sweep since it won three straight against the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 4-6. The Red Sox lost series against the Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates before their bats came alive against the Diamondbacks. Boston has scored in 11 of the 16 innings they’ve batted in so far in this series.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was 1-for-17 with an infield single, five walks and nine strikeouts in his first six games after Baltimore traded him to Boston, but has four hits in the first two games of the series. He had a solo home run and a two-run single during Tuesday’s win, which improved Boston’s record at Fenway Park to 14-4 since the All-Star Break. The Red Sox are 31-31 at home this season.

“We said that early on when it wasn’t going well that we’re going to have to get things turned around here, turn the season,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “So actually, to go on the road — not that we wanted to lose games on the road — but have some struggles on the road and then be able to come back and immediately flip the switch and look like, ‘All right, now this looks like home cooking and we enjoy playing here.’ That’s a really good sign to protect our home turf. So that’s been welcome, and it was needed.”

Arizona has played both games against Boston without second baseman Ketel Marte, who was placed on the restricted list after he didn’t show up to the field on Monday. Marte returned to Arizona Tuesday to have an MRI on his left knee.

“That’s what I’ve been told, but overall my focus has shifted,” Lovullo said. “My focus (Monday) was squarely on this topic, but right now, it’s on the 26 players that are inside of the clubhouse.”

–Field Level Media

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FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman liked what he saw from his team’s offense Monday night.

Rutschman undoubtedly hopes to see similar production when the Red Sox face the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday in the second contest of a three-game series.

Boston collected 16 hits during Monday’s 11-1 victory over Arizona, including seven doubles and two home runs. Everyone in the starting lineup for the Red Sox had at least one RBI, and the team went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

“That’s what this team is capable of,” Rutschman told NESN after the game. “Every guy stepping up. It’s a big thing that (Boston interim manager Chad Tracy) said when we were on that huge win streak. Everyone stepping up huge every night (and) it’s a different guy every night.

“Just seeing everyone do their thing was awesome. It was a fun game to be a part of. First game at Fenway (since he was traded from Baltimore). Can’t ask for a whole lot more.”

Rutschman is 3-for-23 since joining the Red Sox, but two of those hits came during Monday’s win.

“It’s tough,” he said. “You gotta stay with the process. It’s nice to put some good swings on balls and get rewarded.”

Arizona played without second baseman Ketel Marte, who was placed on the restricted list Monday after reportedly not showing up at Fenway Park. Following the game, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said he wasn’t sure if Marte will be with the team Tuesday.

“He didn’t show up (Monday) and he was put on the restricted list,” Lovullo said. “That’s as much as I know right now. I’m sure in time we’ll start to uncover and unravel some information. I knew there was something going on (Monday) when I met with (the media), but I still believed he was going to be here. He just didn’t show up.

“I was doing my best to reach out to him and there was very little coming back … We’re going to figure out a way to work through this.”

Lovullo also said it was the first time Marte hasn’t shown up – or hasn’t shown up on time – this season.

“The players are gritty,” he said. “They rally around one another. I know there was a lot of discussions about it at different points in time in the clubhouse today. There was a lot of curiosity. We care for Ketel. Once we knew he was OK I think everybody started to relax and focus on the game.”

Boston’s Willson Contreras belted his career-high 25th home run of the season Monday.

Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly (8-10, 4.44 ERA) will attempt to quiet the Boston bats Tuesday. He’s 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.

Left-hander Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.25 ERA) is scheduled to start for Boston. He has a 1-4 record and a 6.91 ERA in 11 career appearances (eight starts) against Arizona.

–Field Level Media

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Mickey Gasper and Willson Contreras each hit a solo home run as part of a 16-hit attack that propelled the Red Sox to an 11-1 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Caleb Durbin and Ceddanne Rafaela each collected three hits for the Red Sox, who received two RBIs from both Gasper and Wilyer Abreu.

Boston’s Brayan Bello (5-6) held the Diamondbacks to one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings of relief to collect the win. Arizona starter Mitch Bratt (1-2) allowed three runs on four hits in three innings.

The Diamondbacks placed second baseman Ketel Marte on the restricted list before the game. The team did not give a reason for the move, but multiple outlets reported that Marte did not show up to Fenway Park.

The Red Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second on an RBI single by Eli White that drove in Durbin and a Nick Sogard double that scored White.

It was 3-0 after Durbin drove in Contreras with a single in the third, and the Red Sox took a 4-0 lead when Sogard scored on a Rafaela double in the fourth.

Boston added three more runs to extend its advantage to 7-0 in the fifth.

Contreras led off with his 25th home run of the season. Adley Rutschman scored on Andruw Monasterio’s sacrifice fly and Durbin came home on Gasper’s groundout. Two of the three runs were unearned, as the Diamondbacks committed two errors in the outfield after the homer.

Ildemaro Vargas scored on Geraldo Perdomo’s sac fly to make it 7-1 in the top of the sixth, but Boston responded by scoring twice in the bottom half of the inning. Abreu’s single drove in Rafaela, and Abreu stretched the lead to 9-1 by scoring on a Rutschman double.

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Nick Yorke had three RBIs while playing in his first game in exactly three months, while Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Lowe each drove in two to help the host Pittsburgh Pirates secure an 8-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a 2 1/2-hour rain delay between the sixth and seventh innings, the Pirates secured the series victory and have won three of their past four as they attempt to stay alive in the National League postseason race. Boston has split its past four games after losing five in a row.

Yorke was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday and played for the first time since May 16 before he was optioned to the minors. Yorke’s two-run single off Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval (1-2) in the third put the Pirates ahead 6-0 and highlighted a five-run inning for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates struck for two runs in the bottom of the first after Esmerlyn Valdez hit the first of his two doubles. Reynolds and Lowe followed with back-to-back RBI singles that put Pittsburgh ahead 2-0.

The same trio kickstarted the big third inning in the same fashion. Valdez followed Jared Triolo’s single with a double, and Reynolds and Lowe followed with run-scoring singles. After Yorke’s big hit, Henry Davis pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-0 on a sacrifice fly.

Connor Wong, who finished with two hits, gave the Red Sox some hope when he belted a three-run home run off Pirates reliever Hunter Barco in the fifth inning. Barco was also recalled from Triple-A on Sunday after Pittsburgh optioned right-hander Wilber Dotel and infielder Jack Brannigan.

Kirby Yates (1-5) replaced Barco in the seventh when play resumed and pitched a scoreless inning.

Sandoval gave up seven runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out six over four innings. Raymond Burgos, who was recalled Sunday from Triple-A Worcester, pitched four innings — and remained in the game even after the rain delay — as he allowed one run on two hits and one walk, and had one strikeout.

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Report) – As the visiting St. Louis Cardinals search for a series victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon, it will be tough to top a historic day at Wrigley Field.

In St. Louis’ 8-4 road win on Saturday, the organization’s No. 3 prospect, Joshua Baez, became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs in his debut. Baez grew up in Boston and attended Dexter-Southfield High School in Brookline where he was named Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year.

“It’s unreal,” Baez said. “I really can’t put it into words, but it’s honestly just a dream come true. I was just trying to stay calm, embrace it and just try to have fun.”

When the dust settles from Baez’s incredible introduction, a win on Sunday would mark the first time since 2022 that the Cardinals clinched both road series at Chicago.

Hunter Dobbins (2-3, 3.40 ERA) has pieced together a pair of decent starts in August but received zero run support across 11 1/3 innings in two losses. Last time out, Dobbins went five innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out six and walking three in a 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. The Cardinals offense scored five runs after Dobbins’ exit.

In his previous start, Aug. 4 on the road against the New York Yankees, Dobbins turned in a quality start but lost 2-0. He allowed two earned runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The 26-year-old right-hander has walked three batters in each of his past two starts and needed 97 pitches to get through five frames against the Phillies.

“I guess the one thing I can take away is that I competed,” Dobbins said of his last outing. “I’ve got to find a way to execute pitches in all counts. You’ve got to stay ahead of hitters, pound the strike zone early and just stay in attack mode.”

Dobbins, who was traded from Boston in December as part of a package that sent Willson Contreras to the Red Sox, has faced the Cubs twice in his career — both outings this year. He allowed five runs in nine innings in two appearances against Chicago. On May 31, he earned a save in the 5-1 win after throwing 3 2/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits. On July 27, he pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits in a 7-4 loss.

In a 10-4 start to August, the Cubs have won three consecutive series and seek their fourth in a row. Chicago, which was on the wrong side of history on Saturday, allowed its most runs since an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 26.

“He hit three different pitches for home runs,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Baez’s debut. “He had a great game. He just beat us, for sure.”

Edward Cabrera (5-4, 5.10) will look for better success against Baez and the Cardinals on Sunday when he returns to the major league mound for the first time in nearly two months. The 28-year-old right-hander was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain on June 24 following a lackluster stretch. Cabrera posted an 8.35 ERA in four June appearances before the injury.

The offseason acquisition in a trade with the Miami Marlins made three minor league rehab appearances, going 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA across a start with Double-A Knoxville and two with Triple-A Iowa.

“Edward pitched very well,” Counsell said of Cabrera’s last minor league start, which saw him hurl five no-hit innings against the Double-A Rocket City on Tuesday. “The line indicates that.”

Cabrera is 0-2 with a 3.52 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis.

–Field Level Media

–Field Level Media

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Sonny Gray threw seven scoreless innings and Wilyer Abreu’s second-inning solo home run put the Boston Red Sox on course for a 4-0 shutout of the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

Gray (15-3) set a career-high for wins and leads the American League in that category. Gray struck out seven and walked one on 86 pitches to lead the Red Sox to their second win in three games following a five-game losing streak.

Abreu’s home run with one out in the second off Pirates starter Jared Jones (2-5) was one of three hits in the game. It tarnished a mostly-solid start for Jones, who struck out seven, walked two and gave up just the one run on four hits over five innings.

Abreu rapped his second of two doubles off Pittsburgh reliever Luke Weaver to lead off the ninth. Abreu was then thrown out at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Caleb Durbin. But Jarren Duran blooped a single to left field and Andruw Monasterio smacked a changeup from Weaver into the left center field gap to drive in two insurance runs.

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