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The Boston Red Sox entered Saturday looking to clinch their weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays, but instead were shut out in emphatic fashion. Toronto cruised to a 6-0 victory behind a dominant 12-strikeout outing from Dylan Cease, who fired a complete-game one-hit shutout, the first by a visiting pitcher at Fenway Park since Félix Hernández in 2007.
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While Cease was nearly untouchable, Red Sox starter Sonny Gray couldn’t match him, suffering his first loss since April 14. Gray saw his streak of nine quality starts come to an end as Toronto broke the game open with a five-run third inning. Reliever Alec Gamboa at least stabilized things afterward, tossing four strong innings while allowing just one run and striking out six to preserve the rest of Boston’s bullpen.
Hours after the loss, Boston made a move ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Red Sox agreed to trade left-handed pitcher Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead.
Mead holds a career .244 batting average, with 22 home runs, 79 RBIs and .709 OPS through fours seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox and Nationals. The deal gives Boston another versatile bat amid Trevor Story’s prolonged absence.
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BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are trading left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2026
Early, 24, was one of the club’s top young pitching prospects before landing on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. The rookie has gone 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA, 93 strikeouts across 91⅔ innings in 17 starts this season and is expected to return sometime in August. Boston selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia, and he also made four major league starts during the 2025 season.
The Red Sox will now try to bounce back in Sunday’s series finale at Fenway Park. Kevin Gausman (4-9, 4.51 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto, while Ranger Suárez (0-0) is expected to take the mound for Boston, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2026 at 5:12 AM.