Allen Wrench In The Works
With frontline starter Shota Imanaga on the mound, the Cubs had designs on avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Astros on Sunday, until Nick Allen threw a wrench in the works and sent Chicago to their eighth consecutive loss and 12th in their last 14 games. A career utility player, the 27-year-old Allen failed to hit a home run in 371 at-bats with Atlanta in 2025, but he ripped a 3-2 fastball over the left field wall in the third inning to bring the Astros within a run. He finished the Houston win going 3-3 with a HR, two singles, 2 R, 2 RBI, a HBP and a SB, truly embodying the utility role that has consistently earned him a spot on Major League rosters. With injuries to Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, the Astros are in desperate need of middle infield help and Allen showed Sunday that he is capable of providing a spark to the team in a pinch. He is never going to be a fantasy baseball darling but with a .297/.366/.405 line and 123 wRC+ in 37 at-bats this season, Allen should get an opportunity to help Houston try to battle back to the top of the AL West.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Sunday:
Travis Bazzana (CLE): 3-4, HR, R, RBI.
With Cleveland clinging to a 2-1 win lead in the eighth inning, Travis Bazzana turned on a 97 MPH fastball and sent it 412 feet to give the team an insurance run in their win over the Phillies. It didn’t take long for the former No. 1 overall pick to find his footing in the Majors and he is hitting .346/.370/.615 over his last seven games.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
With fans begging for some action in the ninth inning of a scoreless ballgame, Aaron Judge gave the people what they wanted, delivering a two-run walkoff HR to propel the Yankees to a much needed victory against Tampa Bay. The blast was Judge’s 17th of the season, and his fourth career walk-off, and ended a career-worst 11-game streak with no RBI.
Heriberto Hernández (MIA): 2-2, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Heriberto Hernández did not start Sunday’s game for Miami, but he made the most of his time in the ballgame against the Mets. After delivering a pinch-hit single in the seventh, Hernandez stepped to the plate against closer Devin Williams in the ninth and blasted a walk-off grand slam 416 feet to center field to give the Marlins the sweep over New York.
Colton Cowser (BAL): 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
With the Orioles down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning of game one of a doubleheader against Detroit. Colton Cowser came through with a monstrous three-run walk-off HR off Kenley Jansen to give Baltimore the win. The homer was just Cowser’s second of the season as he is struggling to maintain a regular spot in the Orioles lineup.
Julio Rodríguez (SEA): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Julio Rodríguez got the scoring started on Sunday, ripping a solo HR off Seth Lugo, his ninth of the season, to give the Mariners an early lead. He later delivered an RBI single in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough as Seattle fell to the Royals 8-6.
Colt Emerson (SEA): 4-4, 3 2B, R, RBI.
Top prospect Colt Emerson has wasted no time in announcing his presence at the Major League level, and he is now hitting .286/.37/.571 in 21 at-bats since his promotion after a 4-4 performance on Sunday. Emerson smacked three doubles in yesterday’s games and he four of his six MLB hits have gone for extra bases.
Salvador Perez (KC): 3-4, R, 3 RBI.
Salvador Pere recorded no extra-base hits on Sunday, but came through with clutch singles to give Kansas City the victory. The veteran catcher delivered a two-run single in the fifth to give the Royals the lead and followed it up with another RBI single in the seventh to increase the lead.
Casey Schmitt (SF): 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Casey Schmitt has been a bright spot in a difficult year for the Giants and he continued his strong season with a big day on Sunday. The 27-year old delivered a game-tying RBI double in the first inning and hit his 11th HR of the season in the third. Schmitt has improved his K% from 23.9% to 19.7% this season in addition to an improved Barrel% of 14.6 (88th percentile) compared to 9.0 in 2025.
Rafael Devers (SF): 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 5 RBI.
Rafael Devers came through with the clutch hit for the Giants on multiple occasions during the team’s 8-5 win over the White Sox on Sunday. With the game tied at one, Devers smoked an RBI double off lefty Noah Schultz in the first inning to give San Francisco an early lead. The big hit of the day however came in the fifth with the game tied at four, as Devers smacked a grand slam to the opposite field. Giants fans are hoping this performance can turn around what has been largely a disappointing season for Devers, who is hitting just .245/.288/.412 with seven HRs in 2026.
Ketel Marte (ARI): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI.
The Diamondbacks got seven hits from the top two hitters in their lineup in their 9-1 win over Colorado, including three from Ketel Marte. The three-time All-Star had two doubles off starter Jose Quintana and he is hitting a scorching .536/.563/1.000 over his last seven games.
Corbin Carroll (ARI): 4-4, 2 3B, R, 2 RBI.
Not to be outdone, Corbin Carroll got a hit in all four of his plate appearances on Sunday, including two triples to give him a Major League-leading eight on the season. Nobody else in the game has more than four triples this season and if Carroll can hold onto the lead all season, he will be the first player in Major League history to lead the league in triples in three consecutive seasons.
