With Pete Alonso heading to Coors Field for a three game series, Eugenio Suárez pulled into a tie for the major league lead at 47 home runs. Suarez swatted two on Sunday while scoring all three runs in a Reds victory in Arizona: 

 

 

Over his last 20 games, Suarez owns a .370 (27-for-73) average with 13 home runs and 22 RBI. He’s not only pursuing the home run title, but the Reds team record set by George Foster (52) set in 1977. 

Pacing the Red Sox offense, Christian Vázquez also recorded two home runs, including a grand slam on Sunday, driving in five runs. This marks his 36th multi-hit game of the season and he’s hit 21 home runs in 127 games. Prior to this year, Vazquez hit 10 home runs in 291 career contests. 

Keeping with the theme of two home runs on Sunday, here’s the rest of the double dong games from the slate: 

  • Randal Grichuk hit two home runs raising his career best total to 28 with four RBI. He’s in the midst of an eight game hit streak during which he’s hitting .313 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and a 1.156 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

  • Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario launched two home runs among his three hits on Sunday with two RBI. It’s his first multiple home run game since April. Perhaps Rosario’s getting healthy. 

  • Harrison Bader tallied two home runs in a loss to the Brewers. 

  • Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant reached 31 home runs this year with two on Sunday driving in four. 

  • Ryan McMahon blasted two home runs and sits at 22 this year. He also drove in four runs to set a Rockies record for RBI (80) in a season as the primary second baseman. 

Other notable performances by hitters include: 

  • Aaron Judge launched his 23rd home run and 10th in his last 21 games. 

  • Brewers Ryan Braun hit a go ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth. 

  • During an Astros rout, Josh Reddick racked up five hits in as many at-bats scoring three runs along with his 13th home run. Kyle Tucker added a smash and dash with his second home run while stealing his fourth base. 

  • Oakland continues to surge setting its team record for home runs in a season. Marcus Semien hit his 30th and Matt Chapman his 34th. Sean Murphy remains red hot with two more hits including a double and an RBI. He’s hitting .423 with a 1.502 on-base plus slugging since his promotion. 

  • In a loss, Wil Myers racked up two hits and his 18th home run. He’s hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games with a .420 average in them. 

  • Rookie Kyle Lewis went 3-for-6 with two runs, a double, his fourth home run and three RBI. In six games with Seattle, he’s recorded two three-hit games. 

Starting Pitcher Spotlight: Wheeler deals in a no-decison

In a microcosm of the Mets season, Zack Wheeler fired seven strong innings allowing six hits and one earned run with nine strikeouts. He left with the lead but did not get the win due to the bullpen. But, Wheeler remains 5-1 over his last 10 starts with a 2.94 ERA in them. He’s also yielded only one run in each of his last four outings. On Sunday, Wheeler generated 17 swinging strikes and 21 called for a 39.2 called plus swinging strikes (CSW) percentage. Here’s a glimpse of his arsenal: 

 

 

Here’s the other notable starting pitcher performances from Sunday:

  • Trevor Bauer , Cincinnati: 117 pitches, 15 swinging strikes, 19 called, 29.1 CSW%. Bauer notched his 11th win working eight innings on the road giving up four hits, one earned run and a walk with nine strikeouts. He’s up to 245 strikeouts in 206 innings in 33 starts, all career highs. 

  • Aníbal Sánchez , Washington: 109 pitches, eight swinging strikes, 16 called, 22 CSW%. Not all winning stat lines appear the same with Sanchez moving to 9-2 since May 27th with seven shutout innings against the Braves. He recorded three strikeouts working around three hits and a walk on Sunday. 

  • Sean Manaea , Oakland: 95 pitches, 11 swinging strikes, 19 called, 31.6 CSW%. So far, so good for Manaea winning his second of three starts this month since returning from the injured list. He’s only allowed one run, six hits and six walks with 21 strikeouts through his first 18 innings this season resulting in a 0.50 ERA with a 0.67 WHIP. 

Bullpen Notes: Dodgers win in New York

As alluded to above, an untimely misstep by Seth Lugo handed the lead to Los Angeles in the top of the ninth inning during a tied game Sunday night. Lugo entered in the midst of a 14 inning scoreless streak but a double by Enrique Hernandez and a single by Jedd Gyorko gave the Dodgers the lead. It’s also worth noting Kenley Jansen pitched the bottom of the eighth and garnered the win with Kenta Maeda working two-thirds of an inning in the ninth en route his second save. 

Here’s the other high leverage events from Sunday: 

  • Brandon Workman notched his 14th save walking one and striking out one. He’s recorded seven saves his last nine outings and one in each of his last four. 

  • Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles reached the 20 save mark for the third time in his career with a clean ninth inning and a strikeout. 

  • In a fluid situation, Oliver Pérez gets his first save after retiring the only hitter he faced. James Hoyt worked 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts for his first hold. 

  • Surviving a two-run home run by Tommy Edman , Josh Hader held on for his 33rd save. Carlos Martínez did not pitch on Sunday remaining out due to a respiratory issue. 

  • Jesús Luzardo recorded his first save pitching the last three innings allowing two hits, one earned run and two walks with four strikeouts providing the A’s bullpen with much needed rest. 

  • Returning to the mound for the first time since September sixth, Will Smith secured his 33rd save walking one and striking out one. 

  • Shrouded by the Angels abysmal September, Hansel Robles rolls on with his 21st save logging 1.1 scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts. This marks his first walk issued since August 20th and he’s fired 14.1 straight scoreless innings. 

  • Save number 31 for Raisel Iglesias firing a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts. 

  • A potential late round saves stash for 2020, Austin Adams gets his second win striking out the side for Seattle preceding a ninth inning rally. Injury issues limited his totals in 2019 but heed his 2.66 xFIP, 49.1 ground ball percentage and 52:16 K:BB in 30.2 innings this year. 

What To Watch For

First, the sound of sad trombones with news of Mike Trout missing the rest of the season due to surgery. This also opens the door for a new MVP in the American League. 

As for the playoff races, the Wild Card races continue to churn along with some intrigue in the National League Central. St. Louis will host Washington for a three-game series with a two-game lead in the division. Washington leads the Wild Card in the National League by one and a half games with Chicago and Milwaukee in hot pursuit. 

With this in mind, Dakota Hudson will face Stephen Strasburg tonight while Cole Hamels starts for the Cubs and Zach Davies for Milwaukee. 

In the American League, Oakland owns a one and a half game lead to host the play-in game with Tampa Bay in second and Cleveland trailing the Rays by one in the loss column. 

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition across all fantasy formats. 

Statistical Credits: 

BaseballSavant.com
MLB.com - Game Notes
Fangraphs.com