Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources
Aug 4
Adolis García went 3-for-3 with two solo homers on Friday, powering the Rangers to a 6-2 victory over the Marlins.
García lifted an opposite-field shot just inside the right-field foul pole in the third inning before clobbering an absolute moonshot to center field in the sixth inning off Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo for his third multi-homer performance of the season. The 30-year-old is up to 28 round-trippers on the year and also leads the American League with 88 RBI across 107 games. García also has 108 hits, solidifying his status as one of the Rangers' most productive hitters.
Yordan Álvarez blasts 20th homer. Álvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Yankees. Álvarez is up to 20 home runs on the season and has hit safely in each of his eight games since returning from a 39-game stint on the injured list. His 1.017 OPS is nearly identical to last season and despite the missed time, he's still on pace for a third consecutive season with 30 or more homers. A healthy Álvarez remains one of the best hitters in the game and a stalwart in the heart of the Astros lineup.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. goes deep in Diamondbacks' loss to Twins
Gurriel Jr. had a solid performance in Friday's game against the Twins, going 1-for-3 at the plate with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored, but it wasn't enough as the Diamondbacks fell to Minnesota by a score of 3-2. On the season, Gurriel Jr. has played 98 games and has compiled a .253 batting average with 17 home runs, 59 RBI, and 45 runs scored.
José Abreu was hitless on Friday.
Abreu can't find his way to a strong performance, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts against the Yankees on Friday's 7-3 victory. In August, Abreu is 2-for-15 with an offensive line of .133/.235/.133, and his 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in consecutive games on July 28 and 29 seem like a long way off for a player who already has 7 strikeouts in just four games this month.
Dairon Blanco with three RBI and three stolen bases. Blanco went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice, three stolen bases and three RBI in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Phillies. Blanco became the the first player to record 3 RBI and 3 SB in a game since Jose Altuve did it 10 years ago on Sept. 10, 2013. Since July 15 Blanco is hitting .391/.417/.609 with 9 RBI and 7 stolen bases in 15 games. Friday's performance also tied a single-game career high in RBI for the outfielder. Blanco is now slashing .246/.297/.420 with 12 steals through 33 games this season.
No hits for Yulieski Gurriel against Texas.
In Friday's 6-2 loss to the Rangers, Gurriel went 0-for-3. After striking out twice, the veteran first baseman's batting average for the year fell to .268. Gurriel will need to turn things around soon if he hopes to keep his place in the lineup.
Friday night, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena combined to go 2-for-9. Andy was hitless.
As part of an 8-0 victory over Detroit, Díaz went 1-for-5 with his 53 RBI of the year and a strikeout. While, Arozarena continued his poor offensive performance, he went 1-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts. Meanwhile in the same game, Andy Ibáñez went 0-for-2 for Detroit and was replaced by PH Nick Matton.
Oscar Colás and Luis Robert had hits, but Yasmani Grandal and Yoán Moncada did not.
In Friday's 4-2 loss to the Guardians, Luis Robert went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. As for Oscar Colás, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run. While Grandal and Moncada combined for an 0-for-7 performance with three strikeouts and a walk. There was also a throwing error by Grandal. The only Cuban in the disappointing White Sox roster doing well is Luis Robert, who is hitting .267/.319/.549 with 29 HR, 60 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.
