Great start by Erlis Casanova combined with a decisive double of Yordanis Samón and a great relief by Pablo A. Civil, were the key in the Cuban victory Granma debuted this Thursday afternoon in the Baseball Champions League of the Americas, with a 3-1 victory against the Fargo Red Hawks of the American Association, in a game played at the Kukulcán Álamo stadium in Mérida, Yucatán in Mexico. Box score This year's tournament, sponsored by the World Baseball and Softball Organization (WBSC), features four champion teams from professional leagues in the United States, Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba. Cuba gained a decisive advantage in the eighth inning against the third reliever for the Fargo Red Hawks, right-hander Garret Alexander. Raico Santos walked to start the inning and was then driven in by Yordanis Samón's third hit of the game, a double to left field. A single by Yosvany Alarcón to left moved Samón to third base, and from there he scored Granma's last run with a sacrifice fly by Guille Avilés. Granma was the first team to open the score. An RBI single by Yordanys Alarcón brought Yordanis Samón to the plate in the fourth inning. The inning started when Samón singled to left and Yosvany Alarcón was hit by a pitch moving Samón into scoring position. The Granma team, generally dominated by the Red Hawks' first two pitchers, once again posed a serious threat in the bottom of the seventh inning against right-handed reliever Grant Gavin. With two outs, pinch-hitter Yoán Moreno and Aníbal Medina singled. However, leadoff Héctor Castillo was retired for the fourth time on a ground ball to second. Two innings later, Roy Morales hit a solo home run to left field with two outs against Cuban right-handed starter Erlis Casanova to tie the game 1-1. Three of Fargo's seven hits came from Morales, who finished the game as the team's best hitter. Casanova, who left the game without a decision, pitched seven strong innings with 85 pitches, 58 strikes, allowing four hits, while walking just once, and striking out six. In his final inning of work, the Cuban starter faced one of the biggest threats when, after two outs, he gave up a single to Leobaldo Piña and walked Connor Panas. Despite this, Casanova held on to the tie by retiring Justin Wylie on a ground ball to the mound with his 85th pitch of the game. It was again possible for the Red Hawks to take the lead against Granma's new reliever, Yanielquis Duardo in the eighth inning. Duardo hit the first batter, Sam Dexter, and allowed a single by Morales that moved Dexter to third base after one out. However, Duardo avoided any damage by forcing DH Chris Herrmann to hit a 463 double play to end the inning. The Red Hawks were not ready to leave without a fight, as they loaded the bases against closer Juan Peñalver in the ninth inning. After making another call to his bullpen, mentor Leonardo Soto chose closer Pablo A. Civil and he didn't disappoint. After a ten pitch battle against lefty pinch hitter Dayson Croes, Civil was able to prove his status as one of the best closers on the island by inducing a 463 game ending double play, securing Granma's victory. In the second match of the tournament, the Cubans will face Caimanes de Barranquilla from Colombia at 3:00 pm (Havana and EEUU ET), in a game where Granma's manager announced right-hander starter Raymond Figueredo.

A new concept in baseball, the Baseball Champions League features teams from around the world representing their clubs, cities, and fans Baseball's first-ever international tournament of champions will be played in Mérida, Yucatán, México, from September 28 to October 1, with the participation of league champions from Colombia, Cuba, México and USA. All seven games will be played at Parque Kukulcán Alamo Stadium in Mérida. In 2023, the Americas Baseball Champions League is an invitational event, but in the future, it will move to a league format and include other continents. The participating teams are Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, champions of the American Association of Professional Baseball (an official Partner League of Major League Baseball); Alazanes de Granma, the Cuban National League champions; Caimanes de Barranquilla, winners of the Colombian Baseball League; and hosts Leones de Yucatán, LMB champions 2022. Tournament Schedule The Cuban National League (Serie Nacional or National Series) will be represented by Los Alazanes de Granma. In the eastern part of Cuba, the Alazanes de Granma are based in Bayamo, the capital of the province of Granma. Since their debut in 1977-78, they have participated in 46 Cuban National League campaigns. With four titles in the last seven editions, including the championship in 2022, they became one of the most successful teams of the decade. As Granma's manager, Carlos Martí led the team to all of its titles. In the American Baseball Champions League, Granma will be led by Leonardo Soto. The Granma team added 15 players from other Cuban National League teams, including five players who won the 2023 championship with Las Tunas: pitchers Keniel Ferráz and Alberto Pablo Civil, catcher Yosvany Alarcón, infielder Yordanis Alarcón, and outfielder Héctor Castillo. Granma's roster for the 2023 American Baseball Champions League Pitchers (12): Leandro Martínez Figueredo, Carlos Santana Santiesteban, Kelbis Rodríguez León, Miguel Paradelo, Yunier Castillo, Raymond Figueredo Cruz (IND), Yanielquis Duardo Rojas (SSP), Alberto Pablo Civil Hidalgo (LTU), Wilber Reyna Lanchazo (STG), Juan Xavier Peñalver Hernández (IND), Erly Casanova Callaba (PRI) y Keniel Ferraz Pérez (LTU). Catchers (2): Yosvani Alarcón Tardío (LTU) and Yúnior Ibarra Areque (SSP). Infielders (9): Guillermo Avilés Difurnó, Osvaldo Abreu Sánchez, Yulián Milán Santos, Pedro Almeida Yosvani Millán, Yordanis Samón Matamoros (CMG), Aníbal Medina Pérez (MTZ), Andrés de La Cruz Matos (GTM) y Yordanis Alarcón Tardío (LTU). Outfielders (5): Darián Palma Fonseca, Raico Santos Almeida, Alexquemer Sánchez Sánchez, Héctor Castillo Blair (LTU) y Yoan Moreno Martínez (ART). Manager: Leonardo Soto. In preparation for the tournament, the team trained and played against the Cuban National Team preselection, who are preparing for the 2023 Pan American Games.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 26 Yennier Cano fired a perfect ninth inning on Tuesday for a save against the Nationals. Cano picked up the save in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Washington. He struck out three in a perfect ninth inning. The 29-year-old was called upon to protect the slimmest of margins Tuesday and did so in dominant fashion, getting Logan Thomas, Keibert Ruíz and Joey Meneses to strike out swinging on just 13 pitches. Since Baltimore closer Félix Bautista landed on the injured list Aug. 26, Cano has surrendered six of the 17 earned runs he's given up all year, seeing his season-long ERA increase from 1.60 to 2.13 across 10.2 innings. The right-hander has, however, converted four of his five save opportunities and notched two holds in that same span. Raisel Iglesias locks down another save in Braves' narrow victory over Cubs. Iglesias's dominant outing, with two strikeouts and no earned runs allowed, further solidifies his role as the team's reliable closer. With 31 saves on the season and a strong strikeout rate of 11.07 K/9, the Braves can continue to rely on Iglesias for consistent saves and strikeouts down the stretch. Despite a few blown saves, his overall performance has been solid, boasting a 2.85 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Yordan Álvarez and José Abreu went hitless on Tuesday. Yordan and Abreu went 0-for-9 with one strikeout on Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners. Both players left runners in scoring position in a loss that jeopardizes the defending champions' postseason progress. While Yordan has had a phenomenal 2023 with 30 home runs, 96 RBI and a .293/.407/.586 offensive line, Abreu has been the complete opposite in what is arguably his worst season at this level with an offensive line of .233/.293/.374 with only 17 home runs and 84 RBIs in 137 games. Yandy Díaz was absent from the Rays’ lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Red Sox. It was rookie Jonathan Aranda at first base on Tuesday night at Fenway Park with Díaz sitting out following an early exit from Sunday’s contest against the Blue Jays with right hamstring tightness. It appears Yandy has been limited to avoid any dangerous injuries just before the postseason. There is still a lot of time for him to recover. Randy Arozarena remained absent from the Rays’ lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Red Sox. Arozarena remained sidelined on Tuesday evening after sitting out a pair of contests over the weekend following an early exit from Friday’s game due to right quad tightness. He is still considered day-to-day for now. White Sox placed OF Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a mild MCL sprain in his left knee. Robert Jr.'s season is officially over after suffering a left knee injury during Sunday’s rain-soaked series finale at Fenway Park. The 26-year-old is expected to be fully recovered in 2-4 weeks, which gives him plenty of time to be ready for spring training. The five-category superstar finishes an impressive 2023 campaign with a .264/.315/.542 triple-slash line with 90 runs scored, 38 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases across 595 plate appearances over 145 games. The homers and steals represent new career-high marks.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 25 Adolis García, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe slugged back-to-back-to-back solo homers off of Jimmy Herget in the sixth inning on Monday, powering the Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the Angels. After Josh Jung popped out to start the sixth inning, García jumped on a 1-0 sinker and pulverized it for a 394-foot solo shot that tied the game at 1-1. Garver followed with a go-ahead solo shot and Nathaniel Lowe extended the lead to 3-1. García also drew a walk in the ballgame, finishing the night 1-for-3. On the season, the 30-year-old outfielder is slashing .245/.327/.505 with an impressive 37 homers, 104 RBI and nine stolen bases in 609 plate appearances. Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run on Monday night, powering the Astros to a much-needed 5-1 victory over the Mariners. Álvarez victimized Mariners’ ace Luis Castillo for a mammoth 439-foot solo shot in the third inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 4-0. He also doubled in the ballgame. With his two-hit attack, the 26-year-old slugger is now slashing a robust .297/.411/.593 with 30 homers, 96 RBI, and 24 doubles through 109 games and 473 plate appearances this season. José Abreu legged out his first triple since 2021 and scored a run as the Astros topped the Mariners on Monday evening in Seattle. The 36-year-old started a rally with his leadoff triple off of Luis Castillo in the second inning and came around to score the game’s first run on a two-out RBI single by Mauricio Dubon. That would be his lone hit in four at-bats on the evening. It has been a disappointing season overall for Abreu, as he’s hitting just .235/.295/.377 with 17 homers and 84 RBI.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 24 Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 and hit his 29th homer Sunday against the Royals. Álvarez, who had DH’d of late, returned to left field today and hit his sixth homer in his last 17 games. Alvarez is at 469 plate appearances with six games left to go, which means he’ll almost certainly fall short of the 502 he’ll need to qualify for the batting title. Still, even if he takes 10-15 zeroes, he’ll probably rank third in the AL in OPS, given that he’s at .995 right now. Yandy Díaz was removed from Sunday’s game with right hamstring tightness. Díaz appeared to tweak his hamstring in the first inning of Sunday’s contest against the Blue Jays. He was removed from the game after the second inning. He went 1-for-2 with a run scored in the game. He should be considered day-to-day. José Abreu with a double Sunday. Abreu went 1-for-3 with a RBI, walk and strikeout in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Royals. Abreu's only hit in the game was his double #21 of the season. He is slashing a disappointing .234/.295/.374 with 17 homers and 84 RBI. Luis Robert Jr. left Sunday’s game due to left knee soreness. Robert was removed from Sunday's game at Boston with an apparent knee injury, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Robert walked during the first inning but had an awkward slide into second base, and the training staff appeared to be checking out his knee before he exited the contest. The 26-year-old had regularly been plagued by injuries over the previous two seasons, but he's stayed healthy in 2023 with a career-high 145 games played. Jorge Soler with multi-hit game. Soler went 3-for-5 in Sunday's 6-1 win over Milwaukee. The 31-year-old slugger is up to 36 home runs this season, including 11 in the last 30 games. Soler's season slash line is up to .249/.339/.516 with 73 RBI through 561 plate appearances. Yoán Moncada did not start Sunday. Moncada was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox. Moncada started the past five games and received a day off after he posted a .786 OPS and 42.9 percent strikeout rate in that stretch. Randy Arozarena was out of Sunday's lineup. Arozarena was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported. Arozarena sat for the second straight game after he exited Friday's contest with right quadriceps tightness. The Rays have a team day off Monday, so the outfielder will have three full days of rest ahead of Tuesday's series opener in Boston.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 22 Raisel Iglesias held on to a three-run lead Friday against the Nationals for his first save since Sept. 10. Iglesias picked up the save Friday against the Nationals. He allowed two hits and no walks while striking out two over a scoreless inning. After striking out Joey Meneses to start the ninth inning, Iglesias then yielded consecutive singles to Dominic Smith and Keibert Ruíz. Thankfully the Atlanta closer was able to stem the tide, striking out Luis Garcia and inducing an Ildemaro Vargas grounder to finish off the game. Iglesias has reached the 30-save milestone for the fourth time in his career (previously achieved in 2018, 2019 and 2021). He’s 30-for-34 saving games on the season. Luis Robert adds two steals in Friday's loss. Robert went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox. He nearly manufactured Chicago's first run of the night by himself, swiping second and third base after a one-out single in the sixth inning before Andrew Vaughn brought him home on a grounder that Rafael Devers couldn't corral. The steals were Robert's first in September, but he's now one pilfer away from his first career 20-20 campaign -- through 143 games, he's slashing .264/.315/.539 with 37 homers, 19 steals, 79 RBI and 89 runs. Yennier Cano blows save Friday. Cano (1-4) blew his sixth save of the season and took the loss Friday as the Orioles fell 9-8 to the Guardians, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning. Both hits went for doubles, with David Fry's drive off the wall in left-center field walking it off for Cleveland. Since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL in late August, Cano has struggled as the main man in the Baltimore bullpen -- while Friday's blown save was his first in four opportunities as closer, he has a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and poor 2:3 K:BB through nine innings, and he's given up a run in five of his 11 appearances during that stretch. Yordan Álvarez is limited to DH with elbow issue. Álvarez said Friday that he has been limited to DH duties because of a right elbow issue, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported. Álvarez felt something in his throwing elbow while swinging a bat 10 days ago, which explains why he last played the outfield Sept. 13. His limitations have pushed Michael Brantley (soreness) and Chas McCormick to left field and often relegated Yainer Díaz to the bench. It's unclear when Álvarez might be able to cycle back into the mix in left, but at least his bat can remain active in the meantime. He hit a first-inning RBI double in the Astros' loss to the Royals on Friday. José Abreu slugged his 17th home run of the season on Friday night, but it wasn’t enough to power the Astros past the Royals. Abreu walloped an opposite-field 379-foot blast off of left-hander Cole Ragans in the second inning, pulling the Astros to within two runs at 4-2. That would be as close as they would get. The 36-year-old also singled in the eighth inning and rode home on Chas McCormick’s three-run blast, finishing the night 2-for-4. Overall on the season, Abreu is now hitting .235/.294/.375 with 17 long balls and 83 RBI. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Exits with quad tightness. Arozarena was lifted from Friday's game against the Blue Jays with right quad tightness, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports. Arozarena let up a bit while rounding third base in the bottom of the first inning, though he managed to gut it out until being replaced by Manuel Margot before the top of the fifth. Arozarena finished the night 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Consider him day-to-day leading into the remainder of the Rays' three-game weekend series versus Toronto.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 21 Johan Oviedo tosses six scoreless frames in win Oviedo (9-14) earned the win over the Cubs on Thursday, yielding four hits and five walks while striking out five batters six scoreless innings. Oviedo again struggled with his control, tossing just 50 of 93 pitches for strikes and issuing five walks for the second straight start. However, the Cubs couldn't take advantage of the free passes, as they failed to push a run across the plate. While Oviedo has handed out 10 walks over his past two outings, he's allowed just one run over 11 frames during that span while striking out 12 batters. It's unlikely that the right-hander will be able to see sustained success with such poor control, but he's managed a 2.30 ERA over his past five starts despite a 1.54 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB. Oviedo has allowed one or no runs in 15 of his 31 starts this year, which is amazing. The end result has been a 4.12 ERA, which is perfectly fine and should pretty much ensure that Oviedo is a part of the Pirates’ 2024 rotation. His 152/81 K/BB ratio in 172 2/3 innings is less encouraging. Cionel Pérez struggles as Orioles drop opener 5-2. In the 8th inning, with the game tied at 2, Cionel Pérez loaded the bases, leaving without recording an out - it seems he was exhausted after pitching four times in five days. As a result of Josh Naylor's hit by a pitch, Tyler Freeman's walk, and Andrés Giménez's single, the Guardians loaded the bases with no outs against Cionel Perez (4-2). Pérez was replaced by Jacob Webb, who walked Laureano on seven pitches to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. At the end, the Guardians scored three times in the bottom of the eighth — all charged to Cionel Pérez (4-2) — immediately after the Orioles tied the game at two in the top half. A run-scoring single by Bo Naylor and an RBI grounder by Gabriel Arias followed Laureano's walk. As a result of this loss, Cionel's ERA has risen to 3.68 after allowing three earned runs. Aledmis Díaz returned on Thursday. A's utility player Aledmys Díaz was back in the starting lineup Thursday versus the Tigers. Díaz didn't appear in his club's 6-3 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday but returned to take on the Tigers in the first of a four-game set on Thursday. In the game he went 1-for-4. The veteran has scuffled at the plate this season, hitting just .229 with four homers and one stolen base across 105 appearances. Andy Ibáñez went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI on Thursday, leading the Tigers to a 7-3 victory over the Athletics. Ibáñez put the exclamation point on Detroit’s early offensive strike with an RBI triple into the right-center field gap in the opening frame off Athletics starter Luis Medina. He also added an eighth-inning RBI single to give the Tigers a commanding six-run advantage at the time. Ibáñez had an irregular campaign, hitting .255/.300/.434 in 105 games with a personal record of 11 home runs and 20 RBIs, the highest totals of his three-year MLB career.

Cuban left-hander Cionel Pérez has regained his dominance in this second half of the season, and has been key for the Baltimore Orioles By Yirsandy Rodríguez Ninth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles are three outs away from victory against the Houston Astros. Yes, for the second night in a row, a familiar story was repeated: the Cubans Cionel Pérez and Yennier Cano were in charge of getting the final outs. On Monday night, Cionel relieved Mike Baumann to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning after the Orioles took an 8-7 lead. His first confrontation was against his compatriot Yordan Álvarez, who safely reached second base due to a throwing error by third baseman Ramón Urías. Although he pitched to dominate, the error prevented Cionel from completing his first mission of the ninth inning against a left-handed batter. With a runner in scoring position with no outs, Cionel dominated another of his compatriots, first baseman José Abreu, who missed by hitting a line drive at 101.1 mph that was caught by rightfielder Austin Hays. On the play, pinch-runner Jake Meyers moved to third, and then Cionel retired Kyle Tucker with a grounder to second on a 3-1 count. Three batters faced, two outs, although it really should have been three, but Urías' error opened the possibility of a tie for the Astros. Cionel Pérez's work, as has happened in just over a month, was effective again. With Chas McCormick, a right-handed hitter coming to the plate, his compatriot Yennier Cano was called to the hill to get the final out. Cano struck out McCormick with a pair of sinkers and a zigzagging changeup that sank into the outside corner, and the Orioles took an 8-7 victory, relying on the combination of their two Cuban pitchers as fundamental pieces in the bullpen. By then, Cionel's two outs became more relevant, although the main credit of the night was how he managed to induce Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker, his left-handed opponents, to hit a pair of ground balls. Precisely those left-handed vs. left-handed duels have been one of the main situations that Cionel has not been able to control at the same level as last year. Look at the differences before he took the mound last night to look for the 27th out: Impact statistics against left-handed hitters 2022: 0.44 ERA, 10.45 SO/9, 4.00 SO/BB, .536 OPS against 84 opponents 2023: 3.13 ERA, 9.00 SO/9, 1.92 SO/BB, .590 OPS against 100 opponents I don't think the ERA is the best way to evaluate Cionel's effectiveness, but it has definitely been one of the parameters with the greatest regression. His ERA has increased by 2.69 in innings against left-handed hitters, with that slight decrease seen in his strikeout rate per nine innings. However, that's not the main problem I see there. Exactly: The most concerning point is how his strikeout-to-walk rate has fallen from 4.00 to 1.92. That sign tells us that Cionel is striking out less, at the same rate at which he has increased his walk rate. So I suspect this may be one reason: his four-seam fastball is being hit more by hitters. In 2022, Cionel posted a brilliant 28.4 Whiff% rate, and his opponents averaged just .314 against him. This year, his swing-miss rate has fallen 13.4%, and his slugging percentage has climbed to .415 against his four-seam fastball. The good news in this regard is that, since June, when Cionel began to eliminate the use of his four-seam fastball for the sinker, he exhibit just a .255 OBA and has not allowed extra bases against 60 opponents. Unlike the previous night, Cano was the one who relieved first, but he made a mess, allowing a single, then threw a wild pitch and then walked Alex Bregman on six pitches—five of them pure sinkers bordering the lower areas of the plate— . With Yordan Álvarez being announced to come to the plate at Minute Maid Park, manager Brandon Hyde did not delay in sending Cionel Pérez in relief. And I think the main reason for making that move was not just the presence of a left-handed hitter. The big argument here is that Cionel has regained his dominance during this second half of the season. In fact, before facing Yordan Álvarez, he had not allowed earned runs in his last 22 reliefs since July 29. His fastball velocity continues to improve, and Cionel has shown it through a 2.2% increase compared to his strikeout rate over the first half of the season. What happened then? Cionel threw three very similar sinkers, located in the low strike zone, and Yordan did not swing at any pitch: First pitch: Strike called, at 97.2 mph. Second pitch: Strike called, at 98.6 mph. Third pitch: Strike called, at 98.5 mph. Strikeout! And the Orioles won again against the Astros at Minute Maid Park, this time 9-5! Although a three-run home run by Yordan Álvarez would not have tied the game, Cionel resolved the situation and earned his second save of the season. Closing out games usually hasn't been his job since last year, when he had 25 holds in 66 reliefs and posted a 1.40 ERA. However, after the injury of the starting closer, Dominican right-hander Félix Bautista, on August 25, Cionel has taken advantage of the opportunity to once again take leading roles in the bullpen. And, congratulations, his resurgence is great news for the Orioles heading into the postseason. (Photo: Cionel Pérez/GettyImages)

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Sep 19 Working with a four-run lead, Yennier Cano was lifted after getting two outs against the Astros on Tuesday, allowing Cionel Pérez to wind up with a save. The game should have been over before Cano was removed, but Alex Bregman was gifted ball four on what was clearly a third strike on a check swing, extending the game. With two men on and a save situation in effect, the Orioles put in Pérez, who made quick work of Yordan Álvarez to end the game. Cano and Pérez were both used for a third straight day tonight, the first times this season that the Orioles had used any reliever for three straight days. They’ll surely be off Wednesday, which might give Danny Coulombe or Shintaro Fujinami a chance. Luis Robert adds three hits, homer. Robert went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's loss against Washington. It's the first multi-hit game since Aug. 30 for Robert, who's now 4-for-9 with a pair of homers in his last two games after going 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts in his previous four contests. The 26-year-old outfielder appears to be rounding back into form down the stretch. Robert's been a bright spot overall for Chicago this season, slashing .265/.316/.543 with 37 homers, 88 runs scored, 79 RBI and 17 steals across 584 plate appearances. Yandy Díaz goes 3-for-4 in win. Díaz went 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Angels. The breakout 32-year-old led off Tuesday's contest with a laser line drive into the left-center gap for a double, attentively taking third on an error and scoring on Randy Arozarena's two-run homer. The three-hit performance raised Díaz's batting average to .323, good for second in the AL behind Corey Seager's .333 mark. In his seventh season, Díaz has notched 163 hits, 20 home runs, 73 RBI, 90 runs and a .909 OPS across 575 plate appearances - all career-highs. Aroldis Chapman got five outs in the seventh and eighth innings to pick up a win in relief Tuesday against the Red Sox. Chapman (6-4) struck out three over 1.2 innings to earn Tuesday's win over the Red Sox. Texas manager Bruce Bochy, who told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday afternoon that he's trying to avoid using Chapman for more than one inning, did just that. Chapman entered the seventh inning with Boston rallying and ended the threat. The reliever managed a perfect eighth before Jose Leclerc picked up the save. The bullpen has blown leads late in two recent games, as Bochy avoided bringing Chapman in before the ninth inning. However, the manager altered course Tuesday, saying "we've got find a way to win ballgames." Bochy took that approach because the Rangers' bullpen has an AL-worst 6.38 ERA since Aug. 16. Randy Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Rays defeated the Angels 6-2 Tuesday night. Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Angels. The 28-year-old outfielder capitalized on a center-cut meatball from Patrick Sandoval, launching a two-run blast to give Tampa Bay an early lead in the first inning. After a tepid start to September, Arozarena has now hit safely in seven of the last eight games, going 11-for-34 (.324) during that stretch with two home runs, five RBI and four runs. However, his 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 5.6 percent walk rate in that same span suggest he isn't quite locked in at the plate. Yoán Moncada went 2-for-4 with two RBI in a 4-3 loss to the Nationals Tuesday night. Moncada put the White Sox ahead 2-1 in the seventh inning with a 412-foot blast off Jackson Rutledge, his ninth homer of the season. The 28-year-old third baseman has put together a strong second half, batting .331 (42-for-127) with six homers and a .925 OPS in his last 35 games. Overall, Moncada's slashing .262/.304/.417 with 38 RBI and 35 runs scored across 329 plate appearances this season. Daysbel Hernández (forearm) began a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett. Hernández has been out since early August with right forearm inflammation. The 27-year-old right-hander has made four relief appearances this season in the big leagues.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Aug 30 Randy Arozarena makes history Wednesday. Arozarena went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 3-0 extra-inning win over the Marlins. Arozarena enjoyed a big 10th inning, knocking in a pair of runs with a one-out single and subsequently stealing both second and third base. The star outfielder has swiped five bags over his past three games to reach 20 thefts on the campaign. He's already at 21 homers, so he's now logged three consecutive 20/20 seasons, becoming the first player in major-league history to accomplish that across his first three full campaigns in the big leagues. The 28-year-old outfielder is hitting .261/.373/.436 with 21 homers, 85 runs scored, and 76 RBI across 553 plate appearances. Aroldis Chapman allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning on Wednesday and was saddled with a loss against the Mets. Chapman was brought into a tie ballgame in extra innings and intentionally walked Pete Alonso before handing out a free pass to Francisco Álvarez to load the bases with nobody out. He proceeded to hit ensuing batter DJ Stewart with a pitch to bring home the winning run. The 35-year-old lefty has allowed at least one run in four of his last five appearances and has 3 blown saves during that span. Yuli Gurriel hitless against the Rays. Gurriel started at first base and batted seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rays. Gurriel served as the Marlins' first baseman for the second day in a row, essentially replacing Jorge Soler in the lineup while Josh Bell handles designated-hitter duties. Since the Marlins acquired Bell on Aug. 1, Gurriel has made just 11 starts and is hitting .158 with two extra-base hits (both doubles) over 40 at-bats on the month. In Wednesday's game he went 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts. Luis Robert crushes homer No. 35. Luis Robert Jr. crushed his career-high 35th homer Wednesday as the White Sox snapped a two-game skid with a 10-5 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards. With his homer Robert became the 14th player in White Sox history to reach the 35-homer mark, smacking a solo shot to put Chicago ahead to stay, 5-4, in the third. He later added a single in the eighth. It is the 24th time in White Sox history a player has reached 35 homers in a season. Hall of Famer Frank Thomas did it seven times. The 35 homers are a club record for a center fielder. Robert ranks second in the American League to Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani (44). Dairon Blanco logged steal in loss. Blanco went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Pirates. Blanco has recorded nine of his 17 steals this season over 20 games in August. He continues to be most impactful as a pinch runner, he's seen just 31 at-bats this month while working in a part-time role. For the season, he's slashing .245/.317/.426 over 105 plate appearances. José Abreu headed to bench Wednesday. Abreu was out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox. Abreu has put together some good at-bats since being activated from the 10-day injured list exactly a week ago, as he's slashing .300/.391/.500 with a pair of extra-base hits and three walks against two strikeouts in his first five games back in action. He gave way to Jon Singleton at first base in the day game after a night game, but Abreu still appears to be locked in as Houston's primary first baseman, despite enduring a career-worst season during his first year with the Astros. Jorge Soler was sitting out with hip injury Wednesday. Soler was not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays. Soler departed Tuesday's loss to Tampa Bay when his hip tightened up on him after a swing. He dealt with a hip issue at times last season as well, though it's not clear whether the injury he picked up Tuesday is related. For now, the slugger is considered day-to-day. There’s a chance he’s ready to go for Thursday’s series opener against the division-rival Nationals. J.P. Martínez was sitting again Wednesday. Martínez was out of the lineup again Wednesday versus the Mets. Martínez got off to a hot start when the Rangers initially called him up from Triple-A Round Rock on Aug. 11, but he has tallied only one hit while striking out 10 times in his last 17 plate appearances.

End of story: The Leñadores are the new champions of Cuban Baseball! By Yirsandy Rodríguez “This ends here!”, chanted from the first inning the fans from Las Tunas who took over the stands this Friday at the Latinoamericano stadium with total conviction that they would live a day to remember in Cuban baseball. And so it was: exactly 101 minutes later, the Las Tunas Lumberjacks were crowned champions of the 62nd National Series of Cuban baseball! A 6-1 victory in Game 4 completed the series sweep for the Lumberjacks, who won their second championship and became the seventh team to finish undefeated with a 4-0 record. Furthermore, Abeisy Pantoja also joins the 13 managers who have made their debut in Cuban baseball winning the national title. A consistency that was unmatched in the first third of this campaign was demonstrated by Las Tunas: With a 45-29 record, they led the regular season with a .608 winning percentage. In the quarterfinals, they swept Tigres de Ciego de Ávila 4-0. They avenged their previous three consecutive eliminations against the Matanzas Crocodiles by beating them 4-2. Finally, they swept the Lions 4-0, completing a historic sweep. This postseason, they won 12 out of 14 games! The final result for this year?: A 57-31 record in 88 games! , resulting in an impressive win percentage of 65%. Although the Industriales suffered the losses of Yasmany Tomás and Ariel Hechevarría (in Game 1), the superiority of the Leñadores was impressive: they had a devastating offense - a challenge to the poor quality of Teammate balls -, a brilliant defense, and an exceptionally effective pitching staff. During this postseason, the team led by Abeisy Pantoja generally needed just seven arms to neutralize each of their rivals, but there were four indisputable aces: Keniel Ferráz, the official MVP of the Lumberjacks in this postseason, set a national record in the playoffs with a 6-0 record. In the Final, he secured two victories while posting an ERA of 0.66 and a WHIP of 0.88. In the rotation, Alejandro Meneses finished 3-0 in five starts.In addition, he posted a pinpoint 0.66 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP in 27 1/3 innings. In playoff history, he has the third best WHIP of any pitcher with at least 25 innings pitched! -Rodolfo Díaz, who, despite having a 2-2 record (he took the team's two losses), threw 27 23 innings and posted a 1.30 ERA with 10 strikeouts and a single walk. In the post-season, Alberto Pablo Civil equaled the record for saves (4) with his former teammate Yoalkis Cruz (2019), Yolexis Ulacia (Villa Clara, 2010) , and José Angel García (La Habana, 2005) Despite their lethal results against the Industriales, we cannot ignore the audacious move Pantoja and his coaches made, which mapped out every strategy with meticulous detail: Meneses: 1-1 (won Game 4 with five scoreless innings), 0.96 ERA in 9 1/3 innings, 0.96 WHIP, and .181 BA/opponents. Ferráz: 2-0, 0.00 ERA in 8.0 innings, 0.96 WHIP, and .143 batting average against his opponents Díaz: 1-0, 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and .241 batting average against his opponents Civil: One save, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, and .111 batting average against opponents In this Final, the Lumberjacks' Fantastic Four recorded 53% of the strikeouts and 76% of the team's innings, allowing just .182 batting average, a 0.67 ERA and a walk per 22 batters faced. Lions' manes were literally stripped away! Despite their inexperience, the Blues pitching staff set a new postseason record with 92 walks, and allowed the second highest number of hits (183), behind the Ciego de Ávila staff that allowed 186 hits during the 50th National Series. Among the 13 pitchers for the Industriales, eight had their first postseason experience with some prominence, as was the case with Silvano Hechevarría, Reemberto Barreto, Rafael Orlando Perdomo, Raymond Figueredo and Jonathan Cruz, who had to assume rotational duties. In addition to the collective slump of Industriales, with a lineup that hit just .194/.255/.256, received twice as many strikeouts (15) as they scored, each game in this Final drifted into déjà vu itself: a flash of dominance initially, but then fading away as the Woodcutters adjusted their equipment. Do you recall the following?: Game 1: The 20-year-old rookie from Holguín, Silvano Hechevarría, who is from Las Tunas, battled until the fifth inning of the game. Leones' bullpen attempted to keep the tie at 2-2, but the Lumberjacks scored three runs in the seventh inning to break the tie. Game 2: A similar outcome was achieved. The Lumberjacks struck down the bullpen again with another three-run burst in the seventh inning after Raymond Figueredo pitched six dominant innings, leading 3-1. Game 3: Jonathan Cruz, the Leones starter who had achieved his first success in the National Series precisely against Las Tunas during the regular season, recorded seven consecutive outs in Game 3. It is true that some of the numbers that he put during his outing were a bit pessimistic to Lions fans: those 34 pitches by Cruz — a towering 4.8 average against each batter! But a 7-0 record after putting out their first seven opponents did not bode well for the Leñadores. So it was: The Lumberjacks responded with a rebellion that resulted in six runs in the third inning! It was no different in Game 4. The Lumberjacks would have opened the scoring during the opening inning had Barreto found Yunior Otero on base - he was caught stealing at second - after Castro hit his double. The tribulations began when Barreto challenged the Las Tunas lineup for the second time in the third inning. Yet, despite three walks and a single from Yosvany Alarcón to shortstop, Barreto struck out Roberto Baldoquín and got away with the bases loaded. In fact, the sigh lasted only two more batters, as Barreto gave away a couple of walks at the beginning of the fourth inning and his outing ended there. As soon as the Lumberjacks scored in the third inning, they did so in each inning through the sixth, and the game would not have ended in a rout had they not left nine runners on base. As a matter of fact, a ground ball by Héctor Castillo to second at the start of the fourth would have been enough to start the Lumberjacks' climb to the top this Friday. Why is this so? In addition to the poor pitching, the Lions' ineffective hitting ended many of their chances: they got their first hit with one out in the fourth against Meneses, but Yosvany Peñalver and Yasiel Santoya couldn't bring Jorge Alomá home. After a meeting in front of the dugout before the seventh inning began, the only moment that at least fuelled the Blues' fans was Yasiel Santoya's leadoff home run and Walter Abreu and Juan Carlos Torriente's doubles. Despite that, everything remained a threat. The second time Industriales had three hits in a row, it ended in a tie: Moments later, Dayron Blanco grounded into a double play, and Ariel Hechevarría gave up a fly out to right. * The previous time was in Game 1 in the fifth inning: a triple by Oscar Valdés, followed by singles by Jorge Enrique Alomá and Roberto Acevedo. Five of the last six Blues batters left without reaching first base, five put out by Rodolfo Díaz, and the 27th by Alberto Pablo Civil, who finished the game. Without competent offense and a staff that posted a negative walk conceived rate (92) for a postseason against a team that hit .336/.420/.431 and averaged 6.2 runs scored in the Finals, there's no way you can win.In Game 4, every Las Tunas starting batter got at least one hit, bringing the team's average to 10.7 hits and .385 OBP. In contrast, the Industriales couldn't counteract that rhythm, seeing 42% (15) of their 36 innings retired in line, and 78% (28) without the first batter reaching base. This time around, the Lumberjacks weren't strong at slugging (they hit just .369) or scoring runs with home runs. The collective success of the campaign was the result of teamwork, cohesion and each player fulfilling their role at the right time. From the team's leadoff, Héctor Castillo, who led the hitters with a .404 average in the regular season, to Yunior Otero (registered .588 OBP in the Final), they forged a team that was almost invincible. It's an amazing result for the Lions led by Guillermo Carmona, especially because of the team's collective union, which allowed them to overcome a lot of hurdles. They got there from last place, and won two series in a maximum of seven games. It's the first time the team has done this in the playoffs in 11 years. So, even before Yordanis Alarcón's two-run homer off Juan Xavier Peñalver, which rounded out the final score to 6-1 in the top of the ninth, it was already a matter of time: just like 2018. Once again, the team from Las Tunas beat Industriales, but this time it was an even more special victory: "without player reinforcements," as Danel Castro - Hit king of Cuban Baseball -, and with an unforgettable sweep. Congratulations champions! Note: In 2023, the two teams that played in the 2023 Cuban Finals were Los Leones (Azules) de Industriales - The Industriales Blue Lions - and Los Leñadores de Las Tunas - The Las Tunas Lumberjacks or Woodcutters. (Photos: Las Tunas Newspaper)

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources Aug 29 Yordan Álvarez added three more extra-base hits Tuesday. Álvarez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Red Sox. Álvarez went back-to-back with Alex Bregman in the first inning Tuesday, staking Houston to an early 2-0 lead. The 26-year-old Álvarez has logged multiple hits in each of his last four games -- he's gone 11-for-20 (.550) with two homers and a 1.609 OPS in that span, boosting his slash line to .293/.397/.576 with 23 homers, 77 RBI and 61 runs scored through 373 plate appearances in another impressive campaign. Raisel Iglesias tossed a perfect ninth inning on Tuesday against the Rockies to record his 26th save of the season. Iglesias was tasked with guarding a two-run lead in the final frame and wound up needing just 14 pitches (nine strikes) to retire the side in order. Iglesias has been on fire for the past two months. In July, he posted a 0-2 record with a 2.00 ERA and in August, he has appeared in 10 games and has yet to give up a run. The last time Iglesias gave up a run was on July 18th against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He gave up three hits and 3 runs (2 earned runs) in only 0.1 innings. In the 14 games since then, He has given up seven total hits, struck out 21 hitters, walked three hitters, and has given up zero runs. Opposing hitters are hitting .171 with a 0.80 Whip in August alone. He’s converted 26 of his 28 save opportunities this season. Randy Arozarena went deep in win. Arozarena went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and an additional run scored while drawing two walks in Tuesday's victory over the Marlins. Arozarena's seventh-inning, two-run homer extended the Tampa Bay lead to 7-2 Tuesday. The All-Star outfielder has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 10-for-29 with a 1.163 OPS, three home runs, six RBI, three steals and an incredible 13 runs scored during that stretch. Aroldis Chapman allowed one run in the ninth inning on Tuesday, but still managed to hang on for his fourth save of the season. Chapman received the call to guard a two-run advantage in the final frame and wound up surrendering a two-out solo homer to Mark Vientos before finally slamming the door. The 35-year-old southpaw has converted just two of his five save opportunities since being acquired last month from the Royals. Meanwhile, Cole Ragans has blossomed into one of the most electrifying young pitchers in baseball for Kansas City. Jorge Soler was pulled from Tuesday’s contest against the Rays due to tightness in his right hip. The 31-year-old slugger suffered the injury on an awkward swing during the seventh inning. At the time of the injury he was 1-for-3 in the game with a strikeout. No word yet on the severity of the injury or how long he’ll be sidelined for. Expect the Marlins to update his status prior to Wednesday’s contest. Yandy Díaz rejoined lineup Tuesday. Díaz started at first base and batted leadoff Tuesday at Miami. Díaz sat out the past two games due to soreness in his left forearm from a hit-by-pitch, but returned to the field Tuesday after Monday's team off day and went 2-for-5 with a run scored. The 32-year-old has carried a hot bat through 22 games in August with a .361/.410/.515 slash line, three homers, 15 RBI and 17 runs. Yoán Moncada: Gets Wednesday off. Moncada is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles. He'll give way at third base to Elvis Andrus in the series finale. Moncada started in each of the last six games, going 9-for-21 with a home run, three doubles, two walks, six RBI and three runs.