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- MLB 2022 | Iglesias picked up save#13, Gurriel Jr. hitting streak ends, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 16, 2022 Raisel Iglesias picked up a save while striking out the side Thursday against the Mariners. Iglesias breezed through the bottom of the Seattle lineup, and it helped him pick up his 13th save of the season. Iglesias threw 11 of 13 pitches for strikes to easily protect a three-run lead. It's been a bit of a rough June for the Angels' closer, who has allowed four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts through 5.1 innings in five appearances this month. He's converted 13 of 15 save chances this year while posting a 4.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 32:4 K:BB across 22.1 innings, and he's added two blown saves and a 1-4 record. The right-hander hasn't gotten to work lately much because of how much the Angels have struggled, and his 4.43 ERA speaks to the fact he hasn't been particularly effective when he has been on the bump. He should be better in the second half, however, and Iglesias remains one of the few closing options that must be on all rosters right now. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Hitless on Thursday. Gurriel went 0-for-4 on Thursday's 10-2 loss to the Orioles. Gurriel saw his hitting streak end at 10 games, a period that allow him to collect 19 hits, seven multi-hit games, a homer, and 7 RBI, lifting his BA to .282 for the year. Gurriel' slash line is now .277/.332/.393. Ray's Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena: No much impact against the Yankees on Thursday. In a 3-game series that went all the way to the Yankees, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena combined 1-for-7 with a strikeout on Thursday's 2-1 loss to the division rivals. Díaz had the only single of the Cuban duo, and now his BA is .269. Arozarena is hitting just .262. Padres activated LHP Adrián Morejón from the COVID-19 injured list. Morejón returns to the Padres' bullpen for Thursday afternoon's contest against the Cubs following a nearly one-week absence on the COVID-19 injured list. The 23-year-old lefty tossed a pair of scoreless innings last week in his season debut and figures to pitch in a multi-inning relief role moving forward. Rangers' Adolis García: Went blank against the Tigers. Adolis García had no hits against the Tigers on Thursday night, in a 3-1 win for the Rangers. García went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and two runners left on base, and the flashy Cuban outfielder is slashing .244/.288/.450 for the year with 12 HR and 41 RBI, only trailing Yordan Álvarez (45) between Cuban players in the RBI department. Rockies' José Iglesias: No hits on Thursday. Iglesias was 0-for-4 on Thursday against the Guardians, in a 4-2 loss. Iglesias's BA is still over the mark of .300, exhibiting .302 (57-for-189) over 52 games.
- MLB 2022 | Moncada's monster day, Cortés wins again, Gurriel Jr. another multi-hit game, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 15, 2022 Yoán Moncada had a monster day at the plate in Wednesday's 13-0 rout of the Tigers, going 5-for-6 with a homer, double and five RBI. Moncada opened the scoring in the contest with a three-run blast off of Alex Faedo with two outs in the opening inning. He tacked on run-scoring singles in the eighth and ninth innings to cap off the lopsided victory. Even with the five-hit attack, Moncada is still slashing just .181/.232/.295 with three homers and 12 RBI on the season. Néstor Cortés limited the Rays to one run in 5 1/3 innings Wednesday in a victory. Cortés walked three, but he allowed just three hits, resulting in another fine outing. It's the sixth time in 12 starts this year that he's allowed three hits or fewer, giving him a 6-2 record and a 1.94 ERA. Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Smacks fourth homer. Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Rangers. Gurriel took Kolby Allard yard in the eighth inning to record his fourth homer of the season. He has one hit in six of his last seven starts, but more importantly, he has five extra-base knocks in that span. That has increased Gurriel's ISO to .147 on the campaign, in line with his mark from the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Another extra base on Wednesday. In a 9-2 win against the Rangers, Yordan Álvarez added his eighth double of the season and his RBIs #44 and 45. Álvarez has now 27 extra bases this year, including two triples and 17 home runs. White Sox's José Abreu and Luis Robert: Combined for five hits on Wednesday. It was too much what the White Sox did to the poor Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. Chicago ended up beating the Tigers 13-0, and the Cuban duo of Luis Robert and José Abreu combined 5-for-9 with four runs scored. Abreu was even better, adding four of those 5 hits including his doubles #13 and 14 of the year, and 2 RBI for a grand total of 30 this season. Marlins' Jorge Soler: Hitless against the Phillies. In a 3-1 loss to the Phillies, outfielder Jorge Soler - as a DH on Wednesday - had a bad night at the plate going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Soler slash line is .217/.306/.438 with 12 HR and 29 RBI. Ray's Yandy Díaz: two doubles, and Randy Arozarena: hitless against the Yankees Yandy Díaz went 2-for-5 on Wednesday night in a 4-3 loss to the Yankees. Díaz double twice against Yankees' starter Néstor Cortés while scoring once and also struck out. Díaz slash line is .270/.398/.354 this year with 3 HR and 14 RBI mostly as a leadoff hitter for the Rays. Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena isn't having the best series against the Yankees. On Wednesday night he went 0-for-2, walked, and scored, but his bat has been silent in key moments during the two games against the division rival. Yankees' Clay Holmes: May not close when Chapman returns. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he envisions using Holmes in high-leverage situations against the toughest parts of opposing lineups once Aroldis Chapman (Achilles) returns from the 15-day injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Boone clarified that Holmes will be "closing some games, too," but the right-hander doesn't look as though he'll be picking up the majority of save chances like he has thus far during Chapman's absence. Chapman completed a bullpen session Tuesday and may be ready to return from the IL next week, but Holmes should retain plenty of fantasy value in the planned high-leverage role, especially if he still continues to close games every now and then. Holmes has yet to allow a run in his last 27 appearances and sports an 0.59 WHIP and 31:3 K:BB in 29 innings during that span. Mets recalled RHP Yoán Lopez from Triple-A Syracuse. It's not the first time -- and certainly won't be the last -- that Lopez makes the trip from Syracuse to New York this season. The 29-year-old hurler holds a 9.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 4/0 K/BB ratio over three innings with the big league club this season. Khalil Lee was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Adds another multi-hit game. Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-4 with a strikeout in Wednesday's 7-6 win against the Orioles. Gurriel Jr. multi-hit effort was his seventh during the month of June. He had something special going right now, having fewer responsibilities at the plate batting at the bottom of Jay's lineup. Gurriel is slashing .282/.338/.401 over 57 games this year. Rangers' Adolis García: In a groove. García went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-2 loss to Houston. García extended a hit streak to seven games, during which he's rapped multiple hits in five of them. His 13-for-29 (.448) stretch began when he was batting just .220 but is now up to .248. The steal was his 10th in 12 tries. José Iglesias: Hitless on Wednesday. In a 7-5 loss against José Ramírez and the Guardians, Iglesias went 0-for-4 with three left on base and was caught stealing at second and also gunned down by starter Konnor Pilkington at first base. It was definitely not a good night for Iglesias who has a slash line of .308/.354/.378 for the year. Astros' Aledmys Díaz: Took over at SS for injured Peña. Díaz started start at shortstop and batted seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rangers. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored, a walk, and a strikeout. He pick up his second start in a row and looks primed to serve as the Astros' everyday shortstop after star rookie Jeremy Peña (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Over 123 plate appearances on the season, Díaz has hit .217 with three home runs and no stolen bases
- MLB 2022 | Arozarena's erratic performance, Gurriel Jr.' ninth game hitting safely, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 14, 2022 Ray's Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz: No much to add to the loss against the Yankees. The Rays lost 2-0 against Gerrit Cole and the Yankees on Tuesday night, and Randy Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, while Yandy Díaz had an identical performance. However, Arozarena was a key factor in the defeat, when in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runners on and two outs, Kiner-Falefa singled to left field, and left fielder Arozarena had a chance to throw out Stanton at the plate. But Arozarena's high throw sailed so far over the catcher that Stanton scored easily and Torres was able to follow him home. In the sixth inning, Arozarena had a chance to redeem himself when he came to bat with bases loaded and one out, but ended up grounding into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Extends hitting streak to nine games. Jay's outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. extended his hitting streak to nine games on Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Orioles. Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two strikeouts against the Orioles Tuesday night. In his last seven games Gurriel Jr. is tearing the ball, slashing .464/.483/.714, allowing him to lift his BA for the season to a healthy .278. Luis Robert went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Tigers. In the top of the second, Robert poked a single up the middle for a base hit, scoring one and giving the White Sox a one-run lead. Later on, in the top of the sixth, Robert hit a bloop RBI single off Tyler Alexander. The star outfielder has hit safely in six straight games. Jorge Soler added two hits on Tuesday. Soler went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a strikeout in an 11-9 win against the Phillies. Soler added his double #12 of the season while lifting his BA to .221 for the year. Soler, known for his insane power, is hitting a line of .263/.344/.509 over his last 15-games with 3 HR and 7 RBI. Yankees' Aroldis Chapman: Tossed from mound Tuesday. Chapman (Achilles) threw a bullpen on the field, and he could face live hitters his next time on the mound. Chapman also pitched from a bullpen mound Saturday. He is reportedly pain-free and hopeful that he can return to the Yankees without a minor-league rehab assignment. It's unclear how the club will deploy him after his activation given the dominance of current closer Clay Holmes (nine saves, 0.31 ERA, 29:3 K:BB) this season. Astros' Yordan Álvarez, Yulieski Gurriel, and Aledmis Díaz: No much noise against the Rangers on Tuesday. The Cuban trio combined 2-for-9 on Tuesday 4-3 win against the Rangers. Álvarez was 0-for-1 with two walks and his RBI #43 of the year, while Gurriel went 1-for-4 adding his double #19, and Díaz was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. In the same game, for the Rangers, Adolis García went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Rockies' José Iglesias: Not only defense. José Iglesias went 2-for-3 in a 4-3 loss to the Guardians on Tuesday. Iglesias' slash line is now .315/.361/.387 for the year, with 13 doubles and 17 RBI. In his last 15-games, he is hitting .328/.350/.397 and has a BA of .310 in the month of June. When Iglesias signed with the Rockies to fill the hole of departed shortstop Trevor Story, he was described by the media as a "veteran glove", "glove-first shortstop", and "slick fielding", even when in 2021 his defensive numbers weren't the best, with a -1.4 WAR via defense alone, finishing last in the league in Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating. However, there wasn't much coverage about his offensive possibilities. This year Iglesias is proving that he can also hit, at least for average. Orioles' Cionel Pérez: No at his best on Tuesday. Cionel Pérez saw action on Tuesday in a 6-5 Orioles hard-fought win against the Jays. But Pérez had one of the several stressful innings the Orioles' bullpen had in the game. He came to pitch in the eighth and was greeted by pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal with a double and after a long flyout from Matt Chapman, Gabriel Moreno poked an RBI single to cut the Orioles' lead to one (6-5). Cionel was pulled after a disappointed 1/3 inning of work, allowing two hits and an earned run. His ERA went up a little bit, sitting now at 1.37 for the season. White Sox's José Abreu and Yoán Moncada: One single each on Tuesday. Abreu and Moncada went 1-for-4 each on Tuesday's 5-1 win against the Tigers. Abreu walked and struck out, while Moncada added his second double of the year, walked and also had a strikeout. While Abreu has resurrected this season, Moncada has still a lot of work to do exhibiting a low BA of .141. Nationals' Yadiel Hernández: Did not start Tuesday. Hernández was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta. Hernández is 4-for-27 through eight games in June and took a seat for Tuesday's contest. Ehire Adrianza started in left field and batted eighth.
- MLB 2022 | Abreu: Two homers on Monday, Gurriel Jr. continues crushing the ball, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 13, 2022 White Sox's José Abreu: Powers offense with two homers. Abreu went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, four RBI and a walk in Monday's 9-5 win over the Tigers. Abreu bookended the scoring Monday with a two-run homer in each of the first and ninth innings. It was the first baseman's first multi-homer game this season, and with nine in 57 contests overall, he's lagging a bit behind his usual 30-homer pace. He's still posted a steady .260/.360/.442 slash line with 28 RBI, 31 runs scored and 12 doubles across 250 plate appearances. Abreu also owns career-best walk (12.4 percent) and strikeout (16 percent) rates. Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Continues tear Monday. Gurriel went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 11-1 win over the Orioles. Gurriel has logged six multi-hit efforts during his eight-game hitting streak, and he's knocked a double in three of the last four contests. The 28-year-old wasn't all that involved in run production Monday, but it's still a solid performance that's becoming more commonplace lately. He's lifted his batting average from .235 to .278 during the streak while adding a .733 OPS, three home runs, 25 RBI, 20 runs scored, two stolen bases, and 14 doubles through 214 plate appearances overall. Nats' Yadiel Hernández: Two hits on Monday. Is Yadiel Hernández out of the slump? Too early to say but the Cuban outfielder went 2-for-4 on Monday in a 9-5 loss against the Braves, and that may help him get rolling. Hernández added his RBI #24 of the year while lifting his BA to .267. White Sox's Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada: Combined for three hits on Monday. The White Sox duo went 3-for-9 on Monday in a 9-5 win against the Tigers. Luis Robert added his RBI #28 of the year and also scored and had a strikeout, while Moncada struck out three times and also walked and scored a run. Robert's line is .279/.315/.400 while Moncada, in what at the moment can be considered his worst season, is slashing .137/.188/.211. Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday in a loss to the Rangers. Adolis García robbed Álvarez. Álvarez gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with an RBI single off Taylor Hearn in the first. The sweet-swinging 24-year-old has been outstanding in 2022 with 42 RBI, 17 homers and a 1.028 OPS over 55 games. In the fifth inning, Álvarez also saw his countryman Adolis García's robbery of his possible HR#18. In the same game, Adolis García went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout against the Astros, and had the sensational catch in right field that robbed Álvarez. Astros' Yulieski Gurriel and Aledmis Díaz: Hitless on Monday. Gurriel and Díaz went 0-for-5 with a strikeout on Monday 5-3 loss to the Rangers. Gurriel struck out while saw his BA hit .217 for the year. Díaz was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter late in the game. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Placed on 10-day injured list. Grandal was placed on the 10-day injured list with lower back spasms Monday. Grandal sustained a left hamstring injury while running to first base Saturday against the Rangers, and he developed a back issue Sunday night. He was moving around well and feeling better Monday afternoon but will still require an IL stint. Reese McGuire will serve as the White Sox's primary catcher in Grandal's absence.
- MLB 2022 | Cionel earned first career save, Adolis continues hot, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 12, 2022 Cionel Pérez threw a scoreless ninth with a three-run lead for his first career save Sunday against the Royals. Jorge López and Dillon Tate had both worked the previous two days. That would have made Félix Bautista the favorite for the save today, but he was needed to put out a fire that Bryan Baker started in the eighth. That left the ninth for Pérez, and he earned his first save in his 68th career appearance. Pérez wasn't at his best, throwing only 12 of his 23 pitches for strikes, but he got the job done to record his first big-league save. Despite his 1.40 WHIP, the lefty has limited runs and has a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings, lowering his career ERA from 6.04 to 4.63. Adolis García went 3-for-4 with two walks and a steal Sunday against the White Sox. García went 3-for-4 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in an 8-6 victory Sunday over the White Sox. It would have been nice if he had finished with more than one run scored and no runs batted in, especially given that the Rangers finished with eight runs, but García did the best that he could. He has nine hits, including two homers, in his last four games. García reached five times Sunday and stole a base and scored a run in the 12th inning. It was his fourth straight multi-hit effort and the 11th time he's done so in his last 20 games, while he's hitting .310/.341/.571 in that span with six homers and five stolen bases. He has a reasonable chance to join the 20-20 club this season after hitting 32 homers and swiping 16 bags a year ago. Nat's Yadiel Hernández struggles continue. Hernández is just in a bad, I will say a month, the Cuban outfielder played the left-field but went 0-for-2 with one strikeout and three left on base. He is slashing .261/.308/.395 for the season but in his last 15 games, his line is depressing at .221/.277/.337 with 14 strikeouts and 3 RBI. It was a promising year for the veteran outfielder and he still has time to recover before the season is over, maybe the All-Star break will benefit him. White Sox's José Abreu: No much to say from Sunday's game. Abreu is steady in his performance and maybe the All-Star break will help him to regain his form. The veteran first baseman went 1-for-5 on Sunday's 8-6 loss against the Rangers, with a walk and a strikeout. Abreu is slashing .251/.351/.408 for the year with 7 HR and 24 RBI but in his last 15 games, he has a line of .310/.429/.448 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. His production will have to increase in order to guide a White Sox team that is just not playing good baseball right now. White Sox's Norge Vera: Excellent in season debut. Norge Vera made his season debut for Single-A Kannapolis on Thursday, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out three in 2.2 scoreless innings. According to White Sox Daily, Vera was sitting at 94-95 mph with his fastball and touched 98 mph. As a former seven-figure international signee with big stuff, Vera could rise up prospect rankings quickly if he can build off this successful debut. Randy Arozarena doubled in a run, got hit by pitches twice, and swiped two bases Sunday versus the Twins. Arozarena went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Twins. He was also hit by a pitch twice. Arozarena got on base three times the hard way, though it's encouraging he didn't have to leave the game after either of the errant pitches. He's notched five of his 12 steals this season in the last 10 games, showing a little more willingness to run after a quiet start to the year in that regard. The outfielder is slashing .268/.318/.442 with seven home runs, 31 RBI, 29 runs scored, 14 doubles, and two triples through 242 plate appearances. Astros' Yulieski Gurriel: Double #18 against the Marlins. Marlins' Jorge Soler: Hitless. Yulieski Gurriel went 1-for-3 with a walk and his double #18 of the season, in a 9-4 win against the Marlins on Sunday. In the same game, from the Marlins, Jorge Soler went hitless (0-for-4) with a strikeout. Rockies' José Iglesias: Back with two hits. After sitting for the second double header game on Saturday, José Iglesias was back in the Rockies' lineup on Sunday against the Padres. Iglesias then went 2-for-4 adding his RBI #17 of the season and lifting his BA to .309. The shortstop is slashing .309/.353/.382 for the year, with 13 doubles and 19 runs. White Sox's Luis Robert: Steals another base. Robert went 1-for-5 with a stolen base, a run scored, and a walk, in an 8-6 loss Sunday against Texas. Robert singled and scored in the first inning and was intentionally walked in the 10th. He has stolen four bases in his last five games. However, the 24-year-old has just three extra-base hits in his last 18 games and is slugging .299 in his last 77 at-bats. Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Racks up three hits. Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Marlins. Alvarez delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning and a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Through 10 games in June, the designated hitter has already posted five three-hit efforts, picking right up where he left off after ending May strong. The 24-year-old is up to a .311/.402/.628 slash line with 17 home runs, 41 RBI, 38 runs scored, seven doubles, and two triples through 54 contests. His 1.030 OPS is just 37 points shy of his career-best mark from his rookie year, though it remains to be seen if he can push it even higher in 2022. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI, and a walk versus the Tigers on Sunday. Gurriel is 13-for-28 with seven RBI in his last seven games, raising his average from .235 to .268.
- MLB 2022 | Adolis homers in Rangers win, Arozarena continues to roll, Morejón with COVID, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 11, 2022 Adolis García blasted a three-run homer on Saturday afternoon, helping to power the Rangers to victory over the White Sox. It's the second straight game in which García has left the yard. This time, he victimized Lucas Giolito for a 407-foot three-run blast in the fifth inning that pulled the Rangers to within a run at 5-4. García also singled in the seventh inning, then walked and scored a run during a four-run uprising in the 10th, finishing the day 2-for-5. He's now slashing .234/.274/.459 on the season, though that comes with an impressive 12 homers, 40 RBI and eight stolen bases. White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Losing out on playing time. Moncada is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rangers. Moncada will sit for the third time in the last seven games. Jake Burger, who is starting at third base, has simply been more productive than Moncada this season, so while Burger will get most of his starts at designated hitter, he will also keep cutting into Moncada's playing time. Moncada is hitting .133 with three extra-base hits and zero steals in 90 at-bats. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Continues to roll. Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Twins. The day before Arozarena belted his seventh homer of the year. Overall, Arozarena continues to roll, and over his last 30 games, he's slashing .301/.355/.531 with seven homers in addition to six steals, 14 runs, and 22 RBI. Yasmani Grandal (leg) will not be available for Sunday's game against the Rangers. Grandal, 33, left Saturday's contest with a left leg injury, and he'll need to miss at least one game with the injury. The White Sox will assuredly make a roster move even if the backstop doesn't need an IL stint, as Chicago isn't going to carry one catcher on the roster. Astros' Yuli Gurriel and Yordan Álvarez: Combined for just one hit on Saturday. Yuli Gurriel went 1-for-4 while Yordan was hitless with a walk in a 5-1 loss to the Marlins on Saturday. Gurriel's BA continues to be super low exhibiting a .219 for the year, while Yordan, who struck out twice in the game, has an OPS of 1.017. Marlins' Jorge Soler: No hits on Saturday. Soler went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a run scored on Saturday 5-1 win against the Astros. Soler continues to be Soler, exhibiting a low .220 BA with 64 strikeouts in 53 games, while clubbing 12 HR and 29 RBI. It isn't much you can expect from the reigning 2021 World Series MVP. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on Saturday afternoon as the Rays dropped a close one to the Twins. Díaz smacked a two-run single off of Chi Chi González in the opening inning to extend the Rays early lead to 3-0. It would be short-lived though. With his two-hit attack, Díaz is now slashing a healthy .274/.411/.354 with three homers and 14 RBI on the season. Yasmani Grandal exited Saturday's contest against the Rangers with an apparent left leg injury. It's not what you want to see, folks. Grandal singled to right field in the third inning for his second hit of Saturday's contest, but was immediately spotted grabbing at his left leg, and was unable to continue after attempting to stretch it out. He was replaced by Reese McGuire behind the plate. The team reported that Grandal left the game with left hamstring tightness and is still being evaluated. Rockies' Jose Iglesias: Was benched for evening game. Iglesias sat down for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader in San Diego. Iglesias started the afternoon game and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Garrett Hampson took over at shortstop for the nightcap. Twins optioned RHP Yennier Cano to Triple-A St. Paul. Cano has been sent back down to the minors for veteran righty Chi Chi González to make a spot start on Saturday against the Rays. The 28-year-old rookie right-hander has allowed 12 runs on 14 hits with a 12/9 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (nine appearances) this season in the majors. Padres placed LHP Adrián Morejón on the COVID-19 injured list. Morejón tossed a pair of scoreless innings Tuesday in his season debut against the Mets. The 23-year-old lefty will be sidelined for at least a few days until he clears the league's health and safety protocols to return.
- MLB 2022 | Iglesias got save #12, Cano looked good again, Chapman update, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 9, 2022 Raisel Iglesias spun a perfect ninth inning Thursday, preserving a three-run lead against the Red Sox to collect his 12th save of the season. It was a much-needed bounce-back for Iglesias after an ugly blown save last weekend against the Phillies. He struck out Franchy Cordero, got Jackie Bradley Jr. to line out to right field and whiffed Bobby Dalbec to end the contest. The 32-year-old righty has converted 12 of his 14 save opportunities this season while posting a 4.43 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB across 20.1 innings. Aroldis Chapman (Achilles) will throw a bullpen on Saturday. Chapman was able to play catch on Tuesday for the first time since being placed on the injured list with tendinitis in his Achilles on May 24. The left-hander will almost assuredly need a rehab appearance or two before he's able to able to return to the Yankees, and while there's no timetable for when he'll be able to do so, the bullpen session will be a big first step for the southpaw. There's also the question as to what role he'll return to, as Clay Holmes has been sensational in Chapman's absence. White Sox' Luis Robert and José Abreu: No much at-bat on Thursday night. Luis Robert went 1-for-5 with a run scored while Abreu was 0-for-2, walked three times, had a strikeout, and scored two runs, in an 11-9 loss to the Dodgers on Thursday night. Luis Robert BA for the season is .281 while Abreu, who is improving every day, has a slash line of .253/.349/.414 with 7 HR and 23 RBI and during his last 15 games is slashing .370/.485/.611 with 3 HR, 10 walks, and 6 RBI. Nationals' Yadiel Hernández: Added to Thursday's lineup. Hernández was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins. The 34-year-old was initially slated to get a day off against left-hander Trevor Rogers on Thursday, but he was added to the lineup since Nelson Cruz was a late scratch. Hernández served as the designated hitter and batted sixth, but the Cuban outfielder continues struggling and went 0-for-4 lowering his BA to .265 for the year. Twins' Yennier Cano: Another excellent inning against the Yankees. Yennier Cano saw action against the Yankees for the second time this week. The RHP threw one inning on Thursday in a 10-7 loss to New York. Cano struck out two and used 13 pitches, 8 of them for strikes. He lowered his ERA to 9.26 and during the 3-game series he went twice with 2 1/3, two walks, and three strikeouts. This is good news for the Cuban native that is trying to stay in the Twins bullpen for as long as possible this year. Marlins' Jorge Soler: Retreated to bench Thursday. Soler didn't start Thursday against the Nationals. Soler went 4-for-7 with a homer, a double, two RBI, a walk, and a strikeout over the last two games and will be out of the lineup Thursday for the first time since May 22. Rockies' Jose Iglesias: Not in Thursday's lineup. Iglesias didn't start Thursday against the Giants. Iglesias got a day off after he went 1-for-8 with a run and a strikeout over the last two games. White Sox's Yoán Moncada: Didn't start on Thursday. Moncada did not start on Thursday's contest against the Dodgers. Moncada got a breather after starting the first two games of the series, going 1-for-7 in those contests. Late in the game, he was added to protect the third base and walked in his only PA.
- MLB 2022 | Cortés struggled, Arozarena drove four, Yordan another three-hit game, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 9, 2022 White Sox's Yoán Moncada: Sitting Thursday. Moncada is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's contest against the Dodgers. Moncada will get a breather after starting the first two games of the series, going 1-for-7 in those contests. Jake Burger will get the start at third base and bat fifth Thursday. Rockies' Jose Iglesias: Not in Thursday's lineup. Iglesias isn't starting Thursday against the Giants. Iglesias will get a day off after he went 1-for-8 with a run and a strikeout over the last two games. Garrett Hampson will take over at shortstop and bat seventh. Jun 8, 2022 Yankees' Nestor Cortés: Struggles against Twins. Cortés (5-2) got the loss Wednesday after he pitched 4.1 innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits while striking out three against the Twins. The Twins got to Cortés for two runs in the bottom of the fourth frame before launching two solo homers in the next inning. The four runs given up were his highest total of the season while the loss snaps a four-start win streak for the 27-year-old. Cortés still owns an incredible 1.96 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 71 strikeouts over 64.1 innings in 11 outings this season. He'll look to rebound in his next start, which tentatively lines up for him to take on the Rays on Tuesday. Rays' Randy Arozarena: Drives in four. Arozarena went 3-for-5 with a double, four RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the Cardinals. Arozarena delivered an RBI double in the first inning and followed that up with a single that drove in two in the seventh frame. He's recorded four multi-hit games in his last 10 starts, during which he's hit .300 while driving in 10 and scoring four runs. Overall, Arozarena has a .267/.314/.433 line with six home runs and 10 stolen bases across 226 plate appearances on the season. White Sox's Luis Robert: Swipes eighth bag. Robert went 0-for-3 with a stolen base Wednesday against the Dodgers. Robert reached base in the fourth inning after being hit by a pitch and proceeded to steal second base. It was his eighth swiped bag of the season, and he's been caught only once. Since returning from the COVID-19 injured list, Robert has gone 8-for-29 with three RBI, one run scored and two stolen bases in seven games. Yordan Álvarez went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored Wednesday versus the Mariners. Álvarez started the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning and put the Astros back ahead with an RBI double in the third. He also added an additional single, giving him three three-hit games already in June. Across 51 games, the lefty slugger is slashing .299/.395/.630 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI.
- U15 World Cup Qualifier | Cuba beat Panamá, Colombia & Venezuela will battle for the remaining spot
The U15 World Cup qualifier in Valencia, Venezuela continued on Wednesday, with three close games that set the table for the final day of play. Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela won on Wednesday, setting the table for the final day of the opening round, with one last semifinal spot on the line, and the chance to play for the championship and a ticket to the World Cup. Box score | Play-by-Play Colombia won it´s first game of the tournament played in Bob Abreu field by 12-8 against the Dominican Republic, keeping it´s hopes alive and eliminating the island national team. The south Americans scored big early, a five run first inning helped them hold on during the rest of the game, Dominican Republic came close a couple of times, but never had a chance to even tie the game. Almost at the same time, Cuba beat Panamá 13-12 in José Bernardo Pérez stadium, coming back a couple of times in an offensive duel that the Cubans won by a walk of base on balls. It was a real duel between two nations trying to take first place, Cuba came away with the better end, and finally won with a bases loaded walk to take first place while Panama falls for the second straight game. In the final game of the day Venezuela and Puerto Rico completed the inaugural game that had to be suspended due to rain with the score 4-1 in favor of the visitors with the host nation batting in the bottom of the second. The Venezuelans scored seven in that frame and never looked back, their victory 9-8 sets up the classic matchup for the last day of opening round. Puerto Rico will play Dominican Republic and try to reclaim first place, while the host nation will play Colombia for the final semifinal spot and a ticket to the World Cup.
- U15 Qualifier | Cuba wins and secures a ticket to the U15 World Cup; Panamá and P. Rico tag along
The U15 World Cup for America knows it´s first three qualified teams, Puerto Rico remains unbeaten in the event, while Cuba and Panamá also reached the grand stage. Puerto Rico beat Panamá to take first place, while Cuba was dominant over Dominican Republic, that final score secured spots for three teams to the World Cup, and one still other spot still in play. Box score | Play-by-Play Puerto Rico bested Panamá in a game of unbeaten teams to start play on Tuesday, for the first time in the tournament de Centro American nation started down in the scoreboard and finally fell 11-4. As for Puerto Rico, the victory puts them in first place of the opening round of the tournament, and they are still yet to lose a game. On Wednesday they restart the game postponed by rain Venezuela in the first day of play up 4-1 in the second inning. With the results from the first game, a victory by Cuba over the Dominicans would secure World Cup birth for three nations and that’s exactly what happened as the Cubans won 12-2. Dominican Republic scored first, but from there on it was total control by Cuba, who ended up with two big innings of five runs to win by a difference of ten in the final game of the day. Now Puerto Rico leads the standings (3-0), Cuba and Panamá play on Wednesday, both have a 3-1 record and all three qualified for the World Cup. Meanwhile Venezuela (1-2), Dominican Republic (0-3) and Colombia (0-3), will play for the final spot in the semifinals.
- MLB 2022 | Morejón returned in great fashion, Álvarez continues his ruthless offensive, and more
Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jun 7, 2022 Padres' Adrián Morejón: Perfect in his MLB return. Adrian Morejón made his first appearance for the Padres since early 2021 when he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Morejón worked his way back through the minor league system before being activated before the game. He retired all six batters he faced, including a strikeout of Francisco Lindor to end the game. It was a fantastic return for Morejón, who capped a two-hit shutout by the Padres pitching staff. Guillermo Heredia went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Athletics. Stepping up to the plate with the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Heredia hit a 383-foot solo home run off of Lou Trivino. The 31-year-old is slashing .140/.218/.400 with three home runs through 55 plate appearances. José Abreu went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers. Abreu led off the bottom of the fifth with a 95.1 mph single to center field, and he ended up scoring on AJ Pollock's two-run double. The slugger is 26-for-70 (.371) with four home runs since May 16th. Marlins' Jorge Soler: Clubs 12th homer. Soler went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 12-2 rout of the Nationals. The 30-year-old slugger took Andrés Machado deep in the fourth inning, part of the Marlins' second five-run frame of the night. Soler appears to be coming out of his early-season funk, slashing .273/.385/.636 over his last 12 games with four of his 12 homers on the year. Yordan Álvarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two runs scored, and a walk Tuesday as the Astros took care of the Mariners. Up by a run in the bottom of the eighth, Álvarez hit a 353-foot two-run home run to right field that was challenged by the Mariners (fan interference), but the umpires ended up ruling that it was indeed a home run. The long ball was his 17th of the year and third in his last five games. The 24-year-old has now notched at least one hit in eight of his last nine contests, going 16-for-34 with five homers, 11 RBI and 10 runs over that stretch. Álvarez is now batting .289 with 17 home runs, 36 RBI and 37 runs over 180 at-bats in 50 games this season. Yordan should challenge 40 home runs this season. Nats' Yadiel Hernández: Struggles continue on Tuesday. Yadiel Hernández went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts on Tuesday in a 12-2 loss to the Marlins. The outfielder is having a hard time recently, batting only .083 in his last seven games with 11 strikeouts in 24 AB. Hernández slash line is .272/.319/.411 this year with the Nats. Twins' Yennier Cano: Scoreless relief against the Yankees. RHP Yennier Cano came in relief of Juan Minaya in the fifth against the Yankees on Tuesday night, and struck-out Aaron Judge with bases loaded. Cano completed 1 1/3 scoreless inning in a 10-4 loss to the Yankees, he walked two batters but didn't allow a single. His ERA went down to 10.13 for the season. Rangers' Andy Ibáñez: Called up yesterday and started Game 1. Adolis García went hitless. The Rangers recalled Ibáñez from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday. He started at third base and batted ninth going 1-for-3 in the first game of the Rangers' doubleheader with the Guardians. Though Ibáñez received a start in his first game back with the Rangers, he's expected to handle a backup role at third base while Texas gives prospect Ezequiel Durán a look at the hot corner. As expected Ibáñez didn't play the second game of the doubleheader, and Durán took care of the hot corner and went 3-for-5. In the same doubleheader program, Adolis García saw action and went 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and a walk. Rays' Yandy Díaz: Did not play on Tuesday. Díaz was on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals. Díaz was not playing after starting six straight games at third base, a stretch in which he went 8-for-16 with nine walks. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Was not in Tuesday's lineup. Grandal was not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers. Grandal started in the last four games and went 2-for-13 with two RBI, three walks and five strikeouts. Dodgers OF prospect Andy Pagés picked up two homers and a triple on Tuesday for Double-A Tulsa. The outfielder now has eight homers on the season, while the triple doubles his total to two. The 21-year-old has a so-so .256 average over his 48 games, but he’s gotten on at a strong .377 clip with a .489 slugging mark. Pages has the potential to be a significant contributor in the power category, and there’s enough hard contact to believe he won’t hurt in average as well. He could be a middle-of-the-order hitter someday, and Pagés should be playing for the Dodgers by the end of 2023. Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Not in Tuesday's lineup. Gurriel did not play on Tuesday against the Royals. Gurriel went 6-for-12 with a pair of RBI and zero strikeouts across his last three games. He hit the bench despite that recent hot streak. Raimel Tapia got the start in left field. Royals sent OF Dairon Blanco outright to Triple-A Omaha. Blanco appeared in five games, going 2-for-7 with a stolen base, during a brief stint with the Royals last month. The 29-year-old speedster will remain with Kansas City as organizational outfield depth after going unclaimed on waivers.
- U15 World Qualifier | Panamá & P. Rico still undefeated, Cuba over Venezuela with a 6-run 5th inning
The U15 World Cup Qualifier continued on Monday with three games and six national teams in play. Panamá and Puerto Rico dominated and remain unbeaten, while Cuba came from behind to stun Venezuela before their home crowd. Box score | Play-by-Play Panamá jumped on the field against the Dominican Republic in the first game of the day and quickly jumped out with the lead. In the first two innings, the national teams went back and forth. But Panamá took control from the third inning on, and finally, beat the Dominican Republic 7-3 and kept their undefeated streak intact, taking the top spot in the group, while the Dominicans fall to 0-2. In the second game of the day Puerto Rico also kept their unbeaten record intact by beating Colombia 9-1, that keeps in the hunt for first place, only a half a game back of leader Panamá. Puerto Rico scored six runs in the first inning and never lost the lead, the victory puts their record at 2-0, while Colombia falls to 0-3. In the nightcap, Cuba stunned Venezuela 6-4 in a comeback victory that helps them enter the mix of the three teams fighting a the top of the standings, putting their record a 1-2. Cuba scored six runs in the fifth inning to erase a four-run deficit and held on to come away with the victory. Venezuela falls to 1-2 and stays in front of Dominican Republic and Colombia in the U15 qualifier standings.