MLB 2022 | Cionel gets fifth win, Grandal three hits night, Moncada doubles, and more

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources.

Cionel Pérez (Photo: Getty Images)

Jul 23, 2022

Yuli Gurriel went 1-for-4 with an RBI double on Saturday afternoon as the Astros eked out a two-run victory over the Mariners.

The Astros finally broke free in the fourth inning as Kyle Tucker smacked an RBI double off of Logan Gilbert to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. Gurriel then followed with an RBI two-bagger of his own to plate Tucker and make it 2-0. That would be all the run support that Justin Verlander would need in this one. Gurriel has been a disappointment at the dish this season, slashing just .236/.285/.385 with seven homers, 27 RBI and four stolen bases in 86 games.

White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Three hits in Game 1 loss. Grandal went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the Game 1 loss to the Guardians in Saturday's doubleheader. Grandal ripped an RBI single off Triston McKenzie in the bottom of the fourth inning, accounting for the only run the White Sox scored against him. The catcher later notched two more singles in the contest. Grandal just returned from the 10-day injured list Friday, but he'll look to turn Saturday's performance into a trend. Overall, the 33-year-old is batting .193 on the season, but he's produced a much better .324 average in 34 at-bats over the last two months.

Yoán Moncada went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians.

After drawing a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, Moncada hit a 103.7-mph double to center field that scored Tim Anderson in the bottom of the fifth. The 27-year-old has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.

Orioles' Cionel Pérez: Got the win against the Yankees.

Cionel Pérez (5-1) pitched a scoreless seventh and got the win 6-3 over the Yankees on Saturday night. Pérez got in trouble coming to pitch in the seventh inning, putting two runners on bases with no outs, but then ended up dominating Josh Donaldson in a 543 double-play and then retired Matt Carpenter in ground ball to second to end the inning.

Nationals' Yadiel Hernández: Riding pine Saturday. Hernández didn't start Saturday against the Diamondbacks. Hernández started Friday's series opener against the Diamondbacks but is taking a seat with left-hander Madison Bumgarner on the mound Saturday. Lane Thomas took over in left field and batted second.

Marlins placed OF Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list with a lower back spasms.

The 30-year-old slugger had just spent a month on the injured list due to bilateral pelvic inflammation, and now he returns there with a back issue after just a few days. This makes hit highly unlikely that the Marlins will be able to move Soler by the August 2 trade deadline. Soler does have an opt-out clause in his contract after this season, though he'll earn $15 million in 2023 if he remains with the Marlins.

Randy Arozarena was not in the Rays starting lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Royals.

It looks it was just a routine day off for the dynamic outfielder. Luke Raley started in his place in left field and batted third for the Rays against right-hander Brady Singer and the Royals. Arozarena has slashed .254/.315/.429 with 12 homers, 44 RBI and 19 stolen bases (in 27 attempts) on the season.

Twins recalled RHP Yennier Cano from Triple-A St. Paul.

Cano will take the place of the injured Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) in the Twins bullpen. The 28-year-old hurler has registered a 9.26 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 12/9 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings with the Twins this season.

Jul 22, 2022

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 6-for-7 with a double and five RBI against the Red Sox on Friday.

Gurriel is the first player since Rafael Devers on Aug. 13, 2019 to collect six hits in a game. He's the first player since Anthony Rendón on Apr. 30, 2017 to manage six hits and five RBI. And it's questionable whether he was even really the star of the game tonight. The video game-like performance improved his season slash line to .318/.367/.444 with 29 extra-base hits and 41 RBI through 85 games. Over his last 38 games, Gurriel has gone 61-for-149 (.409) with 13 doubles and 25 runs scored.

Yordan Álvarez went 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, and a walk against the Mariners on Friday.

After drawing a walk in the first inning, Álvarez launched his 28th homer to lead off the fourth inning off Marco Gonzáles. He later added an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The 25-year-old slugger carries a robust .310/.409/.675 slash line, 28 homers, and 65 RBI across 325 plate appearances.

White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Hitless in return. Grandal went 0-for-4 with an RBI on Friday against the Guardians. Grandal missed just over five weeks due to a back injury but made his return Friday, starting behind the plate while hitting fifth. He managed to tally his 16th RBI of the season on a groundout in the third inning. Grandal is hitting a disappointing .181/.288/.232 across 205 plate appearances on the season.

Yandy Díaz went 1-for-3 with a three-run double and two walks in Friday's victory over the Royals.

Díaz came to the dish with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and hit a double down the left-field line that cleared the bases. Díaz is batting .383 with nine doubles in July (60 at-bats).

Aroldis Chapman gave up a three-run homer and got just one out against the Orioles on Friday.

It's the first big misstep for Chapman since he struggled in his initial outing back from the IL on July 2. Still, it's a definite setback for his chances of getting more work in close games. His ERA stands at 5.75 in 20 1/3 innings.

Mets recalled RHP Yoan López from Triple-A Syracuse.

López will provide a fresh arm in the Mets bullpen -- at least for a day or two -- replacing Colin Holderman who was dealt to the Pirates on Friday. López has registered a 3.12 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 8/1 K/BB ratio over 8 2/3 innings with the big league club this season.

White Sox placed OF Luis Robert on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 19, with lightheadedness and blurred vision.

Robert has yet to resume any baseball activities since leaving Friday's game due to lightheadedness. He'll be eligible to return from the injured list next Friday and the White Sox are hopeful that he'll be ready to go by then. Yasmani Grandal was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.

White Sox activated C Yasmani Grandal from the 10-day injured list.

The 33-year-old backstop had been sidelined since June 13 due to back spasms. He's starting behind the dish and batting fifth against Cal Quantrill and the Guardians on Friday evening in Chicago. Grandal has hit just .185/.294/.237 with two homers, 15 RBI and a 45/27 K/BB ratio over 201 plate appearances on the season.