MLB 2022 | Yordan homers in return, Adolis snaps drought, Chapman dominant, and more

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

José Altuve y Yordan Álvarez. (Photo: Astros de Houston's Twitter)

Jul 21, 2022

Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, powering the Astros to a 7-5 victory in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Álvarez showed zero signs of rust in his return to the Astros' lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader following a seven-game absence leading into the Midsummer Classic due to lingering right hand soreness. The 25-year-old slugger walloped a solo homer to left field -- his 27th round-tripper of the season -- off Yankees' starter Domingo Germán in the opening frame and also tacked on a two-run double in the ensuing frame. He's hitting .309/.408/.665 with 59 runs scored, 27 home runs and 63 RBI across 321 plate appearances this season.

Aroldis Chapman struck out a pair of batters in a scoreless inning on Thursday against the Astros.

Chapman was called upon to work the seventh inning with the Yankees trailing by five runs at the time. He fanned Yordan Álvarez and also coaxed a harmless ground ball from Alex Bregman before Kyle Tucker reached on catcher's interference to keep the frame going. He managed to whiff Jake Meyers to extinguish the potential threat. The 34-year-old left-hander has allowed four runs on two hits with an 8/6 K/BB ratio across six innings since returning from the injured list earlier this month.

Rangers' Adolis García: Snaps drought. García went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a second run scored in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Marlins. García's fifth-inning blast was his first home run since June 25, a span of 19 games, and the multi-hit effort was his first in two weeks. The outfielder worked on his timing over the All-Star break, per Paige Leckie of MLB.com, and the results were immediate. "He seemed like he was in his legs a little more," Texas manager Chris Woodward said. "He knew that this was going to be a big break for him just to get off his feet, but also get back to work a little bit." Over the two-and-a-half weeks leading up to the break, García had slashed .125/.206/.179 with just two RBI in 14 games.

Astros' Aledmys Díaz: Was benched for nightcap. Díaz was out of the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees. Díaz, who went 1-for-4 with a double in the Astros' 3-2 win in Game 1, will see his streak of three straight starts come to an end. Chas McCormick replaced Diaz in left field for the nightcap, and the two will likely have to battle for one spot in the lineup moving forward with the Astros bringing back designated hitter Yordan Álvarez (hand) from the injured list earlier Thursday.

Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Sat down for Game 2. Gurriel is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Gurriel started the matinee and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout during Houston's victory. J.J. Matijevic, who walked off New York in Game 1 with an RBI single, started at first base in the nightcap.

Astros' Yordan Álvarez: Starting in second game of twin bill. Álvarez (hand) will serve as Houston's designated hitter and No. 3 batter in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported. Houston activated Álvarez from the 10-day injured list prior to Game 1, but he was withheld from the lineup for the early contest, as manager Dusty Baker understandably wasn't keen on having the team's top hitter play 18 innings in one day in his first game back from an injury. Álvarez still made a cameo off the bench as a pinch hitter in the Astros' 3-2 win in Game 1, walking in his lone plate appearance. As expected, he'll now re-enter the lineup for what will be his first start since July 9.