MLB 2023 | Chapman snags second win, Gurriel Jr. homered, Arozarena: 4 strikeouts

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2023 season. A compendium from several sources

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (Photo: MLB)

Jun 17

Aroldis Chapman got a win despite giving up a run in the ninth Saturday against the Angels.

Chapman (2-2) allowed a run on a hit and two walks while striking out three in one inning to earn the win Saturday over the Angels. Chapman struggled versus the heart of the Angels' order, but he limited the damage to a Mike Trout RBI single. The Royals then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to get the walk-off win. Chapman has given up just two runs over his last 10.2 innings with a 23:11 K:BB over that span. While the elevated walk rate is concerning, he continues to be effective in a high-leverage role for a Royals team that rarely has a lead to protect. He's pitched to a 2.96 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB through 24.1 innings this year while adding two saves, seven holds and two blown saves.

Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Snaps skid Saturday. Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Guardians. Gurriel entered Saturday 0-for-22 over his last five games, and he went hitless in his first three at-bats before popping an eighth-inning homer. The 29-year-old was one of the best hitters in the majors in May, but he's cooled off dramatically by batting just .125 (5-for-40) through 11 contests in June. Despite the recent slump, he's still slashing .278/.327/.513 with 11 homers, 40 RBI, 32 runs scored and a stolen base through 60 games this season.

José Abreu: A single on Saturday.

In a 10-3 loss to the Reds Saturday night, José Abreu went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He saw action as a DH and had no RBI in the game. Across his first 69 games of the season, he has only fifteen-extra base hits. Abreu has settled into the fifth spot in the lineup with Yordan Álvarez sidelined and is slashing a mere .231/.287/.318 with 4 home runs and 33 RBI.

Randy Arozarena went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Saturday in the Rays' shutout loss to the Padres. Yandy Díaz with a hit.

There are going to be nights like this, even for one of the top lineups in baseball. Arozarena was unable to get anything going in this one as the Rays mustered only three hits combined in a shutout loss at Petco Park. In the same game Yandi Díaz went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Tampa Bay hitters had 17 strikeouts in the game.

Yasmani Grandal remained on bench. Grandal sat Saturday against Seattle. Grandal grabbed five hits across the last two games against the Dodgers, but his reward has been to sit for the first two games against the Mariners.