MLB 2024 | Yordan hit his 16th homer; Chapman collects second save; Yandy extends hitting streak; Colás demoted

Cuban Players News for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. A compilation of several sources

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Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer to help the Astros defeat the Orioles on Saturday.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Orioles. Alvarez has gone 4-for-12 with two homers over three games since returning from a family matter. The slugger has hit seven of his 16 long balls this season over 17 games in June, batting .359 (23-for-64) in that span. He's up to a .292/.363/.525 slash line, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored and three stolen bases over 74 contests.

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Aroldis Chapman picked up a save against the Rays on Saturday despite allowing a run in his inning of work.

Chapman gave up a run on a hit and a walk in the ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Rays. He struck out one. David Bednar is dealing with some tightness in his side and was unavailable, leaving ninth-inning duties to his 36-year-old set-up man. Chapman walked the first batter he faced before surrendering an RBI double to Yandy Diaz, but the southpaw got Isaac Paredes to ground out to end the threat. Chapman has been scored upon only twice in his last 10 appearances, posting a 1.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB through 9.2 innings over that stretch. Bednar's injury isn't considered serious, but Chapman should handle closing duties until he's ready to return.

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Adolis García with one hit Saturday.

Adolis García went 1-for-4 with a RBI, a run scored, and a strikeout Saturday in a 6-0 victory against the Royals. During 72 games, Adolis is sitting with an average of 4.1 plate appearances per contest, 0.7 base hits and 1.5 total bases on the year. He holds a batting average of .213, and has a .273 on-base percentage . Adolis' slugging percentage sits at .399 for the season, and he is sitting with an OPS of .672, exactly 100 point less than about two months ago. He has been at the plate 297 times on the season, and has amassed 13 homeruns with 41 RBIs, which means he is still productive.

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Yandy Díaz extends his hitting streak.

Yandy Díaz doubled off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 15. It was Yandy's only hit of the afternoon, as he went 1 for 5 with an RBI and a strikeout.

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Yasmani Grandal did not start Saturday.

Yasmani Grandal wasn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays. Grandal took a seat Saturday after going 0-for-1 and drawing two walks during Friday's loss in the series opener. Jason Delay took over behind the plate and batted ninth. In 102 plate appearances this season, Grandal has a .188 batting average with a .519 OPS.

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Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was sitting Saturday.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. wasn't in Arizona's lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies. Gurriel was removed from Friday's game due to a sore left elbow, and it is seemingly bothering him enough to keep him from playing Saturday, though the D-backs don't believe his injury to be anything too serious. This season, Gurriel has a .260 batting average with a .701 OPS in 299 plate appearances.

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Miguel Vargas was not in lineup for Dodgers on Saturday.

Miguel Vargas was sitting Saturday in the team's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Vargas was replaced in left field by Teoscar Hernández versus Angels starter Zach Plesac. In 32 plate appearances this season, Vargas has a .321 batting average with a .946 OPS.

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White Sox optioned OF Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte.

It’s been a struggle this season for Colás to carve out consistent playing time at the highest level as he’s batted a serviceable .273/.368/.273 with four RBI in 38 plate appearances over 13 games for the White Sox. It’s possible he’ll get more of an extended look once the club moves on from some of their veteran outfielder at the trade deadline in a couple weeks.

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