It was the 10th consecutive loss for Cuba in the Qualifying Rounds of the Haarlem Baseball Week dating back to the 2018 edition of the tournament. Team Italy shut out Cuba 2-0 at Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. It is the 2nd win over Cuba ever National Baseball Hall of Famer and Team Italy manager Mike Piazza knew it was a must-win game against Cuba on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in order for the Azzurri elite squad to keep alive the hope of advancing to the Haarlem Baseball Week semifinals. Cuba starting pitcher César García gave up a leadoff hitter to Ricardo Paolini, who was thrown out at third base on a fielder's choice by Noel González to stomp out any scoring opportunity for Team Italy in the top of the first inning. Team Italy starter Gabriele Quattrini held Cuba scoreless for six innings and allowed just four hits with three strikeouts and two walks before handing the ball off in the seventh inning to reliever Mattia Aldegheri, who earned the save. Team Italy took a 1-0 lead In the top of the second inning. Back-to-back singles by Dario Pizzano and Alberto Mineo was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Erick Epifano to advance the runners into scoring position. A fielder's choice by Mattia Mercuri allowed Dario Pizzano to cross the plate. In the top of the third inning, the Team Italy offense was limited to a Vito Frescia single. An RBI single by Noel González off Cuban lefty sidearm reliever Paradelo Aguilar in the top of the fifth inning put Team Italy on top 2-0. Both teams went to bullpen in the seventh inning. Cuba called on reliever Carlos Santana, who pitched an easy 1-2-3 out inning. Team Italy brought in Mattia Aldegheri to pick up the save and secure the 2-0 shutout. It was the 10th consecutive loss for Cuba in the Qualifying Rounds of the Haarlem Baseball Week dating back to the 2018 edition of the tournament. The shutout extended to 25 the consecutive scoreless innings for the Cuban team in the tournament. The Italians will have the chance to return to compete in the semifinals on Thursday, July 14, 2022 if USA defeats Curaçao in Day 6 second game. The two winners of the semifinal contests will go head-to-head in the Haarlem Baseball Week Championship on Friday, July 15, 2022 at 7 pm (local time). The two losers will play in the Bronze Medal Game earlier in the day at 2 pm (local time). (*) Update: Curacao defeated Team USA 3-2 and Italy was eliminated from medal contention having to play, once again, Cuba for the fifth place of the tournament, tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:00 pm (Local time/6:00 am Havana and US Time) Daily Results (Jul 13, 2022): Ita 2, Cub 0 | Box | Play-by-Play USA 2, Cur 3 | Box | Play-by-Play Ned 0, Jap 5 | Box | Play-by-Play Thursday's Games (Jul 14, 2022): 6:00 am (*) | Cuba vs. Italy (5to Lugar) 9:30 am (*) | Netherlands vs. Japan (Semifinals 1) 1:30 pm (*) | USA vs. Curacao (Semifinals 2) (*) Havana Time and US ET. Final Standings (Qualifying Round):

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 12, 2022 Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Perfect night at the plate Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored Tuesday as the Blue Jays defeated the Phillies. Gurriel had a couple infield singles and also two doubles, one of which plated what turned out to be the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The outfielder entered June with just a .655 OPS, but that number now sits at .796 following a torrid 35-game stretch. Gurriel is known as a streaky hitter, but when he gets hot, he gets very hot. After slashing a measly .189/.277/.257 over the entire month of May, he followed up with a .355/.394/.505 slash line in June. His scorching hot bat has continued to drive the baseball in July, and the 28-year-old outfielder has now lifted his average to .305 on the season. Gurriel has 35 runs in 2022 and is on pace to surpass his career-high of 62 from last year. Luis Robert went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians. Robert came up to bat with a four-run lead in the top of the ninth and hit a 322-foot three-run home run off of the right-field foul pole -- his 11th home run of 2022. Robert has three home runs over his last seven games. The 24-year-old continues to swing a hot bat, and the multi-hit performance was Robert's fifth in his last 10 games -- a stretch during which he's batting .317 (13-for-41). The surge has boosted Robert's slash line on the season to .290/.323/.438 with 11 homers, 11 steals, 45 runs and 49 RBI through 71 contests. White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Did not play Game 2 on Tuesday. Moncada didn't start Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus Cleveland. The struggling infielder went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts against Shane Bieber in the afternoon loss. Josh Harrison will start at third base Tuesday evening. José Abreu went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians. Tim Anderson drew a walk to leadoff the game and Abreu drove him in on his 103.4-mph, 404-foot home run to center field in the top of the first. The veteran is 43-for-113 (.381) with 15 extra-base hits since June 13th. Astros' Aledmys Díaz: On base four times in win. Díaz went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and two walks in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Angels. Díaz hit a two-run home run in the first inning to open the scoring and extend his hitting streak to seven games. In that span, he's gone 11-for-28 (.393) with three of his six homers this season. The versatile 31-year-old is seeing steady playing time in left field, and he's ran with it. He's up to a .241/.295/.382 slash line with 20 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base through 183 plate appearances this year. White Sox's Oscar Colás: Bumped up to Double-A. The White Sox promoted Colás from High-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Colás will get a few games under his belt at Double-A prior to the All-Star break before likely spending most of the second half of the minor-league season in Birmingham. The 23-year-old outfielder from Cuba, who signed a $2.7 million deal with the White Sox in January, hit .311 with 23 extra-base hits in 268 plate appearances for Winston-Salem. Cardinals' Johan Oviedo: Picks up second win. Oviedo (2-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in 1.1 innings, earning the win Tuesday over the Dodgers. Oviedo followed opener Jordan Hicks in this contest. Through five innings in July, Oviedo has yielded two runs, six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. The right-hander owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB in 21.2 innings overall, though he's likely to remain in a multi-inning relief role. He's yet to record a save or a hold in 11 appearances. Raisel Iglesias was saddled with the loss in Tuesday's matchup against the Astros, surrendering one run on two hits over an inning pitched. Iglesias entered for the top of the ninth with the two squads locked in a 5-5 tie. He almost immediately got himself into trouble, issuing a walk to Jose Altuve and allowing a single to Aledmys Díaz. The Astros would pounce on this opportunity via a go-ahead RBI double off the bat of Kyle Tucker. While Iglesias was not stuck with a blown save in this one, he did take the end loss, dropping his record to 2-6 in the process. While Iglesias is still a decent 15-of-18 in save chances this season, he has now allowed at least one run in three straight appearances. Astros' Pedro León: Racks up 10 steals in 12 games. León has hit .324/.519/.568 with two homers, 10 steals and an 11:9 BB:K over his last 12 games for Triple-A Sugar Land. Despite showing some pop and speed throughout the year, León had been struggling to hit for average due to a high strikeout rate -- he went down on strikes at a 30.4 percent clip over his first 61 games while batting just .218. However, ever since going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in consecutive games June 25-26, León has been an entirely different hitter across these last dozen contests, posting just a single multi-strikeout effort while drawing walks at a startlingly strong pace and running wild on the basepaths. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Moving rehab to Triple-A on Tuesday. Grandal (back) will shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Grandal will move one step closer to returning from the 10-day injured list as he joins Charlotte for the conclusion of his rehab assignment. The 33-year-old has been out since early June and is expected to return to the big leagues following the All-Star break. Ariel Miranda was released by the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization. Miranda was the MVP of the KBO last year after registering a 2.33 ERA and sensational 225/63 K/BB ratio with the Bears. He just couldn't stay on the field in 2022 because of shoulder troubles, and Doosan gave the left-hander his walking papers to sign Brandon Waddell as his replacement. Miranda could -- and should -- see interest in a variety of leagues this winter.

Right-hander Jordan Lucas threw a 1-0 shutout against Cuba, to eliminate the once international powerhouse from medal contention at the 30th edition of the Haarlem Baseball Week. Unlike the American duo of Tanner Hall and Teddy McGraw, who pummeled Cuba with 11 strikeouts in Monday's 2-0 shutout, Lucas used breaking balls and changeups to dominate the entire Cuban lineup. Lucas put out five of the seven leadoff hitters, and the contrast between his fastball (81-85 mph) and his changeup (65-68 mph) was key to eliminate Cuban hitters, allowing only four singles in the seven inning contest. 42-year old Frederich Cepeda went 2-for-3 in the game, and confirmed himself as the most consistent hitters in the team. The rest of the players went 2-for-20 and surprisingly manager Carlos Martí did not make any movements during the game. Granma's 43-year-old veteran left-hander, Leandro Martínez, who started the game, was charged with the loss after completing seven innings of only six hits but did not receive any offensive support. Leandro allowed only one run during his 93 pitches outing. It was in the top of the second inning, when Johannes Jr. Gregori doubled and Rayshelon Carolina led off the scoring with a single to rightfield with already two outs. Both hits came on two strikes, and Carolina's RBI was the Curaçao lineup's only hit with runners on base against Leandro. The team went 1-for-7 with RISP in the game After averaging .174 (4-for-24) against right-handed Jordan Lucas, the Cuban team's BA dropped to .194 (19-98) in the tournament, that also includes a poor .240 OBP and a .224 slugging. The team has only produced three extra-bases - three doubles - two of them by shortstop Alexander Ayala. It is clear that batting average doesn't always define a team's productivity, however, in this case, the team' slump clearly demonstrates the lack of preparation and the terrible state in which most hitters are. The core of the lineup: Alexander Ayala, Frederich Cepeda and Dennis Laza, have 11-for-33 (.333) combined but with just one RBI and eight strikeouts. What about the rest of the lineup? They're hitting .123 (8-for-65) with 18 strikeouts—15 of them with a no-contact swing— and just two walks. Yes, but that is not the worst part of the terrible slump of the Cuban team in the tournament. Cuba has scored runs in just two of the 28 innings they have played during this Haarlem Baseball Week. The bottom of the lineup: Carlos Benítez, Iván Prieto and Alexquemer Sánchez, batting seventh, eighth and ninth, are 2-for-29 with 10 strikeouts and 17 runners left on base. Playing like this is impossible to win baseball games. What is most disconcerting is that this has not been Cuba's only losing streak in Haarlem. In fact, after the four setbacks in this tournament, the Cuban teams have seen their streak extended to nine losses, since their previous presentation in the tournament in 2018, when Cuba finished the Opening Round with a 0-5 record: 1. July 14, 2018: 5-4 against Germany 2. July 15, 2018: 7-1 against Japan 3. July 16, 2018: 7-3 against Italy 4. July 17, 2018: 6-4 against Netherlands 5. July 19, 2018: 12x2 against China Taipei Trying to stop that losing streak Cuba will close out the pool play portion of Haarlem Baseball Week at 12:00 p.m. local/6:00 a.m. (Havana and US Eastern Time) on Wednesday when it takes on Italy at Pim Mulier Stadium. Daily Results (Jul 12, 2022): Jap 9, Ita 0 | Box | Play-by-Play Cur 1, Cub 0 | Box | Play-by-Play Neth 0, USA 10 (6 Inn) | Box | Play-by-Play Wednesday's Games (Jul 13, 2022): 6:00 am (ET) | Italy vs. Cuba 9:30 am (ET) | USA vs. Curacao 1:30 pm (ET) | Netherlands vs. Japan Standings:

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 11, 2022 Yandy Díaz was perfect on Monday. Yandy Díaz went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI as the Rays topped the Red Sox 10-5 on Monday. It's the first three-RBI game of the year for Díaz and just the seventh of his career, as he's never had nearly as much luck plating runners as he has had getting on base himself. Díaz has 10 multi-hit performances in his last 15 games, slashing an absurd .500/.569/.704 over that stretch with 11 doubles, eight RBI and 11 runs with a 9:4 BB:K. The 30-year-old has a terrific .307/.418/.409 line this season. Yoán Moncada hit a three-run homer Monday in the loss to the Guardians. The homer off Cal Quantrill was Moncada's first in 13 games since coming off the IL and fourth in 42 games this season. Along with the 103-mph homer tonight, he had a 108-mph lineout to right, so maybe his bat is starting to come around. He's batting just .191/.236/.303 for the season. José Iglesias went 1-for-4 with an RBI on Monday in his return to the Rockies' lineup. Iglesias sliced an eighth-inning RBI double to right field off Padres' reliever Nabil Crismatt, jump-starting the Rockies' late rally on Monday evening, which came up just short in the final frame. The 32-year-old shortstop missed a pair of contests following a collision at home plate last Friday against the Diamondbacks, but should be good to go moving forward. With his single on Monday's game, Iglesias has now 1000 singles in the Majors and is just the 19th Cuban-born player to achieve that feat. Iglesias has collected 208 hits since leaving the Orioles for the 2021 campaign. Luis Robert is sitting out the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians. Robert has played in all but one game for the White Sox since returning from the COVID-19 injured list back on May 30. The 24-year-old outfielder, who has 10 homers and 11 steals in 70 games this season, should be back in there for Tuesday's nightcap affair. On Monday, Luis Robert went 0-for-4 with a strikeout leaving his BA in .283 this year. Jorge Soler (pelvis) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday. Placed on the injured list with a retroactive date of June 29, Soler has avoided setbacks. He took batting practice on Tuesday ahead of the rehab stint. Provided all goes according to plan, he should be activated immediately following the All-Star break and perhaps even as early as this weekend's series against the Phillies. White Sox's José Abreu: Two hits on Monday. Abreu went 2-for-4 with a strikeout and a run scored on Monday, in a 8-4 loss against the Guardians. His BA is now .295 for the year. Reds' Vladimir Gutiérrez: Tommy John surgery on tap. Gutiérrez (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery later this month, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Gutiérrez, the Reds and the team's medical staff made the collective decision to have the right-hander go under the knife after he suffered a setback with his strained elbow during a live batting practice session Tuesday. Based on the timing of his upcoming surgery, Gutiérrez will miss the remainder of the 2022 campaign and likely the majority of the 2023 season while recovering from the procedure. He'll become the third Reds pitcher to require Tommy John in the last calendar year, joining Tejay Antone and Justin Wilson. Cardinals' Johan Oviedo: Moves past hand issue. Oviedo (hand) struck out two and worked around two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen Sunday in the Cardinals' 4-3 win over the Phillies. Oviedo had been pulled from his previous relief appearance July 4 against Atlanta after he was struck on his pitching hand by a comebacker, but a few days of rest was all he needed to heal up. With Sunday's scoreless outing, the 24-year-old lowered his ERA to 3.10 over 20.1 innings at the big-league level this season. Yankees' Aroldis Chapman: Struggles in loss Sunday. Chapman (0-3) took the loss against Boston on Sunday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two over one inning. Chapman came on in the sixth inning with the game tied 6-6, and he allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base on a single and two walks. The veteran reliever bounced back to retire the next three hitters -- including two by strikeout -- but a Jeter Downs sacrifice fly allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate, and New York was unable to score again in the contest. Chapman has allowed three runs and has walked five batters over three innings since returning from the IL on July 1. It seems unlikely that he'll regain the closer role until he gets back on track.

HAARLEM, Netherlands – Tanner Hall (Southern Miss) and Teddy McGraw (Wake Forest) combined to throw a four-hit shutout as the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team slid past Cuba, 2-0, on Monday evening at Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands. Hall started and struck out seven batters in 4.0 scoreless innings to earn the win before handing the ball over to McGraw who was credited with the save after fanning four over the game’s final three frames. The U.S. managed just two hits in the seven-inning contest, but they were back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) and Wyatt Langford (Florida). Enrique Bradfield (Vanderbilt) also played a big role in the win, stealing two bases and scoring the game-winning run. With the victory, Team USA improves to 2-1 at Honkbalweek Haarlem where it has yielded just one unearned run over the first three games. Cuba falls to 0-3 with the loss. KEY MOMENTS Team USA was the first to put a runner in scoring position, doing so in the bottom of the first when Enrique Bradfield (Vanderbilt) was hit by a pitch, quickly stole second, and moved to third on a fielder’s choice. He was left stranded there, however, after Cuban starting pitcher Juan Rodriguez struck out the next batter to end the frame. Bradfield reached again in the third when he bounced into a fielder’s choice for the second out, but he put his speed to use shortly after, stealing second for second time in three innings. After a walk to Dylan Crews (LSU), Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) lined an RBI single to right and Wyatt Lanford (Florida) followed with a base hit back up the middle four pitches later to make it a 2-0 lead for the U.S. Cuba tried to mount a rally in the top of the fourth, using three singles to load the bases with just one out. Tanner Hall (Southern Miss) responded with two huge strikeouts to keep the U.S. lead intact. The Cubans took advantage of Team USA’s first error of Honkbalweek Haarlem to get a leadoff baserunner in the top of the sixth. Frederich Cepeda, a 25-year veteran of professional baseball, laced the next pitch through the left side and a balk moments later moved both runners into scoring position with just one out. This time it was Teddy McGraw’s (Wake Forest) turn to buckle down and he did just that, blowing fastballs by the next two batters to strike them both out and defuse the threat. Daily Results (Jul 11, 2022): Cur 3, Ita 5 | Box | Play-by-Play Cub 0, USA 2 | Box | Play-by-Play Tuesday's Games (Jul 12, 2022): 6:00 am (ET) | Japón vs. Italia 9:30 am (ET) | Curazao vs. Cuba 1:30 pm (ET) | Holanda vs. USA Standings:

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 9, 2022 José Abreu went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Saturday in a lopsided victory over the Tigers. Abreu smacked a two-run double off of Garrett Hill in the second inning that extended the White Sox early lead to 6-0. He also singled off of Jason Foley in the seventh. With the two-hit attack the 35-year-old slugger extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Abreu is now slashing an outstanding .295/.379/.465 with 10 homers and 40 RBI on the season. In the same game, Luis Robert went 1-for-3 with his RBI #46, two runs scored and a walk, while Yoán Moncada was 1-for-3 with a walk. Yadiel Hernández went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday as the Nationals lost to the Braves. The 34-year-old outfielder hit a 413-foot solo home run towards right-center field to lead-off the top of the seventh. He has a solid .277 batting average with six home runs and two stolen bases over 220 at-bats. Astros's Yordan Álvarez, Yulie Gurriel and Aledmis Díaz: Three hits combined on Saturday. Álvarez, Gurriel and Díaz went 3-for-12 with three strikeouts on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the A's. Yordan went hitless in 4 AB with two strikeouts, one day after been stripped on a well deserved spot in the All-Star starter team. The Astros player has been on a tear ever since the season began and has made a case for himself to be an AL MVP contender. Through 73 games this season, Álvarez recorded a .312 batting average, a 1.075 OPS, 26 home runs, and 59 RBI. Despite those numbers, the ever-popular Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels made the starting lineup. Ohtani slashed .258/.344/.490 while recording 18 home runs, and 53 RBI. In the other hand, Gurriel has been picking up his game and went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Gurriel is now slashing .333/.382/.549 during his last 15 games, improving his BA to .237. Aledmis was 1-for-4 with a run scored and his BA is .232 for the season. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Went 1-for-3 against the Mariners. Gurriel was 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts on Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Mariners. Gurriel is now slashing .300/.353/.430 with 5 HR and 35 RBI for the year, in part to his recent resurgence that has him with an amazing slash line of .391/.431/.557 during his last 30 games. Ranger's Adolis García: Hitless on Saturday. Adolis García went 0-for-5 in a 9-7 victory against the Twins on Saturday afternoon. The Cuban outfielder struck out three times, still dealing with a slump that has him slashing .143/.194/.250 in his last 7 games. Ray's Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena: No hits against the Reds on Saturday. Díaz and Arozarena went 0-for-6 with a three strikeout combined on Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Reds in extra-innings. Díaz wasn't in the starting lineup but was pinch-hitting late in the game and was 0-for-1. Arozarena had three strikeouts and left 9 runners on bases. José Iglesias (head) was absent from the Rockies' starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds. No surprise here after Iglesias exited Friday's matchup against the Diamondbacks with a possible concussion following a home-plate collision in the sixth inning. There should be an official update on his status at some point this weekend.

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 8, 2022 Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Three hits, stolen base Friday. Gurriel went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 5-2 extra-innings loss to the Mariners. Gurriel provided an RBI single in the second inning and was on the back side of a double-steal fronted by Teoscar Hernández in the fifth. Gurriel also made a great throw to home plate in the bottom of the 10th to prevent the loss in that inning. Seattle tried to win it on J.P. Crawford's line drive single to left field and third base coach Manny Acta made the aggressive decision to send Abraham Toro from second, but Gurriel's throw was on target and Toro was easily tagged out. In his last 30 games, Gurriel has posted 15 multi-hit efforts. The extended surge has him up to a .299/.351/.431 slash line through 76 contests overall. He's a little less impressive in the counting stats with five home runs, 35 RBI, 34 runs scored and three stolen bases, though he's been a little unlucky in the power department with 21 doubles -- he had 28 doubles and 21 homers in 141 games last year. Yuli Gurriel went 3-for-5 with a double and one RBI against the A's on Friday. Gurriel had a good day at the plate after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. He knocked three hits, including a double in the sixth inning and an RBI base hit in the seventh. The 38-year-old first baseman is batting .233/.286/.396 with seven homers and three steals across 297 plate appearances. José Iglesias was removed from Friday's contest against the Diamondbacks with an apparent injury. Rockies manager Bud Black said afterwards that Iglesias was dizzy and being evaluated for a possible concussion after being hit in the head during a collision at home plate with Diamondbacks' catcher Josh Herrera in the sixth inning. There should be an update on his status this weekend. In the game Iglesias went 2-for-3 with a run scored lifting his BA to .297 for the year. Rangers' Adolis García: Snaps mini-slump. García went 3-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 6-5 win over the Twins. None of García's three hits had an impact for the Rangers -- not even his fourth triple of the season -- but they were meaningful for the outfielder who snapped an 0-for-12 skid and was 1-for-19 to start July. García is coming off a smoldering June, when he slashed .314/.348/.581 with seven home runs, five doubles, one triple, 18 RBI, six steals and 19 runs over 26 games. Luis Robert blasted at two-run homer on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to power the White Sox to victory over the Tigers. Abreu: Hitting streak is now 13. Robert got the White Sox on the board first with his mammoth 449-foot blast off of Tarik Skubal in the opening inning. He also singled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-5. He's in the midst of a nice stretch at the plate, collecting multiple hits in four of his last six starts to maintain a .346 average while also collecting two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored. On the season, he's now slashing .291/.321/.436 to go along with 10 long balls, 45 RBI and 11 stolen bases. In the same game, José Abreu extended his hitting streak to 13 games, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and two strikeouts. Abreu's batting average is now .292 for the season. Raisel Iglesias took his third blown save and his fifth loss after giving up three runs in the ninth Friday against the Orioles. Iglesias (2-5) allowed three runs on four hits and no walks while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss in Friday's game against the Orioles. Iglesias was called upon to preserve a two-run lead Friday, and he retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, he allowed the next three batters to record hits and was ultimately charged with his first blown save since June 5. The right-handed served a one-game suspension Sunday against the Astros and has given up four runs in 1.2 innings over two appearances since returning to the field. Despite being staked to an early lead, Néstor Cortés lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs Friday against the Red Sox. The Yankees scored nine runs in the first four innings, but after Cortés gave up two homers in the fourth, he was pulled before he could qualify for the win. Cortés has given up 17 runs and nine homers over 28 2/3 innings in his last six starts. He still has an excellent 2.74 ERA for the season, but at this point, it's iffy whether he deserves an All-Star nod. Yoán Moncada was absent from the White Sox starting lineup for Friday night's showdown against the Tigers. The slumping 27-year-old dealt with a bruised foot earlier in the week, but this appears to be just a regular day off. Moncada has struggled to a miserable .184/.228/.284 slash line with three homers, 17 RBI, zero stolen bases and a 42/6 K/BB ratio through 38 games on the season. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Major League Baseball Players Association presented an international draft proposal on Friday to Major League Baseball. Passan adds that there are significant differences between the two sides proposals to implement an international amateur draft. The two sides have until July 25 to reach and agreement and it certainly sounds like these negotiations are going to come down to the wire. If they are unable to reach a resolution, the current qualifying offer system for free agents will remain intact. Stay tuned. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Homers on rehab assignment. Grandal (back) went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run with two walks in a rehab appearance with Double-A Birmingham on Friday. Grandal was in the lineup for the second consecutive game with Birmingham, and he served as the designated hitter on each occasion. He's gone 3-for-6 with four walks in his two starts, but he is still expected to remain on his rehab assignment through the All-Star break.

The Netherlands also won the second game of the Haarlem Baseball Week. It remained tense against Cuba until the seventh and last inning. It was Roger Bernadina, who hit a homerun giving his team a must needed advantage. That allowed John Polonius and Jiandido Tromp to score. The game ended 5-1. Like Italy in the previous game, the Netherlands took the lead in the first inning. With a good hit by Sharon Schoop (Amsterdam Pirates), and Bernadina scored for the 1-0. Dennis Burgersdijk (HCAW) made his debut starting for the Dutch team. The Cubans tied the score in the second inning via a single by 42-year old Frederich Cepeda. It was Cuba only run in the game. After the fourth inning, starter Burgersdijk was taken off the mound and replaced by Mike Groen (Amsterdam Pirates). The score didn't change again until the sixth inning. Juremi Profar, who was already important on Friday evening, sent Wladimir Balentien to home plate: 2-1. Bernandina was named Player of the Game after hitting a 3-run homer in the seventh inning. Daily Results (Jul 9, 2022): USA 0, Japón 1 (8 Inn) | Box | Play-by-Play Netherlands 5, Cuba 1 | Box | Play-By-Play Sunday's Games (Jul 10, 2022): 6:00 am (ET) | Italy vs. USA 9:30 am (ET) | Curacao vs. Netherlands 1:30 pm (ET) | Cuba vs. Japan Standings:

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 7, 2022 Yordan Álvarez homered in a victory on Thursday over the Royals. Álvarez now is up to 26 homers on the season with a solo shot off Kris Bubic. The slugger has also hit .312 with a whopping .655 slugging mark, and if not for some other impressive performances in the American League, might be the favorite for the AL MVP. As long as he can stay on the field, Álvarez is going to be among the best hitters in the sport. Yasmani Grandal (back) went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Thursday in his minor league rehab assignment debut for Double-A Birmingham. Of course, Grandal also walked twice in the contest. The 33-year-old on-base machine is working his way back from lower back spasms that sent him to the injured list back in mid-June. The defensive wizard isn't expected to rejoin the White Sox' lineup as their primary catcher until after the All-Star break later this month. White Sox's José Abreu and Luis Robert: One hit each on Thursday. Abreu and Luis Robert went 2-for-8 combined in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers on Thursday night. Abreu struck out twice while Luis Robert added his double #11 of the year and RBI #43. With his only single, Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Embarrassed moment in left field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. helped Dylan Moore homered in an 8-3 loss to the Mariners on Thursday night. Moore hit a deep fly to the warning track in the second inning. Gurriel tracked it down, but as he made a running leap on the track, the ball went into his glove and immediately popped out and over the wall. It was an embarrassing moment for the Cuban outfielder that went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the game. Gurriel's BA is now .294 for the season. Yoán Moncada (foot) was back in the lineup Thursday against the Tigers. Moncada was diagnosed with a bruised foot after leaving Wednesday's game, but X-rays returned negative and he felt well enough to play in the series opener against the Tigers. In the game, Moncada went 0-for-3 and now his BA is .184. Nat's Yadiel Hernández: Hitless against the Phillies. Yadiel went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk on Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Phillies. Yadiel batted fifth, behind veteran Nelson Cruz, and played left field. The 34-old year Cuban outfielder is having a decent season slashing .272/.317/.414 with 5 HR and 32 RBI. Rockies' José Iglesias: Two more singles. Iglesias went 2-for-4 with a run scored on Thursday's 4-3 win over the D-backs. Iglesias' slash line is .292/.335/.383 this year with 2 HR and 23 RBI. The flashy shortstop also continues with his big-time defense, an example was last Wednesday when he completed this insane catch against the Dodgers. Orioles' Cionel Pérez: Another scoreless inning. Cionel Pérez threw another scoreless inning against the Angels in a 4-1 win for the Orioles. Pérez struck out two hitters and threw only 9 pitches, 8 of them for strikes. For many Cionel shows some tantalizing stuff with a fastball velocity ranked in the 89th percentile among MLB pitchers this year, something that you don't normally see out of a 5'11" LHP. Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Sat again Thursday. Aledmis Díaz: RBI #18. Gurriel was out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Royals, likely due to an undisclosed injury. Gurriel was on the bench for a second straight contest, and though the Astros haven't provided an explanation behind the back-to-back absences, the 38-year-old is presumably dealing with a physical concern. J.J. Matijevic got the start at first base in Gurriel's stead and batted sixth in the series finale. Late in the game Gurriel pinch hit and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. In the same game Aledmis Díaz, who played left field, went 1-for-5 with his 4th double of the season and his RBI #18.

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 7, 2022 Yuli Gurriel is sitting out a second straight game on Thursday. Houston has been cagey about injury updates all year, so we're left to guess what might be going with Gurriel. J.J. Matijevic is playing first base and hitting sixth Thursday versus the Royals and lefty Kris Bubic. Jul 6, 2022 Yadiel Hernández went 3-for-4 with an RBI double on Wednesday's win over the Phillies. Yadiel went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Phillies. Hernández ripped an RBI double off Aaron Nola in the top of the fourth frame, scoring Juan Soto and giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. He later singled and scored in the seventh inning and added another double in the ninth frame. The outfielder has now gone 4-for-7 in the first two games of the series against the Phillies after he went hitless in the team's prior series versus the Marlins. Hernández has produced a .341 average with a homer, six doubles, eight RBI and four runs over his last 14 games. The 34-year-old has a .276/.319/.419 slash with five home runs and two stolen bases across 226 plate appearances. Aledmys Díaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Royals. The Astros trailed 5-1 after three innings, but they would plate two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to get back into it, after which Díaz blasted a solo homer off Brad Keller in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4. Houston's comeback dreams would end there, though. In 150 at-bats this season, Díaz is slashing .227/.275/.347 with five homers and 17 RBI. Randy Arozarena went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox. Arozarena lined a 106.5-mph two-run double towards the left-center field gap in the top of the third. Then in the top of the ninth, his 105.5-mph solo home run pushed the Rays' lead to six runs. He's 8-for-25 (.320) with two home runs and a steal through 25 July at-bats. White Sox's Luis Robert: Slugs ninth homer. Robert went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and two runs scored Wednesday against the Twins. Robert took Emilio Pagán yard in the fifth inning to record his ninth homer of the season. Robert has three multi-hit performances in his last four starts, during which he's tallied four RBI and five runs scored. While his power production has been a bit disappointing, Robert has still delivered 11 stolen bases, 40 runs scored, and 42 RBI across 65 games this season. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks in Wednesday's win over the Phillies. Díaz scored after lining a 109.3-mph double to left field in the top of the first, walked in the top of the third, walked again in the top of the sixth, and hit a 96.8-mph single to center field in the top of the eighth. Díaz has eight multi-hit games during his 11-game hitting streak. Yoán Moncada has been diagnosed with a bruised foot after being removed from Wednesday's win over the Twins. Moncada initially stayed in the game after fouling a ball off his foot in the fourth inning but eventually departed and underwent X-rays. Mercifully for the oft-injured 27-year-old, they were negative. Moncada will probably miss Thursday's series opener against the Tigers, but he should be back on the field at some point this weekend. Since being activated from the 10-day injured list a week ago, Moncada has started in each of the White Sox's subsequent seven games, going 6-for-29 (.207 average) with two doubles, five RBI, one run and a 0:11 BB:K. Yankees' Aroldis Chapman: Another clean inning. Chapman had another relief on Wednesday's 16-0 win over the Pirates. Chapman pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout, using 10 pitches, seven of them for strikes. Chapman lowered his ERA from 4.80 to 4.50. Adolis García was not in the Rangers starting lineup for Wednesday's showdown against the Orioles. The 29-year-old outfielder got a breather with Kole Calhoun, Brad Miller and Leody Tavares manning the outfield against Spenser Watkins and the Orioles. García has had a very productive season from a fantasy perspective, slashing .246/.287/.466 with 15 homers, 51 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Astros' Yuli Gurriel: On bench Wednesday. Gurriel didn't start Wednesday's game against the Royals. Gurriel logged hits in four of the last five matchups and went 4-for-17 with a homer, a double, four runs, and three RBI during that time. Aledmys Díaz started at first base and batted sixth Wednesday. Reds' Vladimir Gutiérrez: Headed to 60-day IL. Reds manager David Bell said Gutiérrez (elbow) suffered a setback during the final pitch of his live batting practice session Tuesday and will be transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The transaction will open up a spot on the 40-man roster, which the Reds will likely use when they presumably call up another pitcher from the minors for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Pirates. As a result of the move, Gutiérrez won't be eligible for activation until the first week of August, though it's unclear if he'll be ready to go by then.

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 5, 2022 Aledmys Díaz went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Royals. In the bottom of the seventh, Díaz connected on a first-pitch fastball from Jackson Kowar and hit a 104.6-mph two-run home run towards the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park. Díaz is slashing .226/.276/.329 with four home runs across 156 plate appearances. Yandy Díaz went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a run scored, and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox. In the Rays' four-run top of the sixth, Rene Pinto scored on Díaz's 98.5-mph single. He also led off the top of the first with a 95.6-mph double, and sent a 102.4-mph double to left field in the top of the second. Díaz extended his hit streak to 10 games with the performance. Aroldis Chapman: Effective in second outing. Aroldis Chapman was a different pitcher on Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Pirates. During his second outing after rejoining the Yankees, Chapman pitched a scoreless inning using only 11 pitches, 7 of them for strikes. His best improvement? He was basically throwing strikes and showing his well know speed. Chapman was able to throw three pitches at or over 100mph and his command over the strike zone was impeccable, using his 4-seamer and his slider effectively. It was a good sign for one of the top relievers in the game. Yordan Álvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored, and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Royals. Up by two runs in the bottom of the eighth, Álvarez hit a 363-foot solo home run to left-center field -- his 25th home run of the season. Only Aaron Judge has more home runs (29). Yasmani Grandal (back) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday. Grandal (lower back) said that he'll begin a minor-league rehab assignment at Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday, but he doesn't expect to be activated from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. Grandal intimated that the White Sox plan to send him on an extended rehab assignment while he looks to regain conditioning in addition to his timing at the plate after being sidelined for the past three weeks with lower-back spasms. He's expected to make most of his initial rehab starts as a designated hitter and is likely to stick around at Birmingham through the weekend. After that, Grandal is then expected to shift his rehab to Triple-A Charlotte at the beginning of next week, when he'll presumably pick up starts behind the plate and at first base. Before the back injury cropped up, Grandal had endured a tough start to the 2022 campaign; he's sitting on a .185/.294/.237 slash line with just two home runs and one stolen base in 201 plate appearances. Adrián Morejón (shoulder) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A El Paso. Morejón landed on the injured list back in late June due to left shoulder inflammation and is expected to rejoin the Padres' bullpen prior to this month's upcoming All-Star break. The 23-year-old lefty has allowed three runs (two earned) over 4 2/3 innings (three appearances) this season at the major-league level. Nationals' Yadiel Hernández: Late addition to lineup. Hernández started in left field and batted eighth Tuesday against the Phillies. The 34-year-old was originally absent from Tuesday's lineup, but he was added to the starting line just before the first pitch after Nelson Cruz (undisclosed) was scratched. Hernández had a .638 OPS over 20 games in June, and he's 0-for-7 through his first three contests of July. he went 1-for-3 in the game. Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Was out of Tuesday's lineup. Gurriel was not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Athletics. Gurriel is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak during which he has a .379/.438/.621 slash line, though he finds himself on the bench Tuesday for the second time in the past four contests. Raimel Tapia played the left field and batted seventh for Toronto.

Daily Major League Baseball (MLB) Cuban Players News for the 2022 season. A compendium from several MLB sources. Jul 4, 2022 José Abreu went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double Monday in an extra-innings loss to the Twins. Abreu went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Monday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to the Twins. Abreu entered Monday with no homers since June 13. He changed that in his first at-bat by taking Dylan Bundy deep in the second inning. While he hasn't displayed over-the-fence power lately, Abreu hit .366 with seven doubles and seven multi-hit efforts during his homer drought. The first baseman is slashing .290/.380/.462 with 10 homers, 37 RBI, 46 runs scored and 20 doubles through 76 contests. Yordan Álvarez hit a walkoff homer off Scott Barlow to give the Astros a 7-6 victory against the Royals on Monday. Álvarez went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 7-6 win over the Royals. Kansas City worked around Álvarez most of the game, but Scott Barlow gave him a hittable pitch when it mattered most, and the 25-year-old launched it into the seats in right-center field to break a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning. Álvarez has been locked in since mid-June despite missing a few games during that stretch due to minor injuries, slashing .306/.444/.833 over his last 11 contests with six homers, 10 RBI and 10 runs. Jay's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: On hit on Monday. In a 5-1 loss to the A's, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 1-for-3. It was Gurriel's tenth hit of his last seven games, slashing .400/.464/.680 during that period. José Iglesias connected on a homer in a loss on Monday to the Dodgers. Iglesias went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers. Iglesias opened the scoring in the fifth inning with a solo shot, his second homer of the year. Both of his long balls have come in his last seven contests. The shortstop has made up for a lack of power with consistent contact skills, posting a .293/.337/.384 slash line with 22 RBI, 24 runs scored, two stolen bases and 16 doubles through 66 games. Orioles' Cionel Pérez: Scoreless against the Rangers. Cionel Pérez pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Rangers on Monday in a 7-6 win for the Orioles. Pérez struck out two hitters and didn't face any issues during his 16 pitches outing, 12 of them for strikes. Pérez has a 4-1 record this year exhibiting a 1.03 ERA with 25 SO in 26 1/3 innings. X-rays on Johan Oviedo's right hand came back negative. Oviedo put up his hands in an apparent effort to protect his face from a 111 mph liner off the bat of the Braves' Michael Harris. He accomplished that (and actually got a double play as the ball caromed to the second baseman who doubled off the runner at first) but hurt his hand in the process. He's managed to avoid a fracture, though, and is considered day-to-day. Ray's Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz: One hit on Monday. Arozarena and Díaz went 1-for-7 combined Monday in a 4-0 loss to the Red Sox. Arozarena was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts batting seventh in the lineup, while Díaz had just a single in the afternoon game. Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Collected RBI #23. Yuli Gurriel went 1-for-4 in a 7-6 victory against the Royals on Monday, collecting his RBI #23 of the year. Gurriel, playing under a lot of pressure after a difficult offensively 2022 campaign, is slashing .250/.333/.583 in his last seven games for the Astros. Padres' Adrian Morejón: Resumes playing catch. Morejón (shoulder) started playing catch again Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. Morejón was placed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation June 23, but Padres manager Bob Melvin suggested that the issue isn't a major concern. Still, the organization is likely to take a careful approach with the southpaw given the fact that Morejón is 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Regarding the shoulder injury, Melvin stated, "I don't think it's anything serious -- he's obviously somebody we're going to be careful with after what he went through." Rangers' Adolis García: RBI #51 of the year. Adolis García went 0-for-3 with a walk on Monday's 7-6 loss to the Orioles, but added his RBI #51 of the year, and is on pace for 100+ this season. García struck out twice but also collected his stolen base #12 and had an outfield assistance in the left-field capturing Jonathan Araúz trying to get to second base. White Sox's Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert: Just one hit against the Twins. Moncada and Luis Robert went 1-for-8 combined on Monday's 6-3 loss to the Twins. Luis Robert was 0-for-4 while Moncada had a single for his RBI #16 of the year.