Don Mattingly still looking for aggression from Sandy Alcantara after latest shaky start

The opening-week gem delivered by Sandy Alcantara is a distant memory by now. Those eight shutout innings were almost exactly a month in the past when the starting pitcher took the mound Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians and now the clunkers come with just as frequently as the sparkling outings the Miami Marlins hoped for from their 23-year-old starter.

The Indians jumped on Alcantara early Tuesday at Marlins Park and, aided by multiple Miami errors, piled up six runs against the right-handed pitcher in the first three innings. For the third time in six starts this season, Alcantara gave up at least four earned runs and this time it wasted a strong offensive effort for the Marlins, who dropped the series-opener 7-4 in Miami.

“He started off good. The first was pretty good and after that the mistakes hurt us,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Every time we were scoring we were giving them right back, so that was just disappointing that we didn’t get a shutdown somewhere to kind of keep the momentum on our side of the field.”

Errors aided Cleveland in both the second and third innings, but the Indians still tagged Alcantara for four earned runs in his 5 1/3 innings. After the Marlins (8-21) jumped ahead 1-0, Cleveland (16-12) hit back with a solo home run by corner infielder Carlos Santana and an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Gonzalez to take a 2-1 lead. When Miami scored two of its own in the second to go back ahead 3-2, the Indians charged back in front with an RBI single by Santana and a three-run homer by Gonzalez to take a 6-3 lead.

Alcantara (1-3) lasted only two batters into the sixth, giving up seven hits and three walks, and striking out just one batter — starting pitcher Trevor Bauer. The righty only got seven swinging strikes from his 96 pitches. He threw his four-seam fastball 36 times, inducing an average exit velocity of 84.8 mph. He threw his changeup 18 times and hitters averaged 93.8-mph exit velocity against his secondary pitch.

“I always see it as lack of aggression. It’s like a lack of confidence in his fastball. I don’t feel like we see his best stuff as often as I could,” Mattingly said. “When you’ve got 97, 98 in the tank, you’d just like to see it more instead of pitching on the lower end of your stuff.”

Even though they scored four against Bauer (4-1) in his seven innings, the Marlins missed a chance to win the opener of a quick two-game interleague set in front of 7,247. A solo homer by outfielder Curtis Granderson was all Miami managed after falling behind 6-3 as two Cleveland relief pitchers combined for two shutout innings and Brad Hand shut the door for his ninth save of the season.

It was a missed opportunity for the Marlins on a night their offense delivered and, once again, it leaves Miami searching for answers as one of the most talented players on its roster tries to figure out how to adjust back once the league starts adjusting to him.

“That’s one of the things I’ve been working on since spring training, making the adjustments, getting adjusted with batters and I try to work on it in my bullpens, so I don’t know what’s going on with the batters,” Alcantara said through an interpreter. “Maybe they’re getting adjusted.”

MRI reveals knee bruise for Neil Walker

Neil Walker was out of the Marlins’ starting lineup for the fourth straight game Tuesday and it turns out it is a minor knee injury hampering the utility player rather than a hamstring issue.

Walker, who has started 17 games at first base this season, had an MRI on his left leg Monday while Miami was off and the tests revealed a minor bone bruise in his left knee. Walker and the Marlins previously believed the issue was with his left hamstring, where Walker had been feeling discomfort.

“That was just more precautionary,” president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. “Peace of mind for everyone and I think we’re all pleased that it was just a very, very, very minor bone bruise, but, as we always do, we’re going to protect the player and make sure that he’s in a position where he can be productive for us long term, so we aren’t going to rush him.”

Walker last started Thursday in Miami’s win against the Philadelphia Phillies, although he appeared twice as a pinch hitter in the final three games of the four-game series in Philadelphia. Walker is still available as a pinch-hitter, Hill said, so a trip to the injured list isn’t imminent. The Marlins hope their Monday off day and another upcoming off day Thursday will let Walker get back to full strength.

Slugger Garrett Cooper, who was activated from the injured list Tuesday when outfielder Lewis Brinson was optioned to Triple A New Orleans, started at first base Tuesday and was replaced by Jon Berti when hit by a pitch on his left hand in the third inning. Cooper is day-to-day with a left hand contusion.

“We’re going to continue the program that we’ve been doing the last few days,” Hill said of Walker.

This and that

▪ Austin Brice made a rehab appearance Tuesday for Class A Advanced Jupiter, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings. The relief pitcher has been on the injured list since April 16 with gastroenteritis.

▪ Riley Ferrell was slated to throw a 35-pitch bullpen session Tuesday in Jupiter. The relief pitcher is on the 60-day injured list and has yet to pitch in live action this season due to right biceps tendinitis.

▪ Sixto Sanchez, the Marlins’ top prospect in the MLB.com rankings, will make his season debut Thursday for the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Stadium. Miami acquired the starting pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies in February as the centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto trade.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 10:06 PM.