As Marlins move on from series-opening drama, Alcantara and Cooper lead way in win over Braves
.JPG "Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara works against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)")
The Miami Marlins on Saturday were ready to move on from the dramatics that took place the night before when their starting pitcher, manager and pitching coach were all ejected in the bottom of the first inning after the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by the first pitch that came his way.
Frustration boiled over during the eventual Miami loss and into the postgame interview session when manager Don Mattingly vented about how the umpiring crew mishandled the decision.
What better way to move on than to even up the series?
Sandy Alcantara put together a quality start on the mound and Garrett Cooper hit a solo home run and drove in two runs overall as the Marlins defeated the Braves 3-2 at Truist Park to finish the first half of the 2021 season with a 35-46 record. The Marlins are now 7-18 in one-run games this season.
The three-game series concludes at 1:20 p.m. Sunday.
Alcantara threw six innings on Saturday, holding the Braves (40-42) to one unearned run on five hits and four walks while striking out four. Twenty of his 62 fastballs were at least 100 mph. He worked around traffic on the basepaths by forcing a pair of double plays and inducing a lot of weak contact.
“I was mad today,” Alcantara said. “I was mad because something happened last night and I just wanted to be outside and attack. We know that they are a really aggressive team and I gotta use my fastball. You guys saw what I did today. I came from the bullpen with velo.”
The only run Alcantara gave up came in the fifth when three Braves batters reached base in a span of three pitches. A Jon Berti fielding error at third base allowed Acuna to reach before Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back singles to bring Acuna home.
Most importantly, Alcantara provided needed relief for a bullpen that had to throw eight innings Friday after Pablo Lopez was ejected one pitch into his start in the series opener after he hit Acuna with a 91.6 mph sinker. Five relievers — Ross Detwiler (three innings), Anthony Bender (two innings), Richard Bleier (one inning), Anthony Bender (one inning) and Dylan Floro (one inning) — ate up those innings on Friday.
Mattingly went back to two of those pitchers on Saturday.
Floro, who threw 32 pitches on Friday, held the Braves to an unearned run in the seventh but needed 31 pitches to get out of the frame. Ehire Adrianza reached on a two-base fielding error from left fielder Jesus Sanchez, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Freddie Freeman single.
“It’s still on me, so that’s good,” Floro said of his right arm after throwing 63 pitches in the span of 24 hours. “It’s hanging a little bit, but we’ll be all right.”
Bleier, who needed 12 pitches for his scoreless sixth inning on Friday, threw a scoreless eighth inning on just eight pitches Saturday.
And Yimi Garcia worked a scoreless ninth to convert his 13th save in 16 opportunities.
The offense provided enough support as well a night after being shut out. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Cooper hit RBI singles in the third to give Miami an early 2-0 lead and Cooper hit his seventh home run of the season in the sixth.
The home run, a 352-foot shot to right field, came the first pitch he saw in the at-bat from Braves starter Kyle Muller.
“I was trying to ambush him honestly,” Cooper said. “I was looking for a first-pitch fastball. The at-bat before, he had thrown a lot off speed with runners in scoring position, so I thought he was gonna try and get ahead early in that last at-bat. I just put a good swing on it, and thankfully it went out here. I don’t know if it would have gone out in Miami, though.”
(According to Statcast, Cooper’s home run at Truist Park would have been a home run at loanDepot park as well as 17 other ballparks outside of those two.)
Cooper in particular has been on a tear since returning from the injured list on June 25. The 30-year-old slugger, who is bouncing between right field and first base defensively, is hitting .526 (10 for 19) with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, six walks and six runs scored in his first seven games back from the IL.
Making deals
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Marlins acquired right-handed pitcher David Hess from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handed pitcher prospect Justin Sterner and cash considerations.
Hess, 27, has a career 5.68 ERA in 47 MLB games (33 starts) from 2018-2020 with the Baltimore Orioles, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He threw 190 1/3 innings in that span, with 143 strikeouts to 69 walks and a .276 batting average against.
He had spent all of this season to this point with the Triple A Durham Bulls, the Rays’ highest minor-league affiliate. Hess was 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA and 37 strikeouts compared to five walks in 13 games (two starts) for Triple A Durham.
“Any time the opportunity [to pitch in the big leagues again is] there, you want to make the most of it because you just don’t know when the next one’s going to come, if it comes at all,” said Hess, who was informed around 1:30 a.m. that he was traded and took a 10 a.m. flight to Atlanta to join the Marlins. “I’m really grateful just to the Marlins for giving me the opportunity. I want to go out and make it worth it.”
The Marlins optioned Jordan Holloway to Triple A Jacksonville to make room for Hess on the active roster.
Jazz exits
Chisholm was removed from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after “feeling something on a swing” in his right ankle, the same one he sprained earlier this season. Joe Panik replaced Chisholm for the final three innings.
“We’ll be careful with him,” Mattingly said.
This story was originally published July 3, 2021 at 7:25 PM.
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