Marlins’ chance to split series with Padres spoiled by Jorge Alfaro walk-off home run

The Miami Marlins were one out away from pitching a second consecutive shutout against the San Diego Padres and leaving Petco Park on Sunday with a series split.

A familiar face made sure that didn’t happen.

Jorge Alfaro, who the Marlins traded to the Padres on Dec. 1 for cash considerations, hit a pinch-hit, walk-off, three-run home run off Cole Sulser to center field as the Padres stunned the Marlins, 3-2, in the series finale to win three of the four games.

“That’s one of those games where you feel like everything kind of goes your way all day long,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, “until the last pitch.”

So... how did it all happen?

Sulser, who had already converted one save for the Marlins this season, ran into trouble during the ninth inning but managed to keep things in check until the game-ending home run.

He led off the frame by striking out Austin Nola on four pitches before giving up a line-drive single to Jurickson Profar.

Sulser then made a heads-up play defensively when Profar tried to go from first to third on a hard-hit Trent Grisham ground ball to the right side with third baseman Joey Wendle in the shift. Wendle dove to his left to stop the ball, but his throw to Miguel Rojas covering second base went wide. Profar then ran to third base, which did not have a defender covering it, but Sulser charged to the base and tagged out Profar for the second out. A C.J. Abrams line-drive single put two on the bases to bring the winning run to the plate. The Padres sent Alfaro in to pinch-hit for Jose Azocar.

Sulser’s plan was to throw a slider down and away. The 85.4 mph pitch landed over the heart of the plate. Alfaro crushed it a projected 449 feet to win the game.

“I didn’t execute my pitch,” Sulser said. “Pretty obvious based on the result. ... He capitalized on it. Definitely not what I wanted.”

Until the final pitch, the Marlins were on pace to follow their 8-0 win on Saturday, a victory in which Pablo Lopez threw eight scoreless innings. The Marlins dropped the first two games of the series 2-1 on Thursday and 3-2 on Friday. Miami is now 13-15, while San Diego improves to 19-10.

Trevor Rogers threw five shutout innings on Sunday before handing the ball to the bullpen.

For Rogers, Sunday was the first time this season he did not allow a run. The Padres scattered five hits against him and drew two walks but none made it home.

Like Lopez a day earlier, he had to work out of an extended first inning. Four of the five batters Rogers faced in his opening frame worked the count full and two of the five got on base — Jake Cronenworth with a leadoff walk and Eric Hosmer lining a middle-in fastball on a 2-0 count to right field — but an Austin Nola popout ended the frame.

Rogers also had multiple runners reach base in the third and fifth but managed to eliminate the threats.

Anthony Bender (one inning, two strikeouts), Anthony Bass (1 2/3 inings, two strikeouts) and Steven Okert (1/3 inning, one strikeout) combined for three perfect innings until the game fell apart in the ninth.

Miami opened scoring in the fourth when Jesus Aguilar hit a leadoff double, moved to third on a Joey Wendle single and scored on a Garrett Cooper sacrifice fly. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added an insurance run with a solo home run to center field in the sixth off Padres starter Joe Musgrove, who had struck out Chisholm in each of his first two at-bats.

That had appeared to be enough offense for the Marlins on Sunday until the ninth inning.

“It’s a brutal way to end the series,” Sulser said. “Feels terrible to let your team down, especially when they go out there and do their job well. The rest of our pitchers did an awesome job. ... It’s a pretty terrible feeling to go in there and blow it at the very end.”

Another player to the IL

For a third consecutive day, the Marlins placed a player on the injured list without an injury designation, signaling the move is almost assuredly related to COVID-19.

On Sunday, it was left-handed pitcher Richard Bleier. Brian Anderson was placed on the IL Friday and Jon Berti on Saturday.

Is there concern in the clubhouse about the situation continuing to spread?

“I don’t know if it’s anything we can really talk about,” Mattingly said, “but you pay attention.”

The Marlins selected the contract of infielder Erik Gonzalez from Triple A Jacksonville to fill Bleier’s spot on the active roster.

Up next

The Marlins now travel to Phoenix for three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. to wrap up a stretch of 16 consecutive games without an off day.

Elieser Hernandez (2-1, 6.66 ERA) will face Humberto Castellanos (2-1, 4.12) on Monday, Jesus Luzardo (2-2, 3.04) goes against Madison Bumgarner (1-1, 1.50) on Tuesday and Sandy Alcantara (2-2, 3.03) matches up with Merrill Kelly (3-1, 1.22) on Wednesday.

This story was originally published May 8, 2022 at 8:06 PM.

Jordan McPherson

Miami Herald

305-376-2129

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.