Off night from Alcantara, late home run sink Marlins in series-opening loss to Mets
More often than not this season, four runs has enough support for Sandy Alcantara.
Not Friday.
The Miami Marlins’ ace had one of his worst outings of the season to begin a three-game series with the New York Mets, who chased Alcantara after five innings and then took the lead for good late to beat the Marlins 6-4 at loanDepot park. Miami falls to 47-53 and are six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals for the National League’s third and final wild card spot. The Mets improve to 62-37.
“We’re at a point where for me, every one hurts that we lose,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “That’s how you feel after these.”
The parting shot: A 406-foot Brandon Nimmo two-run home run to right-center field against Steven Okert in the eighth inning.
Okert said the trouble came with his location rather than pitch selection on the home run. Nimmo fouled off a middle-in slider on the first pitch of the at-bat. Okert decided to go back to the breaking ball, a pitch he was throwing 70.6 percent of the time entering Friday.
“He crushed it,” said Okert, who has given up seven home runs this season.
But before that, Alcantara labored through his five innings, needing 100 pitches to record 15 outs. He gave up four runs on a season-high eight hits, including six that went for extra bases (four doubles, one triple, one home run).
Three of the four runs Alcantara allowed came with two outs in the second. Mark Canha stood on second base with two outs before Alcantara walked Tomas Nido, allowed an RBI double to Brandon Nimmo that hit the wall in center field and gave up a two-run triple to Starling Marte, who also hit a solo home run against Alcantara in the fourth and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle.
“They made me work a lot,” Alcantara said. “I threw like 55 pitches [in the first two innings]. That never happens to me. I’ve gotta keep positive because I know I can do better.”
It was just the third time in 21 outings this season he failed to pitch into the sixth inning and just the third time he has allowed at least four runs — two of which have been against the Mets.
“They’re a tough club,” Mattingly said. “They put the ball in play. With two strikes, they’re going to spread out on you and try to put a ball in play. They’re a club that’s going to make you work. The only thing you see for me more than anything — and obviously I’m not a pitching guy — is his tempo seemed fast tonight. He was up and ready to roll and not quite as calm and collected as we’ve seen.”
And Alcantara’s rough outing came on a night when the Marlins offense provided early run support.
They opened scoring in the first with Miguel Rojas’ two-out, three-run double that just stayed fair down the right field line. Lewin Diaz walked before Avisail Garcia and JJ Bleday hit back-to-back singles to set up Rojas. Garcia’s hit was the 1,000th of his MLB career.
Luke Williams also scored in the second when he led off with a walk, moved to third on a Jacob Stallings single and came home when Joey Wendle grounded into a double play.
But Miami was held off the board the rest of the way, stranding five runners over the final seven innings.
“We just didn’t get a lot going after that,” Mattingly said. “It seems like it was both ways. Both teams score early and then guys settle in and seemed like you’ve got a game and you’re needing to push one across somehow.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 9:59 PM.
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