Quality Alcantara start, late offense lead Marlins to series win over Nationals
Brandon Marcello, the Miami Marlins’ assistant pitching coach and the man calling the team’s pitches from the dugout, admits he has a favorite pitch to call.
“Probably Sandy’s changeup,” Marcello said Sunday. “It is a weapon. It’s always been a weapon. ... It’s impressive how he throws it, how he commands it.”
Sandy Alcantara’s changeup was his best pitch during his Cy Young Award-winning 2022 campaign. Entering Miami’s series finale against the Washington Nationals on Sunday, he was generating swings and misses at a career rate with the pitch.
But on this day, the pitch was far from the weapon Alcantara and Marcello know it to be.
That didn’t stop Alcantara from putting up a quality start in the Marlins’ 5-2 win. He held the Nationals to two runs over six innings of work even though the changeup itself had mixed results. While two of his three strikeouts came on the changeup, four of his five hits — including three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) — came against the pitch.
But Miami’s ace, who is still on his way to returning to true ace form following Tommy John surgery that sidelined him in 2024, used the rest of his arsenal to limit the Nationals. His slider got four swings and misses. His sinker, which averaged 96.8 mph, was also a productive pitch.
He held the Nationals off the scoreboard through three innings before a Brady House groundout scored Luis Garcia Jr., who led off the fourth inning with a triple. Garcia then tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double to left field that plated Jorbit Vivas.
The Marlins’ offense and bullpen did enough from there to support him. Christopher Morel hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth that scored Esteury Ruiz, who pinch-ran at first base for Kyle Stowers, moved to second on a Jakob Marsee walk and got to third on a double steal with Marsee. Heriberto Hernandez followed with a two-run single to left after a second successful double steal to push Miami’s lead to 5-2.
Miami (19-22) had opened scoring with a two-run third. Liam Hicks hit an RBI single that scored Joe Mack. Xavier Edwards then scored on an Otto Lopez ground ball that went through the legs of Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez to give the Marlins an early 2-0 lead.
Calvin Faucher followed Alcantara with two shutout innings. Andrew Nardi got the first two outs of the ninth inning before rookie Josh Ekness recorded the final out for his first career MLB save.
Alcantara’s outing on Sunday lowered his season ERA to 3.90. It’s his sixth quality start — at least six innings pitched and no more than three runs allowed — in nine starts this season.
“I think Sandy’s really close to being that vintage-level Sandy,” Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said Friday, “and it’s a lot better than he started last year, for sure. He still has a few things that he needs to improve on, but he’s much, much closer to that vintage level, the guy that you expect seven, eight innings every time out.”
Miami went 4-6 on its 10-game homestand. The Marlins went 1-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-2 against the Baltimore Orioles and 2-1 against the Nationals (19-22).
Injury updates
- Outfielder Owen Caissie was a late scratch from the starting lineup Sunday due to left triceps discomfort.
- Relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (nerve irritation) threw a live batting practice session ahead of Sunday’s game. He is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list as early as Wednesday.
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