Alcantara's 8 scoreless help Marlins earn split

MIAMI -- From his first pitch on Sunday, a 94.8 mph fastball called for a strike, Sandy Alcantara showed he was not going to be messing around. Two pitches later, the right-hander dialed up a 99.2 mph heater, his hardest-thrown pitch of the day.

On the attack all afternoon, Alcantara breezed through eight shutout innings in the Marlins’ 3-0 victory over the Rockies to salvage a four-game split at Marlins Park.

Alcantara worked a career-high eight innings, scattering four hits with six strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander capped his 92-pitch day by striking out Garrett Hampson with a full-count, 96 mph fastball.

“I was very aggressive,” Alcantara said through an interpreter. “I was throwing the pitches right where I wanted. The last batter, I was fighting with him. I didn't want to walk him. I had to throw a fastball down the middle.”

On this day, neither Alcantara nor the Marlins were going to be denied.

“His tempo was great,” manager Don Mattingly said. “When he had the ball, he was back on the mound ready to go again. I think he and Jorge were on the same page all along. Really good.”

Making his seventh big league start, Alcantara had previously gone as many as seven innings three times in his 2018 rookie season.

Mattingly even considered sending the lanky right-hander back out for the ninth, but due to it being this early in the season, Alcantara was lifted after 92 pitches, with 13 swinging strikes. In Spring Training, the right-hander hadn’t gotten up more than six times in an outing, so Mattingly didn’t take any chances with Alcantara.

One of the Marlins “core four” young starters who were each rookies in 2018, Alcantara closed out the series by showing a glimpse of the upside envisioned for the 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic.

Trevor Richards and Pablo Lopez each threw gems before Alcantara’s impressive showing on Sunday.

The three combined for a 1.86 ERA in 19 1/3 innings with 17 strikeouts and two walks.

Acquired in the 2017 offseason as part of the Marcell Ozuna trade with the Cardinals, Alcantara made his seventh big league start. It was efficient and effective as he offered the bullpen a breather.

The Marlins gave Alcantara three runs of support against Jon Gray, who struck out 10 before exiting due to a calf cramp with two outs in the seventh inning.

Jorge Alfaro had a two-run single for Miami in the fourth inning, and JT Riddle smacked a solo home run off the facing of the second deck in right field in the seventh inning.

Alcantara even chipped in with his first MLB-hit, with a loop single to right in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old was hitless in 11 at-bats, including 0-for-1, before he flipped a floater into right.

“I feel very happy connecting for my first hit,” Alcantara said. “Hopefully, we have more to come.”

Closing it down

The Marlins’ first shutout of the season didn’t come without drama in the ninth inning. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who hadn’t pitched in the previous three games, opened the inning to face two lefty batters -- Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl.

Blackmon doubled and Dahl walked, bringing the tying run to the plate in Nolan Arenado.

Mattingly entered the day planning to not use Sergio Romo, who pitched on Friday and Saturday. But Romo said he was good to go, if needed.

“[Mattingly] came to me before and he asked me how I felt,” Romo said. “ I told him I was good. I appreciate him trying to protect me and protect us. It's a long season. I understand, as a reliever, it could get pressing at times. All of a sudden you have a huge workload and you run out of gas, or injuries or whatnot. God forbid that happens.

‘I told him this morning, 'Thank you. I'm appreciative enough that I've made mine in this game. I'm thankful for that. Protect the younger guys. These guys are trying to make theirs. I want to see them make theirs. I let him know, let me wear it. If somebody's going to wear it, then let me wear it.’”

Romo logged the save by retiring Arenado on a fly ball to right, striking out Trevor Story and getting Ryan McMahon to foul out.

“He's basically like, 'Wear me out first. Take care of the young guys. I'll be good,’” Mattingly said of Romo. “Obviously, we'll have to watch him, too. We'll probably have to take the ball from him some days.”

Mattingly expressed confidence in Chen.

“He's pitched a lot of baseball. He's going to help us,” Mattingly said. “There's going to be a lot of important outs he is going to have to get. There's a lot of games he's going to be part of. We have to be able to use him. If not, it's going to put stress and wear and tear on everyone else. He's going to be fine.”

Chen was only going to face two batters -- the lefties.

“Alcantara was great,” Chen said through his interpreter. “So I got up to pitch the ninth inning against the two lefties. That's the part I didn't do well. I didn't get an out on those two lefties. That's the thing I should have done. That's on me.”

Walker saves a run

The Rockies had a chance to break through and take the lead in the third inning, but Dahl’s hard grounder deflected off Neil Walker’s glove at first. Walker stayed with the ball, which was up in the air, recovered and threw Dahl out at first.

With Tony Wolters on third base, had Walker not recovered, the Rockies would have gotten on the board.

“One of those balls kind of top-spinned sideways off the bat off the lefty,” Walker said. “You try to attack it and do what you can to keep it in front. It hit my glove. I didn't know where it went. I heard Sandy running to first yelling, 'Up!' I looked up, and somehow it landed in my hand.”

Up next

For the first time since June 25, 2018, Caleb Smith is pitching in a big league game. The left-hander underwent left lat surgery last year. He takes the mound for the Marlins in the series opener with the Mets on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Marlins Park. Smith faced New York twice last year, allowing four earned runs in 11 2/3 innings. Lefty Steven Matz goes for New York.