Right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Vladimir Gutierrez found themselves in a pitchers’ duel on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. When it was over, Alcantara and the Marlins lost the battle in a 3-1 loss.

• Box score

The Reds swept the four-game series and the Marlins (51-74) have now lost seven consecutive games.

After the game, shortstop Miguel Rojas didn’t hold back his frustrations. He  apologized to the Marlins’ fan base for the way the team has been playing. After going to the postseason last year, he expected the team to be even better. He feels the Marlins have a lot to prove in the next five weeks of the season. 

“Show whatever you could do to be part of this organization, not just the rest of the season, but in the years to come,” Rojas said. “There are five weeks worth of baseball that can tell a lot [about] what is going to happen next. I think these guys should take this opportunity that they are having right now in 2021 and showcase whatever they can do for the future.  

“At the same time, I just want to talk to the people supporting the team in Miami that this is not the team that we want to put on the field. The pros that we have on the field should be playing better. In my own eyes, I feel responsible for what is happening this year because I’ve been here the whole year -- me, [manager] Donnie [Mattingly], a lot of guys who have been in this clubhouse a long time. 

“We know this is not the place where we want to be. We want to make everyone proud in Miami. Just saying that is not enough. … I will do whatever it takes to get us back on the right track.”          

Alcantara did his part, striking out a career-high 11 in seven innings. But the long ball is what made him lose his 12th game of the season. The first batter he faced, Tyler Naquin, hit a home run over the right-field wall to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead. Alcantara settled down and retired 11 of the next 13 hitters he faced. To show how strong he was, Alcantara’s 111th and final pitch was clocked at 100.3 miles per hour. 

“Sandy has been rock-solid and an ace for our rotation and for our organization,” Rojas said. “He has been stepping up every single time. We need him.”

Mike Moustakas led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to give the Reds a one-run lead. The homer snapped an 0-for-26 slide for Moustakas. 

"In that situation, a go-ahead home run was huge for not only me, but the boys,” Moustakas said. “Against a guy that was throwing today with as nasty stuff as he had, it was a big spot in the game for us, and I’m definitely happy I came through right there."

Alcantara had been pinch-hit for by the time reliever Anthony Bass allowed a solo bomb to Naquin, his second of the day, in the eighth inning. 

In Alcantara’s last two starts, the Marlins have scored a total of one run.

“I’m always frustrated because I don’t get run support, but I can’t do [anything] about it.  I keep doing my job … and keep working,” Alcantara said.  

Gutierrez was also dealing, allowing one run in seven innings. The Marlins scored their only run in the fourth, when Jesús Sánchez doubled past Moustakas at third base to score Jazz Chisholm Jr. and tie the score at 1.

“I feel like he came out on the attack with his fastball … kind of setting the tone of what he wanted to do,” Mattingly said. “We had some early swing outs. He was able to get his changeup going and [mix] the breaking ball.” 

After Gutierrez left the game, Lucas Sims and Michael Lorenzen blanked the Marlins the rest of the way. 

“... We haven’t played to our abilities. We need to clean up some things like mental mistakes on the bases, turning the ball around sometimes,” Rojas said. “Physical errors are going to happen and that’s part of the game. A lot of things are going to happen that will not go our way. But at the end of the day, we have to clean up the mental part of the game and expect to win every single day.”