MIA 2, COL 14; Rockies bite Marlins bad in series opener

Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara coughs up a season-high 10 runs in lopsided loss Friday night.

Opening a three-game weekend series on the road against the Colorado Rockies, Bud Black’s group came out angry. They turned Friday night into a three-hour batting practice session, piling on 14 runs and 17 hits en route to a 14-2 victory over the Marlins.

As a professional baseball pitcher, you must have a turn-the-page attitude. Sandy Alcantara has been pretty efficient this season overall, but Friday was the right-hander’s worst outing of 2021. On May 14, Alcantara surrendered eight runs against a very, very talented Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, which was the most he allowed prior to Friday.

This lineup that stood in front of Alcantara was not as dangerous as Los Angeles’. However, Alcantara just struggled to locate pitches in the high altitude of Coors Field.

What ultimately doomed the Marlins as a team Friday night? A nine-run fourth inning. Coughing up three home runs in total, Alcantara exited the game after allowing 10 runs on 10 hits in 3 ²⁄₃ innings of mound work.

Sandy León, Miami’s starting catcher Friday, pitched one inning and it was not pretty, either. Leon gave up four hits, three runs, a walk and allowed a two-run home run to Ryan McMahon, too. On the bright side, he recorded his first career strikeout in this emergency role.

Pitching for the 84th time as a big leaguer, lefty Steven Okert set a new personal best with five strikeouts in mop-up duty. During the bottom of the eighth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. tripped over teammate Bryan De La Cruz when attempting to catch a high fly ball. Chisholm needed a few minutes to catch his breath, but ultimately stayed in the game.

Acting manager James Rowson, filling in for Don Mattingly (COVID-19), has seen worse. How so? Well, on July 19, the Marlins suffered their worst defeat of the season against the Washington Nationals, falling by 17 runs, 18-1. Friday was really no different.

The hope is LHP Jesús Luzardo, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High graduate, will quickly put the Marlins back in the win column Saturday night. Luzardo, in his first Marlins start vs. the New York Mets, picked up the victory, pitching five innings.

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Baseball Savant

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