Sandy Alcantara masterful in Marlins sweep of Mets

Sandy Alcantara finally gave the Miami Marlins organization what it hoped for when the team acquired him last offseason in a 3-0 shutout of the Mets.

You can’t look at the Marlins 3-0 win over the New York Mets on Saturday without having some perspective. This was the same team we were talking about as one of the worst in the Majors just four days ago.

As Sandy Alcantara turned in the best pitching performance of the year for this organization, remember this is the same pitcher many were talking about might lose his spot in the rotation to Zac Gallen because of it inconsistent effort on the mound.

This is the same team that shutout the Mets twice in a series sweep. The Marlins played like a winning baseball organization this past weekend. And in doing so, has erased some of the stigmas that plagued this roster the majority of 2019.

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There is still plenty of work to be done, but for now, fans should bask in the brilliance of Alcantara’s complete game. Yes, it was that impressive.

Per Glenn Sattell of MLB.com, “The Marlins starter threw his first career complete game in Miami’s 3-0 win over the Mets, completing a three-game sweep at Marlins Park. Alcantara gave up just two hits and struck out eight, also a career high in an extremely efficient 89-pitch (55 strikes) effort just one day after Pablo Lopez blanked the Mets on one hit over seven innings of a 2-0 win.“It was the second-fewest pitches in a complete game of nine innings in club history, ranking just behind an 88-pitch performance by Henderson Alvarez on June 3, 2014, against Tampa Bay. The 1-hour, 59-minute game was also just seven minutes longer than the shortest game in Marlins history (1:52) on Sept. 20, 2010, against St. Louis.”

The Marlins have been waiting for this kind of effort from its young staff, the one the front office made the decision to bank on prior to the start of the 2019 season by moving Wei-Yin Chen to the bullpen and releasing veteran Dan Straily. While it has been Caleb Smith and everyone else – or so it would seem, the rotation hasn’t been a total disaster.

The lineup hasn’t supported the cause, which has drastically skewed how this staff is perceived.

This weekend, with Alcantara getting a win after Lopez and Trevor Richards, there is plenty of hope to talk about. The win also snapped the righty’s four-game losing streak.

“Attack the hitter, be consistent, aggressive, and throw the ball over the plate,” said Alcantara, who threw the Marlins’ first shutout since Jose Urena blanked Washington on Aug. 19, 2018. “I never give up; throw the ball where the catcher calls for it.”

Alcantara was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. The deal also included Gallen, who is dominating the Pacific Coast League this season, along with Magneuris Sierra, and Daniel Castano.

Now, while riding a three-game win streak (it’s unbelievable to even write that) the Marlins have the day off before a three-game series in Detroit. Smith gets the ball, hoping to get back on track after losing his first game of the season last week.