Marlins snap the streak against the Rays..

The Marlins snap the streak tonight against the AL leading Rays in a 7-3 victory.  Tonight we witnessed the pitching duel of respective aces as Sandy Alcantara outclassed the 2018 CY Young Winner Blake Snell and allowed one run with 6 innings pitched and 8 strikeouts.  The Marlins now have the chance to take the Citrus Series tomorrow night as they continue to be in a tight NL Pennant race.

Player of the game:

Sandy Alcantara. The fastball was electric sitting at 98-99MPH and the changeup had the hitters fooled most of the night. The 2020 Opening Day starter was poised to break out this year if he had not suffered the setback of being diagnosed with COVID-19, and his first return to the mound was against the same Rays he faced tonight and gave up 5 in 4IP. Sandy Alcantara carried a presence tonight on the mound that was about revenge and redemption and he did exactly that with his performance. As he continues to make starts this season the rest of the league will be on notice with what the Marlins are building in the rotation. The trio of Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, and Sixto Sanchez are poised to be an elite 1-2-3  for many years to come.

Final Line: 6IP, 1 ER, 8Ks, 3 BB.

Scoring Summary:

The Marlins quickly pounced in the 4th on the rare RBI strikeout from Lewis Brinson as the Ray’s catcher closed his eyes prior to receiving the pitch. Harold Ramirez followed it up with a single right up the middle to make it 2-0. The next batter Corey Dickerson decided to continue his revenge tour against his former team with his second homerun of the series. Lewis Brinson in the 5th got a RBI double as he continues to impress. A Lewis Brinson double in the 7th allowed Matt Joyce to knock in both Brinson & Aguilar to score the team’s final runs of the night.

Harold Ramirez exited tonight’s game with a left hamstring strain that he suffered while running to first base. The 2nd year fan favorite had just returned to the lineup after being on the COVID-19 IL for the first part of the season. As I am sure we all do I wish him a speedy recovery and I send my best wishes to a great person on and off the field. Lewis Brinson is now poised to remain in the lineup the remainder of the season likely to split days with Matt Joyce.

Quick Thoughts

–  Lewis Brinson continues the hot streak with 2 RBI tonight. His recent form has been 8-23 and it’s hard to dispute that he is currently the hottest hitter on the team.

– Jorge Alfaro stays cold, but I believe will begin to hit his stride as the season continues. It will take time to perfect his timing and start showcasing his power.

– Find someone who loves you like Don Mattingly loves Richard Bleier. Mattingly has full faith in recently acquired players in James Hoyt, Richard Bleier, and Josh A. Smith.

– The Harold Ramirez injury will lead to Lewis Brinson remaining with the club the remainder of the season.

– The Marlins really need this momentum as they head into a ten-game stretch with NL East Rivals. If the Marlins truly want to be contenders then they will need to take both series against the Braves and Phillies which they could.

– Jesus Aguilar gets on base 4 times tonight with 3 walks and a hit as he hopefully begins to round into his earlier season form.

Tomorrow’s action: Marlins versus Rays at 1:10 PM EST. Trevor Rogers vs Tyler Glasnow.