Sandy Alcantara throws fifth complete game of season as Marlins avoid Nationals sweep

Sandy Alcantara did it again.

For the fifth time this season, the Miami Marlins’ ace and frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award tossed a complete game, this time against the Washington Nationals in a 3-1 win on Sunday at Nationals Park.

The win allows Miami (60-87) to avoid a series sweep against Washington (51-95) after dropping the first two games of the series 5-4 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday.

Alcantara is the first pitcher with at least five complete games in a season since both Corey Kluber and Ervin Santana did so in the 2017 season. He is the fifth Marlins pitcher with at least five complete games in a season, joining Livan Hernandez (nine in 1998), Dontrelle Willis (seven in 2005), A.J. Burnett (seven in 2002), Kevin Brown (six in 1997 and five in 1996) and Alex Fernandez (five in 1997).

“It’s nothing yet,” Alcantara said with a smile in an on-field postgame interview on Bally Sports Florida. “I think it’s just starting.”

Through 30 starts this season, Alcantara has now also thrown an MLB-leading 212 2/3 innings, the 10th-most innings pitched in a season in Marlins history. His ERA is down to 2.37 for the season, trailing just the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Julio Urias (2.27) among qualified National League pitchers. Urias, however, has thrown 54 fewer innings than Alcantara this season.

His other four complete games this season came against the Atlanta Braves (May 22), St. Louis Cardinals (June 29), Cincinnati Reds (Aug. 3) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Aug. 27). Alcantara also has another game in which he pitched nine innings against the Nationals on June 8 that the Marlins won in extra innings.

Only two other pitchers this season have tossed multiple complete games — the Houston Astros’ Framber Valdez (three) and the Philadelphia Phillies Aaron Nola (two). For that matter, no other team in MLB this season has more than three complete games this season among all of their pitchers.

“His stuff gets better as the game goes on,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It seems like he gets dialed in on the days that he’s good and he’s smooth and when he doesn’t have to fight all game long. Everything’s in sync.”

Alcantara’s gem on Sunday was his most efficient. He needed just 103 pitches to record his 27 outs against the Nationals. He threw more than 14 pitches in an inning just once and threw 10 pitches or fewer in five of his nine innings of work.

Alcantara held the Nationals to seven hits and one walk while striking out seven.

His defense behind him helped with three inning-ending double plays.

The only run Alcantara allowed came in the fourth inning on the third of those double plays. Luis Garcia hit a sacrifice fly that scored Alex Call, but Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings threw to second base to get Joey Meneses trying to advance into scoring position on the throw home to end the inning.

The only other jam Alcantara faced Sunday came in the eighth inning, when the Nationals had runners on second and third and one out. A Cesar Hernandez flyout to center field ended the threat.

“When I threw the first pitch,” Alcantara said, “I said ‘I’m ready today. I’m ready to go throw a complete game.’”

Two-and-a-half hours later, he walked off the mound with the complete game.

The Marlins gave Alcantara run support via a Bryan De La Cruz RBI single that scored JJ Bleday in the second inning, a Garrett Cooper solo home run in the sixth and a De La Cruz RBI fielder’s choice in the ninth that scored Luke Williams.

Sulser demoted

Prior to the game, the Marlins on Sunday optioned right-handed relief pitcher Cole Sulser to Triple A Jacksonville.

Sulser, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles along with Tanner Scott in a March trade, has struggled since returning from a two-month injured list stint for a right lat strain. He has pitched to an 8.44 ERA (10 earned runs over 10 2/3 innings) in 13 appearances. This doesn’t factor in allowing four of nine inherited runners to score.

Up next

The Marlins return to Miami for a six-game homestand, staring with a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs that runs Monday through Wednesday and a weekend set against the Nationals from Friday through Sunday.