Alcantara reinstates ace Young's first win but not enough for the Marlins to win

Miami Marlins ace pitcher Sandy Alcantara soared into triple digits. He made a lot of weak rolling earth. Halfway through the game, the number of balls still kept in a tight manner. In many ways, this is the familiar "classic Alcantara".

But in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at LoanDepot Park, as has happened so many times this season, things quickly collapsed in the Alcantara. He conceded four points on five innings and swallowed the longest career-long six-game losing streak.

"I trust the process and it's a good feeling, but for some reason, I feel tired. Standing on the pitcher's mound and not getting the success you were expecting," Alcantara said, "I knew the hard work, the dedication, the patience, all the preparation for this game, but I couldn't accept it." "

At the start of the game, Josh Lowe's first bat on Alcantara led the second base — the only long hit he hit in the game — and Brandon Lowe picked up a safeguard. But Alcantara immediately steadied himself and tackled the next 12 hitters in a row.

When the Rays scored first third base in the first inning, Alcantara showed his ability to handle the crisis: striking out Jonathan Aranda with a 99.2-mph stretch ball, followed by a 100-mph four-seam speedball to finish off Kameron Misner, who set Alcantara's record for the fastest ball of the season.

Out of a total of 101 pitches, Alcantara threw 15 speedballs of at least 99 mph — the most since Sept. 3, 2023. He relied heavily on four-seam speedballs and stretch balls, with a combined usage rate of 60.4% – the highest percentage of the season and the most since July 10, 2022.

Alcantara's four-seam speedball control has been erratic early in the season, which has affected his confidence and frequency of use. As of this game, opponents have batted a whopping .301 with his quickball and .494 with a long batting average.

"I think that's the key," said Marlins head coach Clayton McCullough, "and he was able to use both two-seam and four-seam speedballs, and the confidence, feel and results of both were very good today." Use two stitches to make a rolling ball, use four stitches to change the player's eye level, and attack the upper edge of the ball to open up more offensive angles. He had a good speedball today and used it properly. "

However, Alcantara's strong performance came to a halt in the fifth inning, as nine Rays batters took turns to break the deadlock with four hits and 4 points of 38-ball consumption.

José Caballero opened the offensive with a raid and a short hit, and Alcantara then went out with a high-flying ball. After the ball was safeguarded, Caballero stole back-to-back second and third bases, then ran back to home plate on a well-timed hit by Chandler Simpson.

Alcantara was then stolen and put on a drive, taking a 0-2 lead over Yandy Díaz, only to be tied by his opponent and hit a two-point hit. Jonathan Aranda finished the game with a broken bat.

"We launched an effective offensive against him," said Kevin Cash, the head coach of the Rays, "and the key was to disrupt his rhythm by consuming the ball in the opening stages." Alcantara has a top-tier arsenal of weapons, and although he is back from injury, his speedballs, speedballs, and change balls are still sharp. We avoided easy exits, wore down the pitchers with counter-attacks, and finally took advantage of the opportunity in the fifth inning. "

All four hits in the game are rolled balls, and the muzzle velocity of the shot shows the luck factor:
• 62.3 mph (Caballero)
• 97.4 mph (Simpson, strong shot)
• 102.1 mph (Diaz, powerful shot)
• 80.1 mph (Arlanda)

"He's efficient early on by making early hits and rolling the ball, attacking the top edge of the ball with a four-seam fastball, and the secondary ball is well matched," McCullough said, "and he was in a great rhythm in the first half of the game. But the opponent continued to hit the rolling ball that found a hole in the defense, forming an offensive tandem. "

"This is still a positive step. Some balls will eventually be disposed of by the defenders, and the outcome of the game will be completely different. In terms of pitching quality and arsenal use, his performance bodes well for the future. "