JUPITER, Fla. – Finding the strike zone on a consistent basis was paramount for Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara on Friday. The Marlins’ projected Opening Day starter had struggled in doing so over two previous outings, walking seven batters in 3 2/3 innings.
Mission accomplished. Alcantara went 3 1/3 innings, allowing one hit -- an infield single -- with three strikeouts and two walks in the Marlins’ 7-3 win over the Nationals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Alcantara threw 59 pitches, 37 for strikes.
“I felt really good, my command was there,” Alcantara said. “Like I always say, I don’t have to think about bad things, just go out and compete.’”
He breezed through a 1-2-3 first inning on seven pitches -- all fastballs, six of them for strikes. He ended it with a strikeout of Asdrubal Cabrera on a 99-mph fastball, the closest he got to reaching triple digits.
Alcantara was locked in from the outset. Of his first 12 pitches, 11 went for strikes. He got a long fly ball to start the second but then walked Welington Castillo on four pitches. However, a lineout to a leaping Miguel Rojas at shortstop followed by a groundout and Alcantara was through two innings unscathed.
“From the bullpen, I just said, ‘Just go out there and compete, attack the hitter, be consistent and throw strikes,’” Alcantara said of his simplified gameplan.
An error and stolen base were the only blip in an otherwise smooth third inning for Alcantara, who added his second strikeout and maintained upper-90s velocity on his fastball, which continued to find the strike zone with regularity.
But he began to tire a bit in the fourth after starting the inning with his second strikeout of Cabrera. He walked the next batter amid a string of six consecutive balls and his evening was done following the Nationals’ only hit, an infield dribbler down the third-base line off the bat of Castillo.
The linescore won’t look so good because reliever Dylan Lee allowed both runners he inherited to score. Fortunately, Alcantara was taken off the hook by a pair of two-run homers from Chad Wallach and Lewis Brinson in the fifth and sixth innings respectively that erased a 3-0 deficit and gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead.
Alcantara’s impressive outing came as no surprise to manager Don Mattingly.
“I’m confident in Sandy in who he is and what he’s going to be,” Mattingly said. “And he’s working, that’s my main thing. He’s working and continues to get himself in good spots and being in good position when he throws the ball.
“I know those are some of the things they’ve worked on, making sure his hand’s up, and that’s where you get into all the analytics. You’re able to compare last year and this year and be able to make adjustments.”