Miami Marlins rally to erase Sandy Alcantara’s bad third inning, sweep Oakland Athletics

For six of the seven innings he pitched on Sunday, Sandy Alcantara was dominant. He looked like the Miami Marlins’ ace, shutting down the Oakland Athletics’ lineup in the series finale between the two teams.

That one inning where he faltered, the third inning, was big enough of a catastrophe to almost ruin the Marlins’ hopes for a series sweep.

Almost.

The Marlins offense rallied back, with Garrett Cooper hitting a game-tying three-run home run in the fifth inning and the Marlins taking the lead back for good with a two-run eighth to beat the Athletics 7-5 at loanDepot park.

Miami also won the first two games of the series 4-0 on Friday and 12-1 on Saturday. At 32-28, the Marlins tied for the third-best start to a season in club history through 60 games, matching their starts from the 2014 and 2008 seasons. The only times they had a better record at the 60-game mark: 35-25 in 1997 and 34-26 in 2004.

The Marlins were 28-32 after 60 games last season.

“Today, it just kind of felt like a big win,” catcher Jacob Stallings said. “Once we were able to comeback, for whatever reason, it felt like a really big one for our team. ... We just have a lot of belief in this room.”

The Marlins’ eighth-inning rally began with a Joey Wendle double and Stallings single that put runners on second and third (Oakland right fielder Ramon Laureano threw home, allowing Stallings to get to second). After Jorge Soler struck out swinging, Luis Arraez hit an infield single that bounced off second baseman Aledmys Diaz’s glove and drove in Wendle.

Nick Fortes, who pinch-ran for Stallings after he got to third on the Arraez single, then gave Miami an insurance run when he scored on a passed ball.

This completed Miami’s comeback that was highlighted by Cooper’s game-tying home run in the fifth, a 363-foot shot to left field in his first game in the lineup since Tuesday was dealing with the effects of an inner-ear infection that had previously put him on the injured list.

“Nice to have him back and nice to have another bat in the lineup that can change the score with one swing,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We missed him, there’s no doubt about it.”

Stallings hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Yuli Gurriel opened scoring in the second with an RBI double that scored Cooper.

“The offense is clicking right now,” Cooper said, “and we’ve done what we’re supposed to do this weekend: Take care of business.”

It helped mitigate Alcantara’s third inning to forget. After retiring the first six batters he faced on just 13 pitches, Alcantara gave up five runs in a third inning that saw Oakland send eight to the plate.

The frame began with four consecutive singles by Jace Peterson (a line drive to center field before stealing second), Shea Langeliers (ground ball to Jean Segura at third base, who couldn’t make a play), Nick Allen (a bunt to the mound, with Alcantara looking to throw to first with no one covering) and Esteury Ruiz (a groundball through the left side) that gave Oakland (12-49) a 2-1 lead.

After Alcantara struck out Ryan Noda for the first out of the inning, Ramon Laureano hit a two-run double to give the Athletics a 4-1 lead. Laureano then stole third and made it home when Alcantara’s throw sailed past Segura to extend Oakland’s lead to 5-1.

“It was tough,” Schumaker said of the third inning. “Controlling the running game, the [fielding on Allen’s bunt], the fielding error kind of cost him.”

It was a frustrating inning that has been part of a frustrating season. Fans began booing after Laureano scored. Alcantara noticed.

“I heard it,” Alcantara said. “What do you want me to say about it? They can say anything they want to say. I’m here. I play for them.”

But Alcantara limited the damage to just that one frame. He faced the minimum over his final four innings, working around the one hit he gave up in that span with a double play, to get through seven innings for just the fourth time this season.

“Other than that [third inning],” Schumaker said, “he pitched really good. ... After the first two innings, I thought he was going to throw a complete game on 90 pitches the way he was throwing.”

Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Dylan Floro pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the season.

Up next

The Marlins cap their three-team homestand with a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals starting Monday.

After that, they embark on their second three-city road trip of the season that consists of three-game sets against the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals.