Miami starter Sandy Alcantara recorded his second consecutive June win with seven strong innings, and the Marlins won 4-1 Sunday afternoon to claim their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 2022 unanimous Cy Young Award winner, Alcantara (5-4) yielded one run and five hits, all singles, and struck out seven with only one walk over 90 pitches.
Michael Petersen and Anthony Bender (second save) crafted scoreless frames to seal the win.
Otto Lopez was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, run and RBI as the Marlins finished their Citrus Series with a 3-3 split against their in-state foe after winning the final two contests.
Lopez boosted his average to .336.
Miami managed just five hits, but the club stole four bases, including a pair by Esteury Ruiz.
The Rays’ Griffin Jax fired five scoreless innings, allowing three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Yandy Diaz recorded an RBI single, but his club had only six hits. The American League’s leading hitter fell to .325 as the visitors fell to 3-10 in the past 13 games.
Neither team had many chances with runners in scoring position: Miami was 0-for-4, while the Rays were 1-for-4.
The Marlins scored twice against Garrett Cleavinger (1-2) in the sixth and two more (one earned) against Steven Matz in the seventh.
In the third inning, Taylor Walls reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base to set up Diaz, who then ripped a single to center for a 1-0 lead.
With Cleavinger on in the sixth, Hicks earned a one-out walk, and Lopez tied it with a triple in the right-center gap, his third. Kyle Stowers followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 Miami lead.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Esteury Ruiz (two steals) and Jakob Marsee walked against Matz, making his first relief appearance for the Rays. The baserunners then successfully pulled off a double-steal.
With the infield in, Joe Mack grounded one to Walls, and the shortstop’s throw was on target to home. However, catcher Hunter Feduccia missed the catcher for an error that allowed both runners to score and double the home side’s advantage to the final 4-1 margin.
–Field Level Media
