Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who has lasted at least six innings in 20 of his 24 appearances this season, will start on Saturday afternoon when the Marlins host the Los Angeles Angels.
Alcantara (12-6, 3.68 ERA) is coming off his best month of the season, going 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA in July. This month, he is 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA. Also, he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in two career starts against Los Angeles.
The Marlins hope Alcantara can help the team snap a four-game losing streak. That skid includes a 4-3 loss to the Angels in Friday’s series opener, a game in which Miami outhit Los Angeles 12-6.
“We had some walks, and we put some good at-bats together,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “We just had missed opportunities. It’s not about who gets the most hits. It’s about scoring runs.”
Marlins first baseman Kyle Stowers did his part on Friday, going 4-for-4 with one walk and two RBIs.
The Marlins, who have fallen to 58-59, currently are outside of a playoff position. They are 34-24 at home, which makes the five games remaining on this homestand even more important.
Meanwhile, the Angels — who are in a three-way tie for the worst record in the majors — have won two games in a row. Their longest win streak of the season is just four games.
On Saturday, Los Angeles will start right-hander Walbert Urena (7-7, 2.54 ERA), who has never faced the Marlins.
Urena, a 22-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic, has been a revelation since breaking into the rotation on April 19 with a quality start against San Diego.
He has nine quality starts this season, including three in a row. In July and August, Urena is 2-1 with an 0.99 ERA.
“One thing we’ve talked about is his composure,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of Urena. “When things start wavering, he is able to get back on track quickly. He doesn’t let things snowball.”
Asked about the matchup against Alcantara, Suzuki said: “It should be fun. I expect (Urena) to do his thing. He enjoys competing.”
Urena features a 98-mph four-seam fastball that has sinking action. He also throws a heavy changeup with arm-side fade at 91 mph, and a sweeper with late glove-side movement at 86 mph.
Offensively, the Angels are led by center fielder Mike Trout, shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel.
Trout homered on Friday — which marked his 35th birthday — and leads the team with an .833 OPS. Trout is the third player in MLB history to homer on six of his birthdays, joining Alex Rodriguez and Mark Reynolds.
Neto, a Miami native, made a stellar over-the-shoulder catch in shallow center field on Friday and leads the Angels in runs (74), triples (three), homers (20) and steals (14).
Schanuel, a South Florida native, was the Angels’ big hero, hitting a two-run homer in the seventh inning.
–Field Level Media
