Closer spoils Alcantara’s start
Marlins’ Barraclough gives up back-to-back homers to hand Mets a 4-3 victory.
NEW YORK — Sandy Alcantara likely wants one pitch back from his start against the New York Mets on Thursday.
He left the 95 mph fastball up just enough for Mets pitcher Steven Matz to launch into the leftfield bleachers for a two-run home run in the second inning.
Rookie mistake in his first road start as a major league pitcher.
Alcantara shook off the mistake, stepped back onto the mound and calmly prepared for his next pitch.
He didn’t give up another hit the rest of his start, but his bullpen couldn’t hold on. Needing one out to close the game, Kyle Barra-
clough gave up back-to-back solo home runs to hand the Mets a 4-3 win to open the doubleheader at Citi Field.
“Bang-bang at the end,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
It ruined a solid game for Alcantara, who allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out six.
Alcantara retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced, with the only two base runners reaching on walks. The first came in the fourth inning to Todd Frazier, who was caught stealing. The second came in the eighth inning to Kevin Plawecki, ending Alcantara’s day.
“It was just a bad pitch to Matz,” Alcantara said. “But other than that, I was able to settle back in and get going. ... You take things from bad outings and bad experiences, but you keep going and keep learning. You have to stay focused and keep working.”
Alcantara threw 99 pitches, 62 for strikes. His fastball and sinker remained steady in the mid- to upper-90s, with the four-seamer topping out at 98 mph. His slider, while inconsistent, served as his strikeout pitch of choice.
“(Catcher) J.T. (Realmuto) and I were in sync,” Alcantara said. “Every time J.T. would call a slider, I’d just be there with him mentally and was ready to throw it.”
And while the sample size is small, Alcantara holds a 1.42 ERA after his first three MLB starts. In 19 innings of work, he has given up eight hits while striking out 14.
“It was good,” Mattingly said. “His pitch count was down going deep into the game. He did a great job.”
It appeared that Alcantara would have just enough support to earn his third consecutive win.
Peter O’Brien and Isaac Galloway gave the Marlins an early 2-0 lead after hitting back-to-back home runs in the second before Matz tied the score in the bottom half of the inning. O’Brien, a Miami Gardens native who played his senior year of college at the University of Miami, scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a single to right field.
Adam Conley threw 1⅓ scoreless inning to put the Marlins within two outs of the win. Barraclough took over and managed to get Dominic Smith to ground out before surrendering home runs to Michael Conforto on an 87 mph change-up and Todd Frazier on a 94 mph fastball. It was Barraclough’s seventh blown save of the year.
Long, soggy night: Zack Wheeler and Jay Bruce helped the Mets jump on the Marlins following a 5-hour, 35-minute rain delay Wednesday, leading a 13-0 rout that ended after midnight.
Showers fell throughout the day at Citi Field and it was still misting when Wheeler threw the first pitch at 9:45 p.m.
Wheeler (11-7) allowed four hits in eight innings. Bruce hit a grand slam, Jeff McNeil had three hits and Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith each homered for the Mets, rewarding the several hundred rainsoaked fans who stuck around.
McNeil, a rookie, raised his batting average to .340 in 46 games.