CANCELED GAME MEANS MARLINS CAN’T LOSE 100
With no postseason ramififications, MLB calls offff contest.
WASHINGTON — It’s nail biting time for those who put their money on the Marlins before the season.
But for those who wagered the Marlins would finish with more than 64 ½ wins, those nails became a little bit shorter Tuesday when Monday’s makeup game against the Pirates was canceled.
That meant that instead of 162 games, the Marlins will play 161.
And with 62 wins going into their game Tuesday against the Nationals, it left little margin for error. Including Tuesday’s game, the Marlins need to go 3-2 or better in their remaining fifififififive games to get over the hump.
Of course, those who bet the Marlins to go under 64½ wins likely were pleased with Major League Baseball’s decision to cancel an otherwise meaningless game that carried no postseason implications.
“They’re one of the few teams that either hasn’ t either gone over or under,” said Jimmy Shapiro, spokesman for Bovada, an online sports book. “They’re still in limbo.”
Vegas oddsmakers were bearish on the Marlins from the very beginning. Their over-under number on Miami was the lowest of any major league team, generally ranging from 63½ to 64½ wins. At Bovada, the number closed at 64 ½. At Westgate, it was 64.
As it turns out, the Marlins will fifinish with more wins than at least two — and as many as seven — other teams. Their fifinal record will deter- mine their slot in next summer’s amateur draft.
What’s more, the cancellation means the Marlins are assured of avoiding triple-digit losses for only the third time in franchise history. Even if they lose out, the worst they can do is 62- 99.
Al can tara struggles against Nats again: Stephen Strasburg was bad Monday night at rainy Nationals Park. But Sandy Alcantara was worse.
The Marlins lost 7-3 for two major reasons: they never managed to break through against Strasburg despite forcing him to throw 100 pitches in only four innings while the Nationals made Alcantara pay for his many mistakes.
Alcantara, like Strasburg, only managed to make it through four. But his outing was as messy as the weather.
He gave up seven hits. He walked fifififififive. And though he was able to wiggle out of jams in two of the four frames, he was unable to do so in a disastrous fourth inning in which he gave up home runs on consecutive pitches to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto.
“Rough day,” said manager Don Mattingly.
It was the second straight poor performance by Alcantara, whom the Marlins are counting on for their starting rotation next season. Alcantara’s pitching line last week against the Nationals was nearly identical to his on Monday, with a lack of strike zone command leading to his downfall in each.
He walked 11 in only eight total innings of work in the two games. More perplexing: all 11 walks in the two games were to left- handed hitters.
“When he’s not aggressive, that’s kind of what you get,” Mattingly said. “He wants to throw the twosea mer instead of using the four- seamer, and you get the ball just running offff the plate.”
Said Al can tara :“It’ s another bad day. I was a little out of control today.”