Marlins Call On Ace to Avoid Sweep Against Phillies

All the momentum the Miami Marlins built up through the early part of June came to a screeching halt in Philadelphia. 

The Marlins were the hottest team in the Major Leagues, with four straight series wins and 10 victories in their last 12 games. However, the Marlins didn’t just lose two games to the Phillies this week; they lost by a combined score of 15-2.

“The first two haven't gone real well here,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said during his postgame press conference. “Sandy tomorrow; we’ll look to bounce back and try to salvage the last one.”

To halt any more buildup of negative momentum, the Marlins (36-38) call upon their ace to reverse the trend. While Alcantara hasn’t been consistently at his best all season (4.25 ERA), he is the Major League leader in innings pitched and has shown flashes of his 2022 National League Cy Young Award campaign.

“He's our ace for a reason,” Marlins catcher Liam Hicks told MLB.com.

“He's the type of guy that you expect to go six-plus innings every time,” Hicks added. “I think he really takes pride in putting that effort in. You see him in the weight room after every outing; he really prides himself on going long in the game. That's kind of what we need tomorrow, and I think he's expecting to do that.”

Alcantara is coming off an eight-inning, seven-strikeout performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Friday. He also became the fifth active Dominican-born pitcher to collect 1,000 career strikeouts. 

“For most of his career here, that's what he's been and been counted on,” McCullough said. “I don't think it will be anything new for him. He’ll just be more focused on going out there and executing his pitches.”

Tyler Phillips returned to the place where he got his start as a big leaguer. He wasn’t a successful starting pitcher in 2024, but he later became a key piece in the Marlins bullpen last year and parts of this year. 

The Lumberton, N.J. native gave up seven runs in the first two innings of Tuesday’s 8-2 loss. Phillips succumbed to an offensive barrage highlighted by a two-run triple by Bryson Stott in the first inning and two home runs in the second. 

“I just chalk that one up to a good old-fashioned [butt]-kicking,” Phillips said. “Throw the ball not in the zone, then you throw it in the middle of the zone when you're behind in the count, it's probably going to leave the park, especially with a good-hitting team like that.”

The Phillies (40-33) will send Ft. Lauderdale native Andrew Painter on the mound in hopes of securing a sweep over the Fightin’ Fish. The right-handed rookie has struggled since his big league call-up, posting a 1-7 record and a 6.43 ERA with 50 strikeouts. 

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