MIAMI — Sandy Alcantara is a throwback and it’s part of what makes him a modern marvel in MLB. He redefines the masterpiece start by going back to what the standard once was: If he gives up a run or two, or doesn’t hit double-digit strikeouts, then, well, he doesn’t really care too much, as long as he’s giving the Miami Marlins the seven or eight innings he knows he should.
There are different levels of masterpieces, though, and Alcantara’s latest might have just set a new standard for the Cy Young Award hopeful.
It was pegged as a star-studded, showcase opportunity for Alcantara, and the starting pitcher delivered eight shutout innings — a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts — to beat the Los Angeles Angels, 2-1, on Tuesday in Miami.
For the first time in nearly two months, the Marlins (39-40) are within a game of .500, and they climbed there by silencing a lineup anchored by stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani for a sixth straight victory.
Those two — with four MLB Most Valuable Player Awards between them — got six total cracks at Alcantara, and combined to go 1 for 6 with two strikeouts and a measly infield single. In the fourth inning, Alcantara went head to head with Trout, who has won three of those MVP Awards, has been to nine MLB All-Star Games, and won a nine-pitch battle with the 31-year-old outfielder by hitting 99 mph six times and finally zipping one of those late-fading fastballs past Trout with nearly 15 inches of horizontal break.
In all, 26 batters came to the plate against Alcantara and all but two trudged back to the Angels’ dugout defeated. The only blemishes were Trout’s infield single in the seventh and a softly hit single by Los Angeles utility man Luis Rengifo with two outs in the fifth.
In a season filled with dominant outings for Alcantara, this was the 26-year-old at his best — even if only 13,338 came to loanDepot park to witness it.
He set down the first 14 batters he faced in order. Of his 10 strikeouts, three of the victims were caught looking and two were Trout. After he gave up the two-out hit in fifth and Rengifo stole second, Alcantara promptly struck out the next batter to keep Miami ahead 1-0 and then he pulled off a similar feat after the Angels put together their only other threat in the seventh.
The final line for Alcantara was spectacular and only bolsters his case to start for the National League in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game on July 19: With 107 pitches, the right-handed pitcher went eight innings, while only giving up two hits, no walks and no runs, and striking out 10.
A pair of solo home runs by outfielders Garrett Cooper and Bryan De La Cruz were more than enough for Alcantara, and relief pitcher Tanner Scott, who gave up a run, but still notched his 10th save of the year.
There was only one time Alcantara got into anything resembling trouble and he calmly navigated his way through.
It started with an infield single from Trout. In his third at-bat, the 31-year-old outfielder ripped a grounder into the hole between the shortstop and third baseman, and beat the long throw from shortstop Miguel Rojas to lead off the top of the seventh inning with a hit. A few minutes later, he was gone — Ohtani chopped a ground ball right back to Alcantara, and the starter, instead of making the simple play and throwing to first, turned toward second, set his feet and fired a strike to Rojas to cut down the lead runner. After Ohtani stole second base, Alcantara got Angels outfielder Taylor Ward to fly out to center field, which let Ohtani move to third, and then struck out Jared Walsh on 101-mph sinker to keep the Marlins ahead 2-0.
Catcher Jared Stallings pointed at Alcantara after the Los Angeles slugger swung through the gravity-defying final pitch of the half inning — a pitch with the triple-digit speed of the best fastballs and nearly 30 inches of movement as if it was a breaking ball. Alcantara did nothing but walk off the mound: It was his 94th pitch of the game and he was not done.
In the eighth, Alcantara struck out Rengifo on a 93-mph change-up, struck out Los Angeles catcher Max Stassi on a 100-mph fastball and ended his day by getting Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh to ground out to first.
