MIAMI, June 21 (UPI) — The Toronto Blue Jays displayed their power hitting skills against reigning Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, scoring 5 runs in the second inning to secure a 6-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in Miami.
“[Alcantara] is undoubtedly one of the top pitchers in the game,” commented right fielder George Springer, who went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. “Facing him is not easy. I’m just glad I could contribute to our win.”
Alcantara struggled, giving up 10 hits and two walks, along with the five runs, at loanDepot park.
“They got the better of me today,” Alcantara admitted. “I need to stay positive and keep working on myself.”
After beating the Blue Jays on Monday for their fifth consecutive win, the Marlins lost the final two games of the series against their Canadian opponents.
The first inning of the series finale ended scoreless. In the second inning, Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman started with a double to left field. Second baseman Cavan Biggio then doubled to right, bringing Chapman home for a 1-0 lead.
Shortstop Santiago Espinal followed with a single, and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier hit another single to center, allowing Biggio to score. Springer continued the onslaught, bringing in Espinal and Kiermaier with another single.
Left fielder Whit Merrifield added to the lead with an RBI single on a 1-0 Alcantara slider to center field.
“I definitely wasn’t pleased with the 5-run inning,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “[Alcantara] had trouble hitting his spots in that particular inning.”
Despite the setback, Alcantara retired nine of the next 11 batters he faced without giving up any further runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Marlins managed to score two runs thanks to an RBI double from first baseman Garrett Cooper. They reduced the deficit to two runs in the seventh when third baseman Garrett Hampson hit an RBI single to right field.
However, the Marlins failed to score any more runs.
In the eighth inning, Chapman led off with a 415-foot solo homer to left field, extending the Blue Jays’ lead.
The Blue Jays relievers, Erik Swanson and Trevor Richards, had flawless appearances in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, not allowing any hits, runs, or walks. Closer Jordan Romano encountered some trouble in the ninth but managed to close out the game and earn his 22nd save of the season.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman allowed eight hits and three runs over six innings, improving his season record to 7-3. Alcantara’s record dropped to 2-6.
Chapman reached base three times with two hits and a walk, while Biggio also contributed two hits for the Blue Jays.
Even in the loss, Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez went 2 for 5 and raised his season batting average to .398. Center fielder Jonathan Davis went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Next, the Marlins (42-33) will host the Pittsburgh Pirates (34-38) at 6:40 p.m. EDT on Thursday at loanDepot park.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays (41-35) will host the Oakland Athletics (19-56) at 7:07 p.m. on Friday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
