{"id":670521,"date":"2026-04-08T16:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/670521\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:04:23","slug":"sandy-alcantara-flirts-with-another-maddux-marlins-blow-2-0-lead-in-6-3-extra-inning-loss-to-reds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/670521\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandy Alcantara Flirts With Another Maddux, Marlins Blow 2\u20130 Lead in 6\u20133 Extra-Inning Loss to Reds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sandy Alcantara<\/a> did everything an ace is supposed to do \u2014 and it still ended in a 6\u20133 loss.<\/p>\n

Sandy Alcantara: \u201cI feel like I deserve to be asked how I feel before getting taken out of the game, at 95 pitches and a righty on deck, but I respect the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He controlled contact. He escaped traffic. He carried a shutout through eight innings on fewer than 90 pitches, tracking toward a second consecutive Maddux \u2014 the rare complete game shutout under 100 pitches \u2014 before handing a two-run lead to his bullpen. The Marlins didn\u2019t hold it.<\/p>\n

Marlins fans\u2026
Sandy Alcantara was on the brink of back-to-back #Maddux<\/a> games.
\u201cI feel like I deserve to be asked how I feel\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Leyland would\u2019ve let him finish it. @FishOnFirst<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/6mjmOGQZXo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

And in St. Louis, the Cardinals were forced to watch the contrast. As Alcantara carved through the Reds with effortless command, Matthew Liberatore \u2014 the pitcher the Cardinals are asking to be an \u201cace\u201d \u2014 labored through five innings of nine-hit, four-run baseball. The trade that sent Alcantara away remains the gift that keeps on giving to Miami, and the wound that won\u2019t heal in Missouri.<\/p>\n

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UFC fighter Jiri Prochazka poses for a photograph holding a baseball before a baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

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UFC fighter Jiri Prochazka throws a ceremonial pitch before a baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

The Anatomy of an Ace<\/p>\n

Alcantara\u2019s dominance was about selective destruction. He didn\u2019t record his first strikeout until the second inning, when an ABS challenge overturned a call to ring up Eugenio Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n

Sandy wasn\u2019t hunting punchouts early; he was hunting quick outs to keep his pitch count in Maddux territory. When the game demanded a bigger finish, he reached back and found it \u2014 striking out Tyler Stephenson twice, giving the Reds\u2019 catcher the same helpless look in two different ways.<\/p>\n

In the seventh, with Elly De La Cruz finally on the bases and the game still 2\u20130, Alcantara shut the door by putting away Sal Stewart with a pair of 97-mph sinkers followed by a disappearing changeup. It was a masterclass in leverage.<\/p>\n

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara walks to the dugout before a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

Small Ball and Missed Insurance<\/p>\n

Offensively, the Marlins played the speed-and-pressure brand of baseball that has defined their early season. Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez doubled, Jakob Marsee bunted and stole his way to four stolen bases on the night \u2014 tying a Marlins record \u2014 and Miami manufactured a 2\u20130 lead through execution rather than power.<\/p>\n

The margin stayed thin. Miami left the bases loaded in the sixth after pinch-hitter Liam Hicks struck out, failing to provide the insurance Alcantara\u2019s outing deserved.<\/p>\n

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Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Spencer Steer (7) reacts after striking out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

The Ninth Inning Collapse<\/p>\n

The trust in Alcantara was so high that manager Skip Schumaker sent him back out for the ninth. He got the first out \u2014 then a Matt McLain double and a walk to De La Cruz ended the dream.<\/p>\n

Then the wheels came off.<\/p>\n

Anthony Bender entered, and the lead evaporated immediately. Sal Stewart\u2019s sacrifice fly made it 1\u20132. A walk to Eugenio Su\u00e1rez followed, and then a wild pitch allowed De La Cruz to score from third, tying the game at two. Just like that, Alcantara\u2019s gem was gone.<\/p>\n

Three outs away became two innings too many.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Elly de la Cruz reacts after scoring on a wild pitch by Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

Extras Unravel What the Ninth Started<\/p>\n

The chaos didn\u2019t stop in the ninth \u2014 it compounded in the tenth.<\/p>\n

A wild pitch from Calvin Faucher moved the automatic runner to third. Nathaniel Lowe followed with an RBI single to give Cincinnati its first lead of the night. Matt McLain then drove a two-run double into left, stretching the deficit to 5\u20132. Elly De La Cruz added another run on a groundout, pushing it to 6\u20132 before Miami could record an out.<\/p>\n

For eight innings, the Reds had no answer. In the final two, the Marlins didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Sandy Alcantara Throws a Maddux as Marlins Shut Out White Sox 10\u20130, Go 5\u20131<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Takeaway<\/p>\n

Alcantara gave the Marlins a win. The final two innings turned it into a loss.<\/p>\n

Through eight innings and one out into the ninth, Miami controlled everything \u2014 the pace, the contact, the game itself. By the end of the tenth, none of it mattered.<\/p>\n

With Alcantara on the mound, the Marlins can control any game in baseball. The question now is whether they can hold onto one after he leaves.<\/p>\n

Reds chase Alcantara in 9th, beat Marlins 6-3 in 10th keyed by McLain for 5-game winning streak<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Miami Marlins Files \u2014 World Baseball Network Coverage<\/p>\n

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