MIAMI — Heading into the Miami Marlins’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, manager Skip Schumaker said the hope was ace Sandy Alcantara would go “as long as he needs to go for us to win the game.”
Instead, Alcantara provided another start where he showed glimpses of his Cy Young Award-level talent but not enough to fully put together a quality outing.
An elevated pitch count knocked Alcantara out of the game after just five innings, and the Marlins had no answers at the plate for the Braves’ Bryce Elder in a 6-0 loss at loanDepot park. Miami falls to 16-14, while Altanta improves to 20-10.
Perhaps most surprising: The Marlins are now 1-5 in Alcantara’s six starts this season, with their lone win with him on the mound being his three-hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins on April 4.
In his four starts since then, Alcantara given up 19 runs (17 earned runs) over 20 2/3 innings, although nine of those runs came in a four-inning shelling by the Philadelphia Phillies on April 10.
On Tuesday, Alcantara did his part in minimizing damage. He gave up just three runs despite allowing 11 baserunners via six hits, three walks and two hit by pitches.
But Alcantara needed 32 pitches to get through a second inning in which he gave up just one run (a one-out home run to Ozzie Albies) and 34 pitches to get through a fifth inning in which he walked three batters and gave up an RBI single to Eddie Rosario. Atlanta’s other run against Alcantara came when Rosario grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs in the third to score Matt Olson.
Alcantara threw 103 pitches overall.
The Braves then scored three runs in the eighth inning against Johan Quezada, who walked five and gave up a hit and a sacrifice fly.
Miami’s offense, meanwhile, had just three hits over seven innings against the Braves’ Elder and only got one runner into scoring position. In his last outing against the Marlins on Wednesday in Atlanta, Elder gave up four runs on four hits (including three home runs) over 5 1/3 innings.
Avisail Garcia to IL; Xavier Edwards recalled
Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Marlins placed outfielder Avisail Garcia on the 10-day injured list with back tightness and recalled utility player Xavier Edwards.
Edwards, the 12th-ranked prospect in Miami’s system according to MLB Pipeline, hit .306 with a .427 on base percentage, 21 runs scored and 7 stolen bases in 20 games with Triple A Jacksonville while splitting time between second base (10 starts) and center field (eight starts) defensively.
Edwards entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning for his MLB debut.
More injury updates
— Left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers (left biceps) is still not throwing, with Schumaker saying Rogers is “still a few weeks away from a real, significant throwing program.”
— Right-handed pitcher JT Chargois (right oblique) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday.
— First baseman Garrett Cooper, who left Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with an upset stomach, is dealing with nausea.
— Right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto (right biceps) will start a rehab assignment with Triple A Jacksonville on Saturday. He is scheduled to pitch five innings in that game.
— Right-handed pitcher Nic Enright (Hodgkin’s lymphoma) is scheduled to pitch two innings in a rehab assignment game with Single A Jupiter on Wednesday
— Right-handed pitcher Tommy Nance (right shoulder) is scheduled to throw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday
— Right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez (right shoulder) is scheduled to pitch in an extended spring training game this weekend.