Sandy Alcantara did everything an ace is supposed to do — and it still ended in a 5–2 loss.
He controlled contact. He escaped traffic. He carried a shutout through eight innings on fewer than 90 pitches, tracking toward a second consecutive Maddux — the rare complete game shutout under 100 pitches — before handing a two-run lead to his bullpen. The Marlins couldn’t hold it.
And in St. Louis, the Cardinals were forced to watch the contrast. As Alcantara was carving through the Reds with effortless command, Matthew Liberatore — the man the Cardinals are asking to be an “ace” — was laboring 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’t heal in Missouri.
UFC fighterJiri 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)
UFC fighterJiri 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)
The Anatomy of an Ace
Alcantara’s dominance was about selective destruction. He didn’t record his first strikeout until the second inning, when an ABS challenge overturned a call to ring up Eugenio Suárez.
Sandy wasn’t 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 — striking out Tyler Stephenson twice, giving the Reds’ catcher the exact same helpless look in two different ways.
In the seventh, with the dangerous Elly De La Cruz finally on the bases and the game still 2–0, 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.
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)
Small Ball and Missed Insurance
Offensively, the Marlins played the speed-and-pressure brand of baseball that has defined their early season. Agustín Ramírez doubled, Jakob Marsee bunted and stole three bases en route to a four-steal night, and Miami manufactured a 2–0 lead through grit rather than power.
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’s masterpiece deserved.
Cincinnati Reds’ 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)
The Ninth Inning Collapse
The trust in Alcantara was so high that manager Skip Schumaker sent him back out for the ninth. But after a Matt McLain double and a walk to De La Cruz, the dream ended.
Then, the wheels came off.
Anthony Bender entered and surrendered the lead in agonizing fashion. A walk to Eugenio Suárez loaded the bases before a wild pitch allowed De La Cruz to score the tying run. Just like that, Alcantara’s gem was erased.
Cincinnati Reds’ 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)
Extras Unravel What the Ninth Started
The chaos didn’t stop in the ninth; it compounded in the tenth.
With the automatic runner on, the Reds turned pressure into separation. A wild pitch from Calvin Faucher — the second of the night for Miami — moved the runner to third before Nathaniel Lowe lined a single into center to give Cincinnati its first lead. Moments later, Matt McLain drove a two-run double into left, stretching the deficit to 5–2.
For eight innings, the Reds had no answer. In the final two, the Marlins didn’t.
Sandy Alcantara Throws a Maddux as Marlins Shut Out White Sox 10–0, Go 5–1
The Takeaway
Alcantara gave the Marlins a win. The final two innings turned it into a loss.
Through eight innings, Miami controlled everything — the pace, the contact, the game itself. By the end of the tenth, none of it mattered.
Reds chase Alcantara in 9th, beat Marlins 6-3 in 10th keyed by McLain for 5-game winning streak
With Alcantara on the mound, the Marlins can control any game in baseball. The question now is whether they can hold onto one once he leaves.
The Miami Marlins Files — World Baseball Network Coverage
- Alcantara Dominates as Marlins Beat Rockies 2–1 on Opening Day
- Eury Pérez Strikes Out Eight as Marlins Beat Rockies 4–3
- Owen Caissie Walk-Off Homer Completes Marlins Sweep of Rockies
- Miguel Vargas Left Cuba for This — and Owned It in Miami
- Marlins Bounce Back, Beat White Sox 9–2 to Even Series
- Sandy Alcantara Throws a Maddux as Marlins Shut Out White Sox 10–0
- Yankees Beat Marlins 8–2 as Eury Pérez Walks Six in First Road Loss
- Yankees 9, Marlins 7 — Hernández Triples, International Core Delivers, But Bullpen Collapse Costs Miami
- Marlins 7, Yankees 6 — Edwards Delivers as Miami Rallies Late to Avoid Sweep in the Bronx
- Meet Leo Jiménez, Miami’s Newest Panamanian
- The Marlins Are Winning. Nobody’s Been Told Yet.
