Sandy Alcantara continued his resurgence on the mound Sunday afternoon, delivering seven strong innings as the Miami Marlins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 to secure a series victory and split the season series between the Sunshine State rivals.
One day after edging the Rays 4-3 in a bullpen-heavy effort, Miami turned to its former Cy Young Award winner for length and stability. Alcantara delivered exactly that, striking out seven while allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings. The veteran right-hander walked one batter and hit another while earning his fifth win of the season.
The outing marked Alcantara’s second consecutive start of seven innings or more and his fifth such performance this year, further demonstrating the form that made him one of baseball’s most dominant starters.
Miami’s bullpen took care of the rest. Michael Petersen retired all three batters he faced in a flawless eighth inning, and Anthony Bender worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to record his second save of the season.
The game remained tightly contested until the sixth inning when the Marlins broke a 1-1 tie. Liam Hicks drew a walk against reliever Garrett Cleavinger, and Otto López followed with a towering drive to deep right-center field that rolled to the wall for an RBI triple, allowing Hicks to score from first base.
López then crossed the plate on Kyle Stowers’ sacrifice fly to deep left field, giving Miami a 2-1 advantage. López was a catalyst throughout the afternoon, finishing with a double, a triple, and a run scored.
Tampa Bay had taken an early lead in the third inning. Taylor Walls reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base before Yandy Díaz lined an RBI single into center field, bringing home the game’s first run.
The Marlins answered and eventually added valuable insurance in the seventh inning without recording a hit. Esteury Ruiz and Jakob Marsee each drew walks against former Tampa Bay starter Steven Matz and then successfully executed a double steal. Moments later, Joe Mack hit a ground ball that shortstop Taylor Walls fielded cleanly. Walls attempted to throw out Ruiz at home, but catcher Hunter Feduccia dropped the throw, allowing both runners to score and extending Miami’s lead to 4-1.
The Rays received a solid start from Griffin Jax, who matched a season high by pitching five innings. Jax surrendered three hits, walked two, and struck out four before Tampa Bay’s bullpen took over. Cleavinger was charged with the loss and fell to 1-2 on the season.
With the victory, the Marlins clinched the three-game series and finished 3-3 against their in-state rivals in 2026. Miami continues to build momentum heading into its next homestand.
The Marlins will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, with undefeated right-hander Max Meyer (6-0, 2.81 ERA) scheduled to start the series opener. Arizona has yet to announce its starter.
Meanwhile, the Rays return home for a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox beginning Monday. Tampa Bay has not announced a starting pitcher, while Boston is expected to send left-hander Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) to the mound.
