Jason Alexander pitched six brilliant shutout innings, Jeremy Peña doubled twice, and the Houston Astros exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to hand the Miami Marlins an 8-2 defeat Monday night at loanDepot Park, snapping Miami’s five-game winning streak.
Alexander (2-1) was in control from the outset, scattering just three hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked one while navigating a potentially dangerous sixth inning with the bases loaded. With two outs and Miami threatening, Alexander induced a groundout from Otto Lopez to preserve Houston’s 5-0 lead.
“He made big pitches when it mattered,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Alexander. “That sixth inning could’ve turned the game, but he showed great poise.”
Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (6-10) was perfect through the first three innings before unraveling in a disastrous fourth. The Astros lit him up for six hits and five runs in the frame, turning a scoreless game into a comfortable lead.
The fourth-inning outburst began with a leadoff double from Peña, who finished the night 3-for-4. In a twist of irony, it was Jesús Sánchez — facing the Marlins for the first time since being traded to Houston at the deadline — who doubled Peña home to ignite the rally. Yainer Diaz followed with a two-run double, Carlos Correa added an RBI single, and Christian Walker drove in another run with a fielder’s choice.
“Felt good to help the new team against my old one,” Sánchez said. “It was emotional, but I was focused.”
Peña struck again in the seventh, doubling home another run to make it 6-0.
The Marlins made a brief push in the top of the seventh when Astros reliever Bryan King gave up back-to-back pinch-hit home runs — a 402-foot blast by Javier Sanoja followed by a Derek Hill solo shot — trimming the deficit to 6-2.
But Houston answered right back in the bottom half, with pinch-hitter Mauricio Dubón delivering an RBI double and rookie Cam Smith adding an RBI single to cap the scoring.
The sixth inning proved pivotal. Miami loaded the bases with two outs against Alexander, but the right-hander induced a groundout from Lopez to end the threat and preserve the shutout.
The loss ended the Marlins’ five-game winning streak and dropped Alcantara to 6-10 on the season. He gave up nine hits and six earned runs across seven innings, throwing 100 pitches.
The Astros have now won four of their last five as they continue to gain ground in the AL Wild Card race.
The series continues Tuesday night, with Houston looking to build on its momentum and Miami hoping to start a new streak.
