Appreciating The Complete Game

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When you see them, they’re great to watch!

Unfortunately during the age of specialization where there are pitch counts, middle relievers, set-up men, and closers, The Complete Game feels somewhat extinct. 

Nowadays, we’re also seeing a lot more combined no-hitters.

In a ballpark where I once saw Henderson Alvarez no-hit the Detroit Tigers on September 29, 2013 on the final game of the season, there was some magic on Sunday, May 22, 2022.

This time it came from a front-line Miami Marlins starting pitcher. 

On November 28, 2021, the Marlins signed Sandy Alcantara to a contract extension worth $56 Million, breaking the record for the largest contract for a pitcher under team control with less than four years service time set by Carlos Martinez.

Alcantara’s fastball velocity generally sits between 93-98 miles per-hour, maxing out around 100 mph.

He uses both a four-seam fastball and a sinker, which possesses above average vertical and horizontal movement. His secondary pitches are the change up (89 mph, average velocity) slider (86 mph) and a curveball (82 mph).

On Sunday, all of the pitches were on display.

The Marlins were in desperate need of a win vs the Atlanta Braves as they lost the first two games of the weekend series by 5-3 and 4-3 scores.

Going into the game, Miami led MLB in one run losses with 13 which is three more than the second place Cubs.

Going into the game, Alcantara entered it with a 3-2 record, with a 2.49 ERA, 50 innings pitched, 20 walks and 42 strikeouts, yielding four homers in eight starts.

Miami’s main offensive production came from Brian Anderson and Jacob Stallings. Anderson and Stallings doubled singled and had RBIs each for the Marlins to earn a 4-3 win.

This time, the Marlins were on the right-side of a one-run decision.

But the man of the day was Alcantara (26), who threw a complete game, and limited the Braves to three unearned runs. He walked two and struck out seven for his fourth career complete game.

Atlanta star outfielder Ronald Acura Jr. had two of the hits against Alcantara extending his on base games streak to 29.

One of Alcantara’s unearned runs occurred in the fifth inning when Atlanta benefited from a three-base error by Jesus Sanchez, a mishandled fly ball.

In the ninth inning, Jesus Aguilar dropped a routing foul ball as he tried to squeeze his glove before the ball was in it. This led to a pair of unearned runs.

But the final out came from a familiar face that dawned the Marlins colors last season as Adam Duvall popped out to the catcher.

What made this game electric was Alcantara was the first one out of the dugout in the ninth inning as you could hear the energy from the crowd of 17,908.

When it was all said and done, Alcantara left the game with a 4-2 record as the Marlins hit the road for a nine day, eight game road trip this week that started with stops in Tampa, two games, three in Atlanta, and three more in Colorado.

But the true benefit Alcantara’s complete game was the fact that the bullpen had Sunday’s game, plus the off day on Monday, thus it had two days rest. 

What was once the norm, now is a luxury when it happens.

It was great to see again! 

I enjoyed it so much that it was the lead topic two days later on My 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk with Lou Landers, Eric Katz and Rick Curti which can be seen in this story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, you can find see his Broadcasts by Subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel at no cost.

Inter-Miami Continues It’s Rise to Playoff Contention

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During the course of the MLS Season, you can see when a team is starting to show signs of confidence and maturity.

When we attended the May 14 match vs DC United, Inter-Miami had more than DC United to deal with on this wet Saturday Night at DRV PNK Stadium.

The club was dealing with Mother Nature. 

And let me tell you, she was in a bad mood. 

The contest was supposed to start at 8 PM but was delayed until 9:15 PM. 

Thus, the delay was 1:15 because there was lightning in the area and the fans cleared out for safety. 

In the past, I have seen games at Lockhart Stadium that were played in the mud.

Where the Inter-Miami Training Center stands, I saw a lot of rain at the now demolished Fort Lauderdale Stadium. 

During Spring Training, I went to a Marlins Spring Training Game at Roger Dean Stadium and it was rained out.

What I’ve learned to appreciate about this beautiful facility is how well kept the turf is fertilized and drains.

When the game did get start, Inter-Miami didn’t let the delay dampen their style as they raced out to a 2-0 lead. 

Ecuadorian striker Leonardo Campana scored his seventh goal in all competitions this season, while defender Damion Lowe scored his first MLS goal, to extend the club’s unbeaten streak to four.

After the weather delay, Inter-Miami opened the proceedings with a number of ambitious counter attacks and lively dribbling. Notably, the winger duo of Robert Taylor and Ariel Lassiter pushed forward frequently while Bryce Duke attacked through the middle.

DC United scored a goal just before halftime. Julian Gressel crossed a ball into the box and Michael Estrada flicked it back to Taxiachis Fountas, who curled it into the back of the net, as the score was 2-1 at halftime.

In the second half, Inter-Miami appeared to score a third goal early when Duke played a ball to Lassiter down the left wing and the winger hit a shot low into the back of the net. But the goal was disallowed as the linesman raised the flag, judging Lassiter to be off-side.

DC United made the score 2-2 when Fountas drove down the right wing, played a ball to Russell Canouse into the box, who passed to Ola Kamara in front of the goal. The striker connected with a pass and tied the match.

Inter-Miami earned a hard fought draw and the game ended at 11:15 PM. 

The team earned a point for the effort and was disappointed they didn’t get three. 

Nonetheless, there still was satisfaction that they avoided a loss.

——————————————————————————————————————————

When the contest was over, I had the opportunity to ask Coach Phil Neville:

1. What did the players do during the delay?

2. What did he think of the energy of the crowd at home which braved the elements?

I also asked Lowe as to whether his team did plenty to continue to encourage fans to come back?

Check out both of these videos to get a reaction of both Neville and Lowe.

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On May 18, Inter-Miami went to the city of Brotherly Love and visited the top team in the Eastern Conference. They earned a 0-0 draw and yet picked up another point. As of this post, the Philadelphia Union has a 6-1-6 record with 24 points.

On May 22, DRV PNK Stadium wasn’t kind to the New York Red Bulls as Inter-Miami blanked the visitors 2-0. Through 13 games, New York is fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 5-3-5 mark with  20 points.

During the past week, Inter-Miami has proven that it can compete against the Eastern Conference’s best.

On Saturday, at DRV PNK Stadium, they’ll take their 4-6-3, 15 points against the Portland Timbers in a match that starts at 8 PM. 

Portland enters the game with a 3-5-6 record, 15 points and are in 10th place in the Western Conference.

It should be an interesting contest with two clubs that appear equally matched.

Inter-Miami continues its rise in the Eastern Conference. 

The New England Revolution are 4-5-3, 15 points in 9th place.

Atlanta United occupies the 8th spot 4-4-4 with 16 points.

Sitting in the 7th and final playoff spot is Charlotte which is 5-7-1 and 16 points.

Thus, Saturday Night’s match figures to have plenty on the line.

We’ll find out if the momentum continues.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can find him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, to see all of his Broadcasts and Videos, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Miami’s 25th Year World Series Weekend Celebration

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins square off, this is always an interesting series pitting two ball clubs that operate on Small Market Budgets.

Last weekend was very nostalgic as Miami celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its first World Series in 1997.

On Friday, May 13, a rarity took place, something that’s on my bucket list, the roof being open. 

A crowd of 9,110 showed up and watched another outstanding pitching performance from Pablo Lopez. He went seven innings, struck out 11 and issued no walks, but was credited with a no-decision in a Milwaukee 2-1 win.

Game two of the series on Saturday, May 14 saw the Marlins bats erupt in a 9-3 win. 

Former Brewers Jesus Aguilar and Avisail Garcia contributed for the Marlins offensively as Miami snapped a five-game home skid. Trevor Rogers pitched 5.1 innings, allowed five hits, amassed eight strikeouts to improve his record to 2-4. 

Back-to-back round trippers by Aguilar and Jorge Solar, plus a homer by Brian Anderson, a two-run shot off starter Eric Lauer, sent home 12,941 happy customers.

The game we attended on Sunday, May 15, featured the pitching matchup of Brandon Woodruff, 3-2, 5.97 ERA against Miami’s Elieser Hernandez, 2-2, 6.37 ERA. 

In my four games to date, Hernandez has been on the hill three times.

How would this game play out? 

Not so good for Hernandez (2-3) as he allowed five runs, two of which were earned, and three hits. The right-hander walked three, stuck out two and hit a batter. He has surrendered 10 home runs in his seven starts this season. 

Hernandez gave up two homers in the fifth inning to Kolten Wong and Jace Peterson.

Wong was playing in his 1000th major league game, also stole two bases. He reached base all five times.

Rowdy Tellez hit a home run that gave Milwaukee a 6-3 lead, connecting with a solo shot off reliever Tommy Nance in the seventh inning for his eighth homer of the campaign. 

The Brewers tacked on another run in the eighth inning to win the game 7-3 in front of 11,729 fans to win the series 2-1. 

The time of the game was 3:33.

Woodruff went five innings, struck out six to improve to 4-2. He yielded just two walks.

The Brewers recorded an old fashioned save by using just two pitchers. 

Aaron Ashby pitched four scoreless innings and didn’t allow a run to earn his first save of the season.

What was interesting about this weekend was it marked the return of Brewers Manager Craig Counsell, who played on the 1997 World Series Championship team. Counsell has been piloting the Brewers for eight seasons. 

Counsell took part in the festivities all weekend and found himself in the middle of a lot of interview requests.

As I mentioned earlier, there has been an history between these two squads.

Former Marlin Christian Yellich is with Milwaukee while former Brewers Aguilar and Garcia are playing in Miami.

For the most part, this series has been close. Going into the weekend, Milwaukee held an 84-76 advantage and in 2021, the teams were 3-3 against each other.

The weekend series drew 33,780 fans. 

Milwaukee will host the Marlins in a four-game series from September 29-October 2 at American Family Field, formerly, Miller Park.

To date, the Marlins are 17-20 and are in fourth place in the NL East Division.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee is 24-14 and sits atop of the NL Central Division.

This week, the Marlins won a 2-1 series vs the Washington Nationals and host the World Champion Atlanta Braves this weekend at LoanDepot Park.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his Broadcasts, Subscribe at no cost to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

The Washington What?

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On March 30, 2022, I decided to do a very interesting podcast about a team rebranding itself due to the Social Climate in todays times.

The individuals that I included on a Podcast that I titled, “The Washington What” were JB Ellis, Steve Balestrieri, Rick Curti and Mel Farr Jr.

If you’re an NFL Fan, when individuals thought of Washington football, we knew this team as the Washington Redskins. 

But let’s take a history lesson as we devoted an Episode of “Inside The Pigskin” to the history of a franchise that was initially based in Boston, MA and played at historic Fenway Park.

This franchise started out as the Boston Braves in 1932.

It changed its name to the Boston Redskins and remained that way from 1933-1936.

It relocated to our Nations Capital and became the Washington Redskins from 1937-2019. They played at RFK Stadium for many years and are currently playing at FedExField.

They did cave in to pressure as the name was changed to the Washington Football team from 2020-2021, and finally arrived at the Commanders in 2022.

Due to pressure from the NFL and team sponsors, the Reskins brand was retired in the wake of George Floyd Protests and Owner Daniel Snyder was starting to feel it in the pocketbook. 

Snyder is no stranger to ruffling feathers as he charged his fans to attend practices at training camp.

For many years, Snyder was adamant about changing the Redskins name because it lasted decades without it becoming an issue. 

He didn’t want to mess with the teams tradition which included five league championships, three Super Bowl titles along with five conference championships. 

The team has 15 Division Championships along with 25 Playoff Appearances.

The most stimulating part of the show was talking about the different names.

We all had different ideas.

Here are some of the names that were discussed. The Senators, Federals, Braves, Warriors, Redhawks, Skins, Renegades, Pigskins, Hogs, Armada, Brigade, Defenders, Presidents, Red Tails, Rough Riders, Owls, Alliance, Revolution, Red Wolves, Sentinels and the Generals.

When the list was paired down to eight, the names that made the cut were: Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Red Wolves, Red Hawks and the Washington Football Team.

Having dealt with the complicated nature of trademarking as I have since I did it with the “Motor City Mad Mouth” it’s no easy task. I know that factored into this process.

I was intrigued by names that had the word “Red” in them to uphold to the tradition of Redskins. Over the years, the word “Hogs” was attributed to attributed to the team’s offensive line in the 1980’s.

If you look into American History and the Military, it’s understandable why Revolution, Presidents, Federals, Commanders, Alliance, Brigade, Presidents, Armada were considered.

There were other Indian names like the Warriors and Braves that could have come into play but the last thing this team wanted to do was to revisit this down the road since they’re trying to get away from it now.

What I didn’t want was the Washington Generals since they were the whipping boys of the Harlem Globetrotters. 

I was intrigued by the Washington Sentinels because that was the name of the team in the movie called “The Replacements” and was based loosely based on the 1987 NFL Strike, specifically the Washington Redskins, who won all three of their replacement games without any of their regular players and went on to win Super Bowl XXII.

But my top choice was bringing back the Washington Senators. This is a household name in the DC Area as it was associated with two MLB Teams that subsequently moved on two occasions to Minnesota and Texas.

I love history and this would have been the right time to bring it back but on the gridiron.

Once upon a time, the Dallas Texans played and eventually moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. The Houston Texans brought the name back.

When we evaluated each of these names, it was easy to look at the pros and cons of each one and why did it take two years to get to the Commanders when perhaps, this could have been done much sooner if they went the simple and conservative route.

As I’ve thought about the Washington Commanders, I have no problem with the name because a commander is designed to lead. It’s the safest and most conservative name out there. Also, the team didn’t change it’s Burgundy, Gold and White Color Scheme.

For whatever it’s worth, the franchise was valued by Forbes in 2021 at roughly US $4.2 Billion, making it the league’s fifth-most valuable team.

The team has played more than 1,000 games and is one of only five in the NFL with more than 600 total wins.

In the end, regardless of what you call it, the team will continue to sell jerseys and all the name change did was get the critics of their back and not lose sponsorship revenue.

If you’ve ever named anything in the past, whether it’s a child or a pet, there are always reasons why and why you don’t make the decision. The question is that when the decision is made, you have to live with it.

I actually enjoyed the Washington Redskins and this was the first franchise with an official marching band and a fight song, “Hail to the Redskins” but I do understand that making the change was necessary.

The name game in sports is becoming more interesting these days as many teams have nicknames that don’t have an “S” on the back end and are not plural.

But that’s for another day. 

In the meantime, it was neat doing a Podcast on “The Washington What?” It’s great to get various opinions and find out what someone is thinking.

Check out the Episode in this story. I know that when you see the entire show, it will get your wheels turning as it did mine when we put together the idea, the video and the story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his Broadcasts, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. 

An Unexpected Bullpen Day In Miami For Arizona Diamondbacks

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Before the Miami Marlins concluded their three-game series vs the Arizona Diamondbacks, I had the opportunity to spend time with my former colleague Jody Jackson, and talk about old times living in the Valley of the Sun, when I lived there from 1999-2002.

The former Hallandale, FL., native has been in Phoenix since 2000 and I’d see her at Diamondbacks games and other assignments in the area. 

Our paths crossed when the Arizona Cardinals faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa for Super Bowl 43. The Steelers did win this game.

But Jackson asked me before the game, who I was pulling for in this contest? 

I told her there was no way that I could lose because I have loyalties to both areas. 

Jackson was working for FOX Sports Net before the company changed hands to Ballys.

When I lived in Arizona, the Diamondbacks captured their lone World Series Championship with a team that featured pitchers Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Matt Williams, Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.

It was neat living in that area which won its first major championship in any sport since it came up short a couple of times with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.

Two years after I left Arizona, the Marlins won the World Series for its second title in their history. Counsell was also on this team which also had future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera, among others. 

My history with the Marlins goes far deeper than the MLB ties as I covered the franchise when it played in the Class A Florida State League.

This is my third season covering the Marlins and I make no bones about it that one of the best managers that I’ve ever worked with during My 42-year career is current Miami Skipper Don Mattingly. 

The Marlins current pilot has seen it all. 

He’s managed through a pandemic and led his team to a post-season in 2020, and there have been some notable front office changes. Former Yankees legend Derek Jeter is no longer the President and GM Kim Ng is calling the shots.

Every year, I always like to see these teams play once. Jackson didn’t make the trip last year because the team’s broadcasters didn’t travel.

Like the Marlins, Jackson has seen her team go through it’s ups and downs.

In 2021, the Diamondbacks went 52-110 and were fifth in the NL West. 

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Manager Torey Luvullo but Arizona didn’t make a change.

Going into this series, Arizona led all-time 93-70 but in 2021, the Marlins won the season series 5-2.

Miami held the advantage at home 44-40 all-time.

Before Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Miami had won seven straight games.

Could the Marlins get back on track against their Sun Belt Rival during the week?

The answer is no as the Diamondbacks defeated Pablo Lopez (3-1) in the first contest Monday Night and Trevor Rogers (1-4) Tuesday Night, both by identical 5-4 scores.

Miami’s last chance at a win occurred on Wednesday afternoon as Elieser Hernandez (2-1) squared off against Madison Bumgarner (1-1).

When I looked at the Diamondbacks roster, I have to admit there were only three names that I recognized. 

Bumgarner, and pitchers Joe Mantiply and Ian Kennedy were the only players that I had heard of. 

Then again, when a team loses 110 games, you would expect them to have a high roster turnover and let some of the younger players in their system have a chance to gain experience in the big show.

What did I see on Wednesday? 

Bumgarner had a short stint on the mound as he was ejected after the first inning by veteran umpire Dan Bellino. 

The 32-year pitcher was thrown out at the end of the inning during a routine check of his hands for sticky substances. A fierce argument between the two ensued with Diamondbacks personnel needing to restrain Bumgarner. The situation escalated for several minutes before Bumgarner finally calmed down.

Bellino was disciplined for the incident while Bumgarner will not face further discipline. 

Bellino claimed Bumgarner was using profanity directed at him. Earlier in the inning, the veteran pitcher showed some frustration at a ball/strike call by home plate umpire Ryan Willis. That came minutes before the confrontation with Bellino.

By Friday, a rarity occurred and Bellino, who has been an MLB umpire for 15 years, did issue a public apology to Bumgarner.

As for the game itself, Hernandez gave up five runs but didn’t fare in the decision. Corbin Martin pitched four solid innings following Bumgarner in what would turn out to be an unexpected bullpen day for Arizona.

This contest was a first for me. 

The Diamondbacks entire lineup had left-handed hitters. There were four left-handed hitters along with five switch-hitters.

This contest was a see-saw battle. 

Miami took a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning and then the Diamondbacks put up a five spot to lead 5-3. The Snakes added another run in the sixth inning to lead 6-3. 

But in the seventh and eighth innings, Miami scored a pair in each frame to take 7-6 lead into the ninth inning.

Twenty-Six year-old Jupiter, Florida native Pavin Smith homered to right field off Anthony Bender (0-3) to send the 7,356 fans home as the Diamondbacks swept the Marlins with an 8-7 loss as Miami’s losing streak hit four games. 

The Diamondbacks record improved to 13-13 while the Marlins dropped to 12-12.

Jon Berti did his part for the Marlins offensively as he homered off of Bumgarner in the first inning and had his first two-home run game of his career. This was Bertie’s first career multi-home run game.

Jesus Aguilar hit a round-tripper and had three hits. Jazz Chisholm Jr. also had a pair of hits but that wasn’t enough to avert the sweep in a game that was overshadowed by the Bumgarner drama.

Arizona now leads the All-Time Series 96-70. 

After a four-game series that started in San Diego, the Marlins and Diamondback will see each other for a three-game series on Monday Night in Phoenix at Chase Field.

The Valley of the Sun hasn’t been kind to the Marlins as the Miami’s all-time record at Chase Field stands at 29-50.

If I were a betting man, the only thing that I’ll predict is if the Marlins see Bumgarner in this series, barring any early inning difficulties, the hurler should make it at least past one inning. 

The focus will be on the game and not the sideshow by the umpires that overshadowed Wednesday’s Game at LoanDepot Park. 

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, Subscribe at no cost to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Two MLB Franchises Miles Apart

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH 

If there were ever two franchises so far apart in many ways, then the Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners would meet that criteria.

If you drove from Miami to Seattle, the distance is 3,293.9 miles and it would take 49 hours to drive barring any complications.

Prior to this past weekends series at LoanDepot Park, the two teams have only met 15 times as Miami held an edge, 8-7.

The Mariners joined MLB in 1977 and began playing their home games in the now demolished Seattle Kingdome. They are on their second venue at T-Mobile Park.

The Marlins started at Joe Robbie Stadium and are currently in their second venue as well. Miami’s first season was in 1993.

If you’re looking for a post-season comparison between the two teams, then the appearances are somewhat similar but yet miles apart.

Seattle has made the post-season three times. They have won the AL West Division three times and have played once in the Wild Card. 

In 2001, Seattle set the AL record for wins with 116 but that wasn’t enough to get the Mariners to the World Series. Unfortunately for Seattle, the franchise hasn’t returned to the post-season since that memorable year. 

The man that piloted this squad was former Yankee Lou Piniella.

Moreover, the Mariners are one of six franchises to never win a World Series and are the only one to never appear in the Fall Classic.

As of 2021, the Mariners record was 3,336-3,727 with a .472 winning percentage. Seattle has finished with a losing record in 30 of 45 seasons.

As for the Marlins, their record through 2021 was 2,088-2,438 with a .461 winning percentage.

The Fish have made the post-season three times but have made the most of their October appearances. Also Miami has never won a division title, the team owns a 24-14 mark in the playoffs. Miami’s last appearance in the playoffs was in 2020. Their three wild card berths have led to a pair of World Series Championships in 1997 and 2003.

Without inter-league play, we wouldn’t be seeing these two teams play since Miami plays Spring Training Games in the Florida Grapefruit League and Seattle is in Arizona’s Cactus League.

These two teams last faced each other in 2017 in Seattle with the Mariners winning the series 2-1.

During opening weekend at LoanDepot Park, I asked Marlins Manager Don Mattingly on whether he thought there were too many division games. The skipper told me that he liked a lot of division games because it was easier to prepare for his opponent due to the familiarity factor.

What was interesting about this series with Seattle is the 2022 Season marked the first time that there has ever been a Universal DH for the 162-game schedule. The change is now permanent with the new collective bargaining agreement.

Going into the series with Seattle, Miami’s record vs the Mariners in South Florida is 4-2. The Fish were 1-2 at Joe Robbie Stadium and 3-0 at Marlins Park.

What transpired over the weekend?

On Friday Night, Elieser Hernandez pitched five strong innings, stuck out five and walked only one as his team defeated Seattle 8-6. Jorge Solar and Miguel Rojas supplied the power to lead the fish to their sixth straight win. Hernandez improved his record to 2-1.

Parkland native Jesus Luzardo took care of business by going his longest out of the season. Luzardo shut down the Mariners by going six innings and striking out five to improve his record to 2-1. He pitched a two-hitter and out dueled Mariners All-Star pitcher Robbie Ray (2-2). Brian Anderson provided the offense with two hits and scored a run.

The Marlins winning streak climbed to seven games as they looked to sweep the Mariners on Sunday by reaching eight.

You couldn’t ask for a better pitching matchup.

Seattle (11-10) 3rd in the AL West, sent Logan Gilbert to the hill. Gilbert was 3-0 with a .40 ERA, with 22 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched.

Miami (12-8) 2nd NL East had a stud of their own with Sandy Alcantara, who entered the contest with a 2-0 mark, 1.78 ERA, 20 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched.

Miami entered the game going 8-2 in the last 10 games with Seattle on a four-game road slide.

This has the makings of a good old fashioned pitchers duel.

Would it turn out that way?

Not particularly.

Gilbert had a good outing by pitching 5.2 innings and struck out five, throwing 102 pitches, 65 for strikes. 

The only mistake he made was giving up a home run to Anderson in the sixth inning.

Alcantara also pitched 5.2 innings, gave up six hits and five runs, but two of those were the result of home runs. Alcantara did register six strikeouts. He threw 103 pitches, 65 for strikes.

On pitch 103, Julio Rodriguez picked a good time to hit his first home run of the season. Alcantara was hoping to get out of a jam and Mattingly attempted to give his hurler that opportunity.

But it took one swing of the bat and the Mariners were up 5-0 in route to a 7-3 win.

In a game that took 3:22 to complete, the only statistic that mattered is they left 12 runners on base.

Alcantara’ s record dropped to 2-1 while Gilbert improved to 4-0.

Two streaks came to an end on Bark at the Park Day.

Miami’s seven game ended while Seattle’s road streak stopped at four.

The announced crowd was 16,741 and 232 dogs.

Five Marlins pitchers gave up 12 Seattle hits.

In addition to Rodriguez, JP Crawford was problematic for Miami as he reached base three times, collecting a double, home run and a walk. Jesse Winkler had a three hit afternoon.

The Marlins record dropped to 12-9 while Seattle improved to 12-10.

Who knows when we’ll see these two teams again, but the Marlins did win the series 2-1 as they host the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games. 

Ironically, both teams have had former Yankees players manage their teams. As for mentioned, Piniella and Don Mattingly.

After the D-Back series, they’ll  travel to the West Coast and a visit to San Diego to face the Padres next weekend.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel at no charge.