Sandy Alcantara ready to work through early season struggles in follow-up to his Cy Young Award miami marlins
Perhaps a return trip to Wrigley Field, where he once delivered a memorable postseason performance, could help initiate a change.
Looking to bounce back from another subpar outing, Alcantara will also look to help the visiting marlins Avoid sixth consecutive defeat and series sweep at the hands of chicago cubs on Sunday
Alcantara (1-3, 5.09 ERA) dazzled in 2022, going 14-9 in 32 starts with six complete games, 207 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA. However, that success has yet to be carried over to 2023, where he has allowed at least three earned runs in four of his six starts, pitched six or more innings just twice and struck out more than six just once.
“I don’t need to change anything,” said Alcantara, who allowed three runs, six hits and three walks in five innings of Tuesday’s 6-0 loss to Atlanta. “I just have to stay positive, believe in myself. Keep working on whatever I need to do to get better. Get on track from last year.”
The right-handed batsman has not faced cub As he overcame an Ian Happ homer, two other hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings of a 5–1 road victory in Game 1 of Miami’s 2020 NL Wild Card Series. Including post-season time, Happ is 2-for-4 versus Alcantara, who is now hurt trying to help marlins finish their longest slide of 2023
after sweeping the three-game home set from cub Last weekend, Miami was shut out 34-12 in five games. Jorge Soler homered for one of his two hits on Saturday, when marlins 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth. However, Chicago scored three times for a 4–2 victory.
Nick Madrigal in the eighth over cub, who took the first two of this set to move one game above .500 after his 1-6 road trip. With two hits in each of the last two games, Chicago’s Nico Hoerner is batting .315 on the season — and 7-for-20 (.350) versus Miami in 2023.
meanwhile, postponed cub First base prospect Matt Mervis has recorded an RBI single in each of his first two major league games this weekend
Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 4.45) made his third straight solid start when he took the ball for Chicago on Sunday. The right-hander has allowed one run in each of his last two innings while allowing a total of nine hits and just one run in 11 innings. He lasted six frames during Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Washington.
“I think his rhythm and his delivery help him a lot,” cub manager David Ross said. “He has the mindset of where he wants to go, so once he settles down and calms down, gets into the flow of the game, he’s much better.
This will be Wesneski’s first appearance against marlins and star Luis Arraz, who is batting a major-league best .430 and carrying a nine-game hitting streak. He’s 9-for-17 against cub In this weather
– Field Level Media