Sandy Alcantara appears to be like to be streak stopper in opposition to Cubs

Sandy Alcantara appears poised to work by way of the early struggles on his Cy Younger Award follow-up season for the Miami Marlins

Maybe a return go to to Wrigley Discipline, the place he as soon as delivered a memorable postseason efficiency, will help start a turnaround.

Trying to rebound from one other subpar outing, Alcantara may also attempt to assist the visiting Marlins keep away from a sixth straight loss and sequence sweep by the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday

Alcantara (1-3, 5.09 ERA) dazzled in 2022, throwing six full video games whereas going 14-9 in 32 begins with 207 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA. Nonetheless, that success has but to hold over to 2023, the place he is yielded a minimum of three earned runs in 4 of his six begins, accomplished six or extra innings simply twice and fanned greater than six solely as soon as.

“I haven’t got to vary something,” mentioned Alcantara, who allowed three runs, six hits and three walks, whereas fanning 5, over 5 innings of Tuesday’s 6-0 loss to Atlanta. “I simply received to maintain optimistic, imagine in myself. Hold engaged on all the things I’ve received to do to get higher. Get on observe from final 12 months.”

The precise-hander hasn’t confronted the Cubs since he yielded an Ian Happ homer, two different hits and overcame three walks over 6 2/3 innings of Miami’s 5-1 highway victory in Recreation 1 of the 2020 NL Wild Card sequence. Together with the postseason, Happ is 2-for-4 versus Alcantara, who’s now saddled with attempting to assist the Marlins finish their longest slide of 2023

Since sweeping a three-game residence set from the Cubs final weekend, Miami has been outscored 34-12 in 5 video games since. Jorge Soler homered for one among his two hits Saturday, when the Marlins led 2-1 going into the underside of the eighth. Nonetheless, Chicago scored 3 times for a 4-2 victory

Nick Madrigal delivered a go-ahead, two-run single within the eighth for the Cubs, who’ve taken the primary two of this set to maneuver a recreation over .500 following their 1-6 highway journey. With two hits in every of the final two video games, Chicago’s Nico Hoerner is batting .315 on the season — and 7-for-20 (.350) versus Miami in 2023

In the meantime, touted Cubs first base prospect Matt Mervis has recorded an RBI single in every of his first two main league video games this weekend

Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 4.45) eyes a 3rd straight stable begin when he takes the ball for Chicago on Sunday. The precise-hander has allowed a lone run in every of his final two outings whereas giving up a complete of 9 hits and only one stroll over 11 innings. He lasted six frames throughout Tuesday’s 4-1 loss at Washington.

“I feel discovering his rhythm and his supply helps him lots,” Cubs supervisor David Ross mentioned. “He is received that mentality the place he needs to go get it, so as soon as he settles and calms down, will get into the circulation of the sport, he is significantly better.

This shall be Wesneski’s first look in opposition to the Marlins and star Luis Arraez, who’s batting a major-league finest .430 and carrying a nine-game hitting streak. He’s 9-for-17 in opposition to the Cubs this season

–Discipline Stage Media