Sandy Alcantara and Otto Lopez Help Miami Win Series Over Rays

MIAMI, FL – Looking to bounce back from a series loss last month at Tropicana Field, the Miami Marlins were able to take care of business in the rubber match. Sandy Alcantara’s magic on the mound and Otto Lopez’s consistency at the plate helped Miami win 4-1 to take the series at home over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sandy Alcantara Cruises Through Seven

Alcantara has certainly improved himself from a tough May to a much better June. He went seven innings, allowing five hits, a run, and a walk on seven punchouts. He threw 58 strikes on 90 pitches.

Sandy Alcantara has certainly rebounded himself in the month of June. His final line from today:

7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 90 NP (58 Strikes) #Marlins #FightinFish pic.twitter.com/OmtnwuXwW6

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) June 7, 2026

Alcantara generated 16 swings on the sinker, eight on the fastball, nine on the changeup, and seven on the cutter. Tampa Bay whiffed on the fastball 50% of the time and 43% on the cutter. His top speed was 98.9 on the fastball.

None of his pitches were particularly predictable. His sinker was used the most the first time through the order. Then, his changeup was most used the second time through while his fastball was most used the third time around.

Sandy Alcantara in May:
0-2, 7.39 ERA across 5 starts, 28 IP, 21 K, .328 opponents average, 1.61 WHIP

Sandy Alcantara in June:
2-0, 2.57 ERA across 2 starts, 14 IP, 12 K, .245 opponents average, 0.93 WHIP

A huge turnaround for himself so far this month #Marlins

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) June 7, 2026

Otto Lopez Multi-Extra Base Hit Game

Failing to provide Alcantara with run support in the game, the Marlins finally broke through on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. Lopez hit a triple, his third of the season, which scored Liam Hicks. Lopez then scored on a sac fly from Kyle Stowers, which gave Miami a 2-1 lead after the sixth.

Otto Lopez breaks the game even for the #Marlins with his third triple of the season pic.twitter.com/ZCFGh93Ro0

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) June 7, 2026

In the seventh, Miami went back to work. Estuery Ruiz and Jakob Marsee both had patient at-bats and got walked. Then, both would go on to have successful double steals. Marsee leads the team with 16 stolen bases, and Ruiz is second with 11. The Marlins led the majors with 75 stolen bases.

With Joe Mack batting, he was able to reach base on a fielder’s choice, causing both runners on base to score, making it a 4-1 contest.

Joe Mack reaches base on a fielder's choice. Estuery Ruiz scores and then Jakob Marsee scores on a throwing error from Hunter Feduccia. #Marlins lead 4-1 pic.twitter.com/O1f112K6vN

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) June 7, 2026

Lopez finished with two of the Marlins’ five hits in the game. He finished the game, raising his average to .336, tied with Brandon Marsh from the Phillies for first in the MLB. For Lopez, it was his 26th multi-hit game and just the third where at least two were extra-base hits.

Bullpen Shines on 6-7 Day

With today being June 7th, the Marlins celebrated 6-7 Day alongside fans at Loan Depot Park in fitting fashion by scoring all their runs in both the sixth and seventh innings of the game.

Today is June 7th (6/7) and the #Marlins sure are celebrating 6-7 Day with two runs scored in both the 6th and 7th inning

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) June 7, 2026

The bullpen ensured that those series of runs were the deciding factor in today’s game. Michael Petersen earned his eighth hold of the season after striking out both Hunter Feduccia and Taylor Wells in the eighth inning.

Anthony Bender got the save in the final frame, ending it by getting Cedric Mullins to take a strike three call, which led to an eruption of chants at the ballpark.

Up Next

The Marlins have an off day tomorrow before facing the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game set starting Tuesday at 6:40 PM.

About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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