Miami Marliins right-handed pitcher Sandy Alcantara, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, expects to start Wednesday against Atlanta. He was pushed back from his scheduled start Saturday with biceps tendinitis.
“It’s nothing where I would have to worry about it,” Alcantara said. “They just wanted to give me time to recover. Everything is good right now. ”
Alcantara is 1-2 with a 5.47 ERA in four starts.
Alcantara, out of the Dominican Republic, went 14-9 in 2022 for the Marlins with an ERA of 2.28. He pitched a National League-leading 228 2/3 innings and struck out 207 with a league-high six complete games and one shutout.
Alcantara, 27, is 35-45 for his career with an ERA of 3.18.
big league dream >> The Pirates called up 33-year-old infielder Drew Maggi from Double-A Altoona. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds was placed on the bereavement list, and first baseman Ji Man Choi (left Achilles strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Maggi is looking for his big league debut. He has played 1,155 games in 13 minor league seasons. He was selected by the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 18, 2021, but never appeared in a game.
“It’s cool, man. It’s emotional,” Shelton said. “When I told a couple guys yesterday, this is what we’re going to do, the smiles on players’ faces is what says it all. Being able to give him a hug this morning, that’s like being able to do something with one of your kids.”
WELCOME TO THE SHOW >> Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Taj Bradley, who will make his third major league start tonight, was asked what his favorite thing is about being a big leaguer and he replied with a smile that it was the clubhouse meals.
“Constant food,” Bradley said. “Take what you like. It’s grocery shopping when I come out of there.”
LONG WEEKEND >> The Colorado Rockies have lost 11 of 12 games and allowed eight home runs in the final three games of a four-game series against the host Philadelphia Phillies, who lost the first game to the Rockies before winning the final three.
“We’re fighting hard,” said manager Bud Black, whose team lost 9-3 Sunday. “We had some opportunities for a bigger hit to stretch our lead or to get more runs and it didn’t happen. We had an opportunity to keep the game close, late. The takeaway is, we’ve got to make better pitches and we’ve got to have better at bats.”
CLIMATE CHANGE >> The Texas Rangers’ home park — Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020 — has a retractable roof primarily because of north Texas’ sapping summer heat. On Sunday, it provided sanctuary from temperatures near 50 degrees at first pitch with intermittent rain.
Sunday’s crowd was 34,916, second largest at Globe Life Field this season to the 38,387 on opening day.
TRAINER’S ROOM >> X-Rays on Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Santiago Espinal came back negative and he has a bruised right wrist. Espinal was hit by a 98 mph fastball from the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole in the second inning Saturday.