Marlins get crushing news on reigning NL Cy Young winner amid playoff push
The Miami Marlins placed ace Sandy Alcantara on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with just 24 games left in the season and the team battling for a spot in the playoffs.
In addition to losing the reigning National League Cy Young award winner for the foreseeable future, the Marlins also put All-Star designated hitter Jorge Soler on the 10-day IL with an oblique issue.
Alcantara is having a disappointing 2023 campaign but is still the unquestioned No. 1 in a young Miami starting rotation. After going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, plus a league-leading six complete games (one shutout) and 228 2/3 innings pitched last year, Alcantara has gone just 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA this season.
The righty has shown flashes of his Cy Young form this year (particularly in the second half), with an NL-best three complete games, including one shutout. Alcantara went 3-7 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 18 starts in the first half but has gone 4-5 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in the second half.
One of his best outings of the campaign came Aug. 12 at home against the New York Yankees, when he went all nine innings and allowed just one run on five hits with two walks against a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Alcantara most recently pitched on Sunday, earning the win after going eight innings and surrendering four runs (two earned) on nine hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Soler, meanwhile, is not only a first-time All-Star this season, two-time World Series champion and one-time World Series MVP, but the Marlins best power source as well.
The 31-year-old's 35 home runs this season lead the team and rank fifth in the NL, while his 71 RBI are tied with leftfielder Bryan De La Cruz for the Miami lead.
Soler missed five contests with right hip tightness before returning to the Marlins lineup on Tuesday.
According to a report from MLB.com's Christina De Nicola, oblique problems are nothing new for the former World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. Per De Nicola, Soler spent time on the IL with an oblique strain during his time with the Kansas City Royals in 2020 and 2021.
Miami (71-67) is just a half of a game behind the Cincinnati Reds (73-68) for the third and final wild-card spot in the NL, but also only a half of a game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (71-68) and 1 1/2 games north of the San Francisco Giants (70-69).
The Marlins haven't made the postseason since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign..
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