Miami Needs Alcantara To Be Their Ace In Every Start

Marlins' playoff hopes will diminish if the former Cy Young winner can’t dominate.

August 9, 2023 97 2 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

Miami Needs Alcantara To Be Their Ace In Every Start — Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP

Bettors Can’t Rely On The ‘Sandman’
Deep Dive Into Alcantara’s Betting Stats

The Miami Marlins (58-56) have had a better season than anyone expected. A glance at the Major League Baseball standings shows the Fish just 1.5 games out of a wild card spot, a result most in the Marlins organization would have taken in March. With two wins in their last eight games, including five straight, it’s apparent that they need a stopper on the mound.

Sandy Alcantara has been considered one of the best pitchers in baseball, but from a betting perspective and perhaps from a win/loss perspective, we’re not sure how reliable the 27-year-old is in what should be the prime of his career.

We’re not asking for the Dominican native to have the most wins in the majors this season, but for the Fish to play into October, Sandy Alcantara’s stats must be among the game’s best.

Bettors Can’t Rely On The ‘Sandman’

It’s not brand new MLB betting news that Alcantara has been one of the best right-handers in baseball and also one that professional bettors run away from. If you see the opening number go up on the Fish when the 6-5 200-pounder is on the hill, you can bet it’s the squares giving Miami a lift. Alcantara is just 4-10 this season with an era of 4.28.

There has been very little consistency, with Miami losing four of his last five starts while scoring 14 runs in that span. We’re not going out on a limb when we say that Alcantara is living off his 2022 season when he was 14-9 with a 2.28 era.

Other than a 3-2 mark in 2020, that was the only season of his 7-year career that Alcantara finished with a record better than .500. Don’t get us wrong, he has electric stuff. He can dominate games at times, but if Miami is taking the next step into the postseason, Sandy Alcantara’s stats must be dominate.

Deep Dive Into Alcantara’s Betting Stats

Sandy Alcantara’s stats will be the difference between in or out of the pond for the Fish, but betting numbers are all that matters here; in 2023, Alcantara is just 3-8 as an underdog (-443 units) and 0-3 as a home dog. This tells us that in big spots, Alcantara does not step up and carry his team on his back. In games, the righty has started Miami is just 8-15 (-822 units).

The numbers get worse when you look at it from a career perspective. Miami is just 59-74 (-798 units) when their ace is on the hill and just 28-33 (-79 units) against divisional foes. If you need further proof as to why the ‘wise guys’ run away from Alcantara, against teams .500 or better, the Marlins are just 31-47 (-590 units) in those games.

At this moment, Alcantara’s next start will be against the New York Yankees, Saturday, followed by match-ups at the Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, and then at home against the Tampa Bay Rays to end August. You can bet that Sandy Alcantara’s stats will decide the Marlins’ fate at the end of the month because no team will make the postseason without a legitimate ace on the staff.