All Sandy Alcantara could do was look up and watch.
C.J. Cron sent Alcantara’s 88.3-mph slider — his 36th pitch of the fourth inning, his 75th pitch of the game, his final pitch of the night — a projected 456 feet to left field for a three-run home run. Alcantara stood there stoic as Cron rounded the bases for the second time, the third home run he gave up.
And then, he made the slow walk to the dugout as acting manager James Rowson walked to the mound and took the ball from his ace.
There was no coming back at that point for the Miami Marlins, who lost to the Colorado Rockies, 14-2, on Friday at Coors Field to begin a three-game series. Miami is 47-63. Colorado is 49-61.
Alcantara gave up a career-high 10 runs on 10 hits (the second-most he has ever allowed in a game), two walks and a hit by pitch while striking out just two over 3 2/3 innings. He also gave up three home runs for the third time in his career and the first time since July 31, 2019. Eleven of the 20 balls the Rockies put in play against Alcantara had an exit velocity of at least 99.6 mph.
Eight of those 10 runs he gave up came in the fourth, which unfolded as follows:
— Alcantara hit Cron with a 96.7-mph sinker to lead off the inning.
— Elias Diaz hit a sharp ground ball up the middle to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who had no play. Infield single.
— Sam Hillard sent a change-up to right-center field for an RBI double. Cron scored. Rockies lead 3-0.
— Alcantara then recorded his first two outs of the inning, a pair of groundouts to German Marquez and Raimel Tapia, although Tapia’s grounder scored Diaz. Rockies lead 4-0.
— Brendan Rodgers blooped a soft line drive into right field for an RBI single. Hillard scored. Rockies lead 5-0.
— Charlie Blackmon sent a 1-0 slider 386 feet to left field for a two-run home run. Rockies led 7-0.
— Trevor Story hit a double to left field and Ryan McMahon drew a full-count walk before Cron hit his second home run of the game. 10-0 Rockies. Alcantara’s night was over.
Steven Okert, who replaced Alcantara in the fourth, also gave up a solo home run, a 439-foot shot to Diaz, before getting out of the inning.
Now, the Marlins’ offense didn’t fare much better. They didn’t record a hit until Bryan De La Cruz’s one-out single in the fifth and didn’t score a run until the seventh when Magneuris Sierra’s infield single scored Joe Panik from third. Miguel Rojas hit a solo home run in the eighth.
Catcher Sandy Leon also pitched the eighth inning, giving up three runs on four hits (including a two-run home run from McMahon) while recording a strikeout.
