WASHINGTON _ The grounds crew at National Park had a hard time keeping the bases pristine white on Monday due to the steady drizzle that fell throughout the evening and the constant stream of mud-spiked foot traffic resulting from the poor pitching of Sandy Alcantara and Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg was bad. But Alcantara was worse.
The Marlins lost 7-3 for two major reasons: they never managed to break through against Strasburg despite forcing him to throw 100 pitches in only four innings while the Nationals made Alcantara pay for his many mistakes.
Alcantara, like Strasburg, only managed to make it through four. But his outing was as messy as the weather.
He gave up seven hits. He walked five. And though he was able to wiggle out of jams in two of the four frames, he was unable to do so in a disastrous fourth inning in which he gave up home runs on consecutive pitches to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto.
It was the second straight poor performance by Alcantara, whom the Marlins are counting on for their starting rotation next season. Alcantara's pitching line last week against the Nationals was nearly identical to his one Monday, with a lack of strike zone command leading to his downfall in each.
He walked 11 batters in only eight total innings of work in the two games.
Strasburg wasn't much better on Monday, walking four. But he limited the damage, holding the Marlins to a run during his short stint. The Marlins stranded 10 batters in the first five innings, including the bases loaded in the fifth when reliever Justin Miller struck out Magneirus Sierra and pinch-hitter Rafael Ortega to avoid a big inning.
