Alcantara goes deep, Joe Mack blasts as Marlins end skid with 2-0 win over Mets

The Marlins slowed the game down and then flipped the momentum with one swing. In Sunday afternoon’s 2-0 win over the Mets at Citi Field, Miami got six-plus innings from right-hander Sandy Alcantara and a home run from batterymate Joe Mack, turning an otherwise tight matchup into a clean series statement.

Alcantara’s outing was built for innings and command, giving the Marlins a platform to protect the lead as the game tightened. With Miami trailing for a stretch earlier in the season, the performance stood out as the kind that helps stabilize a pitching staff and preserve late-game leverage, especially in a ballpark where run scoring can swing quickly.

Mack’s home run provided the decisive difference. By producing the only tally in a game that finished 2-0, the Marlins’ in-game decisions and execution aligned with the best possible result for a team looking to reset after a difficult run.

Miami’s wider context made the win more than a one-day result. The organization had been coming off a franchise-record 12-game skid, then followed Sunday’s victory with a return to form, winning six of seven leading into Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

That timing matters for roster-building, even without announcing specific moves from the game itself. A stretch like this can influence the internal tone around evaluation: what is working in the current lineup, which pitchers can be trusted for meaningful innings, and what kind of depth the club will prioritize as it decides whether to buy, sell, or stay balanced through deadline week.

For the Mets, the result was a reminder that even at home, runs can be scarce when the starting pitching holds the opponent at arm’s length. Miami’s ability to score once and then hold it over a longer outing gives the Mets another data point heading into the next set of matchups, but it also underscores how quickly a series can narrow after one controlled performance.

What to watch next is whether the Marlins can carry the momentum beyond the Deadline window. The club has shown it can win while limiting damage, but consistency will be the measure. If Alcantara and the rest of the rotation continue to deliver similar quality, Miami’s current surge could become more than a brief correction.