Sandy Alcantara pitched a four-hit shutout and every position player had at least one hit as the Miami Marlins avoided a sweep by beating the visiting Kansas City Royals 9-0 on Sunday.
Alcantara (5-12) didn't allow a leadoff batter to reach until the eighth inning, when he got out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam with a double-play grounder to shortstop.
The Royals had outscored the Marlins 10-2 in the first two games of the series.
Alcantara, a 2019 All-Star, struck out eight and walked two while throwing 102 pitches. It was his best start since a two-hit shutout against the New York Mets on May 19.
Mike Montgomery (3-8) took the loss for Kansas City. He gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings.
One day after being shut out for the 21st time this season -- the most in the majors in the past 11 years -- the Marlins scored in the first with a one-out home run by Starlin Castro. The Marlins loaded the bases against Montgomery with one out, but Martin Prado grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Marlins got four more runs in the fourth.
Isan Diaz singled up the middle, driving in Jorge Alfaro and Martin Prado. Lewis Brinson singled in Diaz, and, after Alcantara's sacrifice bunt, Miguel Rojas drove in Brinson with a single to give the Marlins a 5-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Alcantara continued to roll. With an eight-pitch fifth, he had thrown only 45 pitches through five innings.
The Marlins got two more runs in the fifth on a fielder's choice RBI by Harold Ramirez and a bases-loaded walk to Brinson.
Rojas and Castro stroked back-to-back doubles in the sixth to give the Marlins their eighth run, before Ramirez drove in Castro to make the lead 9-0.
--Field Level Media