Marlins vs A's Preview: Alcántara Faces Civale in Week 67 Clash

You just watched Miami demolish Oakland 12-5 yesterday. The Marlins' hitters came out swinging like they had something to prove. Stowers smashed two homers. Hernández launched a bomb over center field. This isn't a team playing small ball — they're looking to pile on runs early and often. Oakland's pitchers gave up six runs in the first inning alone. That's the kind of start that puts teams in deep trouble fast. Now Miami comes back Sunday with Sandy Alcántara on the mound. He's got a 2.74 ERA and the best record on the staff at 6-0. The Marlins smell blood in the water.

Oakland is struggling. The A's are 41-46 and playing below .500 at home. Aaron Civale starts today and his numbers are rough — a 7.41 ERA and 1.76 WHIP tell you he's been getting hit hard. He's only 1-1 on the season. Miami's bats will come hunting. The Marlins averaged nearly six runs per inning yesterday. That kind of offensive power can make any pitcher sweat. Civale needs to find control and throw strikes. One bad inning and this game gets out of hand. Oakland's bullpen has to be ready to come in early if things fall apart.

Oakland just lost to Miami big time. The A's are playing at Sutter Health Park where they're only 19-25. That's not great. The Marlins are 46-42 overall but they just proved they can score runs in bunches. Miami has been rolling lately too — six wins in their last ten games. Oakland won yesterday's game before the massacre, sure, but one win doesn't fix everything. The A's need their pitching to be sharp. They need their hitters to match Miami's firepower. This is a must-win situation. Lose this game and the hole gets deeper.