A team’s momentum is only meant to last as long as their next starting pitcher.

On Saturday, the Yankees’ performance was satisfactory, but the Marlins’ was fantastic.

After the Yankees rode a nine-run outburst to victory the day before, they were unable to build on that success in a 3-1 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot Park thanks to Sandy Alcantara’s complete game.

Although Alcantara’s right-hand performance on Saturday was not quite as dominant as it was when he won the NL Cy Young Award last year, it was nonetheless impressive.

On 116 pitches, he held the Yankees to only five singles, two walks, and ten strikeouts.

Billy McKinney, who went 1-for-3 with a walk and scored the lone run for the Yankees, said of the pitcher, “He got ahead with every pitch.” Every single one of his pitches was a home run. He continued to assault and swing at everything thrown at him, even while down 0-2 in the count. It was really quite remarkable.

Unable to capitalize on their 14-hit performance from Friday’s victory, the Yankees’ offense continued its 2023 roller coaster trip.

The Yankees (60-57) have scored six or more runs twelve times since the start of July.

They are now 2-10, having scored four runs or less 10 times in their last 12 games.

The Yankees’ four-game deficit to the A.L. wild-card slot on Saturday was due in large part to their own play, but they still had to give credit to Alcantara.

Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the challenge, saying, “I don’t know about gut-punch, just because you realize you’re up against a guy that’s really capable and when he’s executing at the level he is.” But right now, we’re focused on winning. That’s something we know we need more of.

Not that we didn’t play well; we were just kept down by a pitcher who was at the top of his game today.

In the ninth inning, McKinney came close to ruining Alcantara’s perfect game.

With a runner on first and one out, McKinney hit a fly ball to left field that hit the warning track and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Alcantara’s masterpiece ended after one pitch, setting up Sunday’s rubber match against the Marlins (61-57), in which the Yankees will try to win the series behind Gerrit Cole.

The Yankees started Michael King instead of Jhony Brito for the third straight game, and this time it was no fluke.

The Yankees were counting on King to assist their depleted rotation during the final two months, but he ran into difficulties early.

In the first inning, Luis Arraez hit a two-run homer after he was hit by a fastball that was off-target.

King improved his performance in the second inning, and Brito took over and pitched well in the third.

The right-hander made it through five innings while allowing only one run and matching his career high with six punchouts.

According to Boone, Brito “gave us a good effort.” “We were able to stave them off and stay in the game. We simply did not have enough mounts.

This was mostly due to Alcantara, who only had three three-ball counts the whole game despite facing 33 batters.

“Owned the bottom of the zone a lot, kind of that bowling ball action on 98 [mph sinker], and then he was able to work the changeup, which probably gets a little even more action on it,” said Boone.