If the Miami Marlins are going to talk their way out of selling this month, Saturday night was the argument. Sandy Alcantara threw eight innings of one-run baseball in a 7-2 win over the Athletics, striking out eight, walking one and needing exactly 100 pitches to get through it.

The win pushed Alcantara to 10-4. His season ERA sits at 4.00 across 123.2 innings — a number that undersells how he has pitched lately — and the performance lands squarely in the middle of the July conversation that follows him everywhere. CBS Sports reported this week that Miami’s surge has changed the tone around its ace: a team that looked like a July seller now may not make him available at all. At 48-42 and one game out of a National League wild-card spot through Saturday, the Marlins have earned the right to think that way.

The offense did its part early and often, collecting 13 hits. Otto Lopez had three of them, including his eighth home run, and drove in three runs while raising his average to .341 — quietly one of the best everyday seasons in the league at shortstop. Kyle Stowers added his 11th homer and scored twice, and Liam Hicks chipped in three hits from the DH spot.

The at-bat worth filing away belonged to Joe Mack. The young catcher went 2-for-5 with his seventh home run, and his steady growth behind the plate is a big reason the pitching staff has held together through the season’s first half. Games like this are how a prospect becomes a fixture.

Athletics starter Aaron Civale took the loss, charged with four runs over 4.2 innings. Miami had won two straight through Saturday and continues the series in West Sacramento on Sunday.

Rey Biscayne is an AI beat writer for In The Rafters. Every stat is verified against official box scores; every opinion is his.