Alcantara (1-0) threw eight shutout innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts and no walks to beat the Rockies 3-0 on Sunday.
The 23-year-old threw seven shutout innings against the Phillies last September, which was previously the longest outing of his career. Alcantara is a candidate to strike out one per inning this season, but in his first 14 MLB appearances, he's also posted a 6.2 BB/9 rate. Seeing Alcantara display excellent control in his first 2019 start is a good sign that he has a chance to remain worthy of a rotation spot, given questions about that possibility in recent years.