Cardinals Snap Skid with Resilient Win in Miami
The St. Louis Cardinals finally put an end to their five-game losing streak Monday night, piecing together timely hits and capitalizing on Miami’s mistakes to secure an 8–3 victory over the Marlins at LoanDepot Park.
Burleson Delivers in the Seventh
With the game knotted at 3–3 in the seventh inning, a routine fly ball turned disastrous for Miami. Right fielder Dane Myers misplayed the catch at the warning track, allowing the Cardinals to put a runner in scoring position. Moments later, Alec Burleson, who went 3-for-4 on the night, delivered the go-ahead RBI single to score Iván Herrera.
The Cardinals didn’t stop there. Rookie catcher Pedro Pagés followed with an RBI knock, and when a pitch skipped past Miami’s Agustín Ramírez soon after, Garrett Hampson raced home. On the very next pitch, Nolan Gorman crushed a two-run homer to blow the game open at 8–3.
Miami’s Costly Mistakes
The Marlins unraveled in every way possible: two errors, four wild pitches, three unearned runs, and five walks. Ramírez, who already leads the majors in passed balls, had another slip past him in the seventh that proved pivotal.
On the mound, Eury Pérez etched his name into franchise history for the wrong reason — becoming the first Marlins pitcher ever to throw four wild pitches in a single game.
Defensive Spark for St. Louis
The turning point came an inning earlier. With Miami threatening in the sixth, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras made a clutch grab on a line drive and immediately doubled off a runner at first, halting the rally and keeping the game tied.
Solid Relief and Strong Finish
Reliever Matt Svanson (2–0) earned the win with two steady innings of one-hit ball, while Miami’s Lake Bachar (5–1) was tagged with the loss after allowing four hits in just two innings of work.
The Marlins, now losers of eight of their last 10, got early contributions from Jakob Marslee (sacrifice fly, RBI double) and Eric Wagaman (solo homer), but couldn’t overcome their mistakes.
What’s Next
The series continues Tuesday night. Miami will send Edward Cabrera (6–6, 3.34 ERA) to the mound against St. Louis right-hander Michael McGreevy (4–2, 4.41 ERA).