Marlins vs Cardinals Recap: Late Run Lifts St. Louis

The Miami Marlins arrived at Busch Stadium in St. Louis riding a tough loss from the night before. They'd been dismantled 5-1 and then shut out 4-0 in back-to-back games. Now they were desperate to bounce back. Miami's Tyler Phillips took the mound looking to stop the bleeding. But in the second inning, Cardinals catcher Bryan Torres stepped up and changed everything. Phillips fired a 95 mph sinker right down the middle. Torres locked in and crushed it. The ball rocketed to right field and soared over the wall. Masyn Winn scored ahead of him. Just like that, the Cardinals led 2-0. St. Louis smelled blood in the water. The Marlins needed to answer fast.

The Marlins fought back in the fifth inning. Graham Pauley stepped into the batter's box facing Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy. Leahy threw an 81 mph curve ball. Pauley made solid contact and drove a ground rule double to right field. Owen Caissie was off like a rocket, sprinting home to score. Miami was back in the game, trailing just 2-1. The runs weren't coming easy for either team. Both pitching staffs were grinding through tight at-bats. St. Louis' JJ Wetherholt had doubled earlier in the game, showing the Cardinals could hit when it mattered. But the Marlins' bats were slowly waking up. Pauley's double gave Miami hope. They still had innings left to tie this game up.

The rest of the game became a pitcher's duel. St. Louis' bullpen took over, and they were untouchable. JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, George Soriano, and closer Riley O'Brien combined to shut down Miami's offense completely. No more runs scored. The final score stayed 2-1 for St. Louis. The Cardinals improved to 43-38 with this crucial win, pulling themselves out of a rough stretch. The Marlins fell to 44-40, knowing they had chances but couldn't capitalize. Miami's pitching had been solid—Tyler Phillips threw 7 innings of tough baseball. But sometimes one mistake—like Torres' home run—is all a team needs. The Cardinals walked off victorious. These two teams still had games ahead of them this season, but today belonged to St. Louis.