(Reuters) — Otto Lopez stroked a go-ahead, RBI double in the sixth inning as the host Miami Marlins ended St. Louis’ five-game win streak by defeating the Cardinals 5-3 on Monday night.
Pete Fairbanks pitched a one-run ninth to earn his fourth save. He was part of a Marlins bullpen that combined to pitch 3 2/3 innings, allowing just that one run.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 15 games. That’s two games short of the career-best streak he had as a rookie in 2023.
Marlins starter Max Meyer got a no-decision, allowing three hits, two walks and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Michael McGreevy (1-2) retired the first 10 Marlins batters but took the loss. He lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, two walks and four runs.
St. Louis opened the scoring in the fourth. Walker singled on a 112-mph grounder to center. He stole second, advanced on a bounced wild pitch and scored on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly.
Miami tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Kyle Stowers walked on four pitches, advanced on a groundout and scored on Xavier Edwards’ ground-rule double.
The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on Agustin Ramirez’s 411-foot homer to left-center.
St. Louis made it 2-2 in the sixth as Walker walked, went to third on a Winn single and scored on reliever Calvin Faucher’s wild pitch.
Miami grabbed a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth as Stowers singled and scored from first on Lopez’s double down the third-base line. Edwards then walked, and Liam Hicks followed with an RBI single.
The Marlins nearly got more on that play, but Cardinals rocket-armed shortstop Winn’s relay throw to the plate got the speedy Edwards, who was trying to score from first on Hicks’ single.
St. Louis pulled McGreevy at that point, and reliever Matt Svanson got Ramirez on a groundout to end the threat.
The Marlins added an insurance run in the eighth. Lopez and Edwards walked, and Hicks delivered an RBI single.
Winn led off the ninth with a triple and scored on Ramon Urias’ sacrifice fly, but that was all for the Cardinals.
