Alec Burleson delivered when the St. Louis Cardinals needed it most, going 3-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning to spark an 8-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night, ending the Cardinals’ five-game losing streak.
The decisive moment came in the seventh, when Miami right fielder Dane Myers misplayed a routine catch at the warning track, putting a runner in scoring position. Burleson followed with a sharp RBI single to center, scoring Iván Herrera for a 4-3 lead. Pedro Pagés added an insurance run moments later with an RBI single.
The Marlins unraveled from there. Two defensive errors, three unearned runs, four wild pitches, and five walks allowed kept Miami’s bullpen under pressure. A passed ball by catcher Agustín Ramírez — his league-leading 11th of the year — allowed Garrett Hampson to score in the eighth. On the very next pitch, Nolan Gorman launched a two-run homer to right, putting the Cardinals firmly ahead, 8-3.
“Sometimes it just takes one big hit to get things going,” Burleson said. “Tonight we found a way to keep piling on.”
Matt Svanson (2-0) earned the win with two solid innings of relief, giving up just one hit and striking out one.
Miami’s offense had its chances early. Jakob Marslee drove in a run with a first-inning sacrifice fly and later tied the game at 3 with an RBI double in the sixth. Eric Wagaman added a solo homer in the fourth. But the Cardinals’ defense stole momentum in the sixth when first baseman Willson Contreras snagged a line drive and doubled off the runner at first, ending a key scoring threat.
That defensive gem proved pivotal. “We had a chance to flip the game right there,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Instead, it was a double play and the momentum swung.”
Reliever Lake Bachar (5-1) was charged with the loss, allowing four hits and two runs in two innings.
The Marlins’ pitching woes extended beyond the bullpen. Starter Eury Pérez made unwanted franchise history, becoming the first Miami pitcher ever to throw four wild pitches in a game.
Contreras’ unassisted double play in the sixth kept the game tied and set up the Cardinals’ seventh-inning surge.
Four wild pitches by Pérez marked a franchise single-game record for the Marlins. The series continues Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park. Edward Cabrera (6-6, 3.34 ERA) takes the mound for Miami against St. Louis right-hander Michael McGreevy (4-2, 4.41).
