Church Homers, Burleson Drives in Two as St. Louis Cardinals Hold Off Late Rally to Beat Miami Marlins 5–3 on Tuesday Night
The St. Louis Cardinals built an early lead behind timely hitting and a strong outing from Dustin May, then held off a late rally by the Miami Marlins to secure a 5–3 victory Tuesday night. Nathan Church delivered the game’s biggest swing with a two-run homer, while Alec Burleson drove in two runs to help St. Louis control the pace early and withstand pressure late.
St. Louis jumped on Marlins starter Chris Paddack right away. JJ Wetherholt opened the game with a double and later scored the Cardinals’ first run on Burleson’s RBI single in the opening inning. Burleson added another RBI in the third on a fielder’s choice grounder, giving the Cardinals a quick 2–0 advantage.
Masyn Winn continued his hot stretch at the top of the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. The shortstop now has multiple hits in three straight games during an eight-game hitting streak, providing steady offensive momentum.
The Cardinals created separation in the fourth inning when Church launched a two-run homer—his second of the season—after Winn opened the frame with a single. The blast pushed the lead to 4–1 and gave May breathing room on the mound.
St. Louis added its final run in the fifth inning. Burleson doubled and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Nolan Gorman to make it 5–1.
Jordan Walker finished 0-for-4, snapping his 15-game hitting streak.
Dustin May (3–2) allowed a leadoff home run to Jakob Marsee—his first of the season—but quickly regrouped and delivered a steady performance. The right-hander worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits before departing with one on and one out in the sixth inning.
Justin Bruihl followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to maintain the Cardinals’ advantage through the middle frames.
Miami threatened in the eighth inning after Ryne Stanek issued three walks to load the bases with two outs. Heriberto Hernández delivered a clutch two-run single to cut the deficit to 5–3 and bring the tying run to the plate.
George Soriano entered and struck out Connor Norby to end the rally and preserve the Cardinals’ lead.
Riley O’Brien then handled the ninth inning for his seventh save in eight opportunities. The right-hander has yet to allow an earned run through his first 13 1/3 innings this season, continuing an impressive start out of the bullpen.
Wetherholt scored twice after his leadoff double set the tone early, while Marsee paced Miami’s offense with a 3-for-4 night at the plate.
Chris Paddack (0–4) struck out seven but allowed five runs on eight hits across 4 2/3 innings before exiting. Reliever John King recorded the final out of the fifth and added a scoreless sixth inning in relief.
Adding a memorable pregame moment, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza of the national champion Indiana Hoosiers threw out the ceremonial first pitch, drawing cheers from the crowd before the first inning began.
Behind early offense, steady pitching from May, and a composed finish from the bullpen, the Cardinals secured a well-earned win and kept their momentum moving forward.
Marlins Beat Cardinals 4–1 on Wednesday Afternoon as the Miami Marlins Wrapped Up a Strong Midweek Series
The Miami Marlins used a crisp, pitching-driven performance Wednesday afternoon, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4–1 to secure two wins in the three-game set.
Miami leaned on a bullpen-heavy approach behind starter Janson Junk, who delivered an efficient outing to set the tone. Junk (1–2) allowed just one hit over five innings, walking one and striking out two before exiting after only 56 pitches as part of a planned workload strategy. The right-hander’s command helped keep St. Louis off balance early and preserved the Marlins’ early advantage.
Five relievers followed and combined to finish off a three-hitter. Andrew Nardi handled the sixth inning, Anthony Bender worked a clean seventh, and Michael Petersen struck out the side during a dominant eighth. After the Cardinals finally broke through with a ninth-inning homer by Iván Herrera, Pete Fairbanks entered to secure the final two outs and record his fifth save of the season.
Offensively, Miami struck early and kept steady pressure on St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy. The Marlins opened the scoring in the second inning when Owen Caissie delivered an RBI single and Jakob Marsee drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2–0.
Marsee later added another single in the fourth, and Agustín Ramírez contributed an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead. Ramírez finished with two hits and an RBI, while Javier Sanoja paced the lineup with three hits as Miami collected eight total on the afternoon.
Leahy (2–3) worked five innings for St. Louis but surrendered four runs on eight hits. He walked three, struck out two and also hit a batter in a difficult outing.
The Cardinals’ lineup was without several regular starters, as Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson were given the day off. Miami also rested 2025 All-Star slugger Kyle Stowers as manager Clayton McCullough continues to build his conditioning following a recent return from the injured list.
With the victory, the Marlins claimed two of three games in the series and carried positive momentum into their upcoming West Coast trip.
St. Louis opens a three-game home series Friday against Seattle, with Andre Pallante scheduled to face George Kirby. Meanwhile, Miami begins a three-game road set in San Francisco, where Sandy Alcantara is slated to oppose Adrian Houser.
