A win: Miami Marlins dominate Cardinals in series finale to snap 0-9 start to season
It took until the 10th game of the season, but the Miami Marlins are finally in the win column.
Max Meyer pitched six strong innings, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon each hit first-inning home runs to give Miami a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in a 10-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at Busch Stadium.
Miami is now 1-9 on the season. The Cardinals are 5-5.
The nine-game losing streak to start the season was the longest in franchise history to open a campaign and the eighth time ever the Marlins had lost at least nine consecutive games at any point in a season.
Chisholm and Gordon gave the Marlins all the runs they would need in the first inning when each hit a three-run home run off Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson. Chisholm’s home run went a projected 412 feet to right-center, while Gordon’s went 397 feet to right.
A Josh Bell RBI groundout in the second scored Luis Arraez, who led off the frame with a triple, to push Miami’s lead to 7-0. A Jake Burger RBI double in the seventh then scored Arraez and Miami scored two more runs in the eighth. Arraez finished the game with four hits and three runs scored.
Meanwhile, a stellar outing from Meyer made sure the lead stayed intact.
Meyer, Miami’s third-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, became the first Marlins pitcher this season to pitch six innings. He retired the first 13 batters he faced before giving up a solo home run to Nolan Gorman — which Chisholm nearly robbed with a leaping grab but the ball popped out of his glove. Meyer allowed just three more baserunners the rest of his out but stranded them. He struck out three.
Andrew Nardi followed Meyer with a perfect seventh inning before George Soriano pitched a scoreless eighth and Matt Andriese held the Cardinals to two runs in the ninth (albeit after a 45-minute rain delay) to seal Miami’s first win of the 2024 season.
Rehab updates
Marlins starting pitchers Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett both made rehab starts with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp over the past few days.
Cabrera on Friday threw four innings, giving up one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out one.
Garrett on Sunday threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out five and not issuing a walk.
Up next
The Marlins continue their first road trip of the season with a three-game series against the New York Yankees.
