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.
“I’m just happy for the guys,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “They can actually smile and breathe a little bit. Celebrating in there after a long week, 10 days, two weeks whatever you want to call it, it just feels really good to be able to smile in there.”
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.
While waiting this deep into the season has led to some frustration internally, the Marlins did what they could inside the clubhouse to stay upbeat and know a day like Sunday would eventually come.
“It’s always hard going through a losing streak as a team,” Chisholm said, “but for us, I feel like we kept it positive in a great way. We were always positive. We were doing different rituals — guys going into the shower in their jerseys, everybody laughing. We kept up the laughter and the positivity.”
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.
“The name of the game is winning,” Gordon said. “It definitely feels good to win.”
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.
“Obviously getting a 6-0 lead off the bat takes a little bit of pressure off, but you’ve still gotta lock in. I felt great throughout. The infielders picked me up, had a lot of really nice plays. We’re just trying to get ahead and throw the least amount of pitches as possible.”
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.
“I manage the same way if we were 0-9 or 9-0,” Schumaker said. “I think the mentality is you go about it the same way as far as the process and the game planning and try to put the guys in the right position to succeed. It was a nice win. We’re one for our last one. That’s all I remember. That’s how I look at it.”
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.
This story was originally published April 7, 2024 at 5:28 PM.
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