Marlins salvage series with Cardinals
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}John Buck and Logan Morrison smacked back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the latter providing the go-ahead run, as the Miami Marlins downed the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game set.
Buck provided two hits and knocked in a pair, while Omar Infante added an RBI double and a run scored for Miami, which had lost 17 of its previous 20 games.
Anibal Sanchez (4-6) surrendered three runs on seven hits and two walks in seven innings, while Heath Bell worked around a single in the ninth to notch his 15th save of the year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tony Cruz registered two hits, including his first career homer, for the Cardinals, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
"Any time you beat the Cardinals it's a good win," said Buck, "especially when they're playing that well. Hopefully it can be momentum we can build on and start our own little stretch."
With the game tied at 2-2 heading into the seventh, Cruz cracked a solo shot into left-center for a 3-2 St. Louis edge, but the lead was short- lived as Buck and Morrison's back-to-back blasts in the home half gave Miami a 4-3 advantage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Buck laced a 1-0 fastball from Fernando Salas into the seats in left. Sam Freeman (0-1) replaced Salas on the mound and Morrison, pinch-hitting for Sanchez, scalded a screamer that ricocheted off the top of the wall and clanked off a railing before landing back onto the field of play.
The umpiring crew never credited Morrison with a homer as he trotted into second but, upon further review, the ruling was overturned.
The Marlins tacked on a run in the eighth on Infante's run-scoring double down the left field line, pushing the margin to 5-3.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cardinals manager Mike Matheny wasn't too upset with the loss.
"Five consecutive wins is always a positive," he said. "They guys need to remember that. That was a good run."
Earlier, the Cardinals struck first with a pair of runs in the opening frame but the Marlins retaliated with two in the fifth to tie the contest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jon Jay walked and Matt Holliday doubled to put runners on the second and third. Carlos Beltran lifted a sacrifice fly to left, plating Jay, before David Freese ripped a double to left, bringing home Holliday for a 2-0 lead.
Infante and Gaby Sanchez worked back-to-back walks to start the fifth before Buck singled back up the middle to plate Infante. Jose Reyes' RBI groundout knotted the score at two.
Game Notes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cardinals starter Joe Kelly allowed two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings...St. Louis was 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position while Miami finished 2-for-8 with RISP.