Jack Flaherty took charge right from the beginning in Thursday’s series finale against the Miami Marlins. The St. Louis Cardinals’ right-hander aimed to set the tone early and did just that, pitching shutout ball for his second consecutive start, leading the Cardinals to a 3-0 victory and helping them avoid a series sweep.
After dropping the first three games of the series, including a heartbreaking 10-9 walk-off loss on Wednesday night, the Cardinals were determined to salvage a win. Flaherty (6-5) played a pivotal role, striking out five batters, walking two, and allowing nine hits over his six scoreless innings. This strong performance follows his previous outing against the New York Yankees on July 1, where he also threw six scoreless innings. As a result, Flaherty has managed to lower his ERA from 4.95 to 4.27 in his last two starts.
In the seventh inning, with Miami threatening to score, Chris Stratton came in to relieve Flaherty and worked out of a bases-loaded jam, getting Jesús Sánchez to hit into an inning-ending forceout.
Despite giving up two singles to Luis Arraez and one to Jorge Soler, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol decided to keep Flaherty in the game to face one more hitter. Flaherty ultimately walked Bryan De La Cruz on his season-high 111th pitch. Marmol explained his decision, stating, “It was just a matter of making sure he had something left in the tank, one more hitter. And he said he did. It was his game at that point, and I wanted to see that at-bat. He wanted it, too.”
Giovanny Gallegos pitched a perfect eighth inning, and Jordan Hicks, who had an unfortunate throwing error the previous night, closed out the game with three outs to secure his sixth save.
Miami struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position throughout the game, going 1 for 9 in those situations during the first seven innings.
Nolan Arenado provided the offensive spark for St. Louis, hitting a solo home run off Marlins rookie Eury Pérez in the sixth inning. Arenado’s 17th home run of the season traveled 405 feet to right-center field, tying him with Nolan Gorman for the team lead.
Reflecting on the series, Arenado said, “I feel we could have won three out of four. But that’s how baseball works. We ended up losing three out of four. That’s how the first half has gone.”
Pérez (5-3) pitched well for the Marlins, striking out seven batters, walking two, and allowing three hits over six innings. He was replaced by Dylan Floro after throwing a season-high 93 pitches. In Pérez’s previous start against the Atlanta Braves on July 1, he lasted only one-third of an inning and gave up six runs and seven hits in a 7-0 loss.
Luis Arraez continued his impressive season for the Marlins, recording his 12th three-hit game of the year and his first multi-hit game of the series. He currently leads the MLB with a .389 batting average.
The Cardinals added two more runs in the game. Alec Burleson singled in the seventh inning, scoring Gorman and extending the lead to 2-0. Gorman then drove in Lars Nootbaar in the eighth inning with a double.
Miami, which scored a total of 30 runs in the first three games of the series, struggled offensively against the Cardinals’ pitching staff. This came after a series against the Atlanta Braves in which the Marlins managed just seven runs in three games.
Before the game, Arraez and Soler were recognized for their All-Star selections. Arraez will be the NL’s starting second baseman, while Soler is tied for sixth in the league with 22 home runs.
In a roster move, the Cardinals optioned left-hander Matthew Liberatore to Triple-A Memphis and called up rookie right-hander Kyle Leahy from Memphis. Liberatore was pulled from Wednesday night’s game after allowing five hits, a walk, and four runs against the first seven batters he faced.
In terms of injuries, Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman had an MRI on his right wrist but still came in as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. Edman was a late scratch in Wednesday’s game due to wrist pain during pregame batting practice. Marlins center fielder Jonathan Davis underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee and is expected to recover in three-to-six months.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals will face the Chicago White Sox in a three-game series before the All-Star break. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (6-7, 3.28 ERA) is set to start Game 1. Meanwhile, the Marlins will host the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series before the break, with right-hander Sandy Alcantara (3-7, 4.93 ERA) taking the mound in Game 1.