Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks’ throwing error allowed two runs to score in the bottom of the ninth as the host Miami Marlins walked off to earn a 10-9 win over St. Louis on Wednesday night.
With the Cardinals leading 9-8 with one out in the ninth, the Marlins had runners on first and second. Hicks fielded Joey Wendle’s soft grounder and had plenty of time to make the play at first, but he double-clutched and threw over Paul Goldschmidt’s head as Garrett Hampson and Yuli Gurriel scored.
The Marlins also got three RBIs from Garrett Cooper, and Bryan De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
Nolan Arenado led the Cardinals by going 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBIs and two runs. St. Louis also got a two-run homer from Nolan Gorman and three hits from Brendan Donovan.
Neither starting pitcher earned a decision.
The Cardinals’ Matthew Liberatore lasted just one-third of an inning, allowing four runs on five hits. Miami’s Bryan Hoeing surrendered five runs on five hits in three innings after wasting a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, Miami’s first five batters reached. An RBI single from De La Cruz, Cooper’s two-run double and Dane Myers’ run-scoring single gifted the Marlins a 4-0 lead by the end of the frame.
Miami extended its lead to 5-0 in the second as Jean Segura drew a bases-loaded walk.
St. Louis tied the score in the third. Arenado slugged a two-run double before Willson Contreras slapped a run-scoring double and Gorman followed with his homer.
Miami regained the lead, 6-5, on Jacob Stallings’ solo homer in the bottom of the third. St. Louis tied the score on Goldschmidt’s run-scoring, double-play grounder in the fourth.
In the sixth, Jorge Soler walked and scored from first on De La Cruz’s double. Cooper’s single drove in De La Cruz for an 8-6 lead.
The Cardinals cut their deficit to 8-7 in the seventh as Arenado doubled and scored on Contreras’ single.
With St. Louis down to its final strike in the top of the ninth, Jordan Walker gave the Cardinals a 9-8 lead with a two-run homer.
Miami then rallied to beat Hicks (1-5). A.J. Puk (4-2) notched the win.
–Field Level Media