MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — Max Meyer overpowered the St. Louis lineup with a season-high eight strikeouts and the Miami Marlins rallied with a pair of key two-out hits to secure a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night at loanDepot Park.

A crowd of 8,285 watched the Marlins improve to 11-12, while the Cardinals fell to 13-9. The game lasted 2 hours, 32 minutes.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the sixth inning, turning a one-run deficit into a lead Miami would not relinquish. Trailing 3-2, the Marlins ignited a rally against Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy. After a strikeout, Kyle Stowers singled and Otto Lopez followed with an RBI double to tie the game. A walk put two men on for Liam Hicks, who delivered the decisive blow with a single to center field. Lopez scored easily, but a perfect relay from center fielder Victor Scott II to shortstop Masyn Winn to catcher Iván Herrera cut down Xavier Edwards at the plate, limiting the damage but putting Miami ahead 4-3.

That rally made a winner of Calvin Faucher (2-2), who recorded two outs in relief. McGreevy (1-2) took the loss, charged with four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Pete Fairbanks earned his fourth save despite allowing a run in the ninth.

The game was a pitcher’s duel early, dominated by Meyer. The Marlins’ right-hander was electric, scattering three hits and allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. He consistently worked ahead, generating 15 swinging strikes and neutralizing a Cardinals offense that had averaged over six runs per game during a three-game sweep in Houston over the weekend.

St. Louis scratched out its first run in the fourth without a hard-hit ball. Jordan Walker singled, Nolan Gorman walked, and Masyn Winn lifted a sacrifice fly to left field. They added another in the sixth on a walk, a single by Winn, and a pair of productive outs.

Miami, however, chipped away. They halved the deficit in the fourth on a ground-rule double by Xavier Edwards, then tied it in the fifth on a solo home run by Agustín Ramírez, his second of the year, to straightaway center field.

The Marlins’ bullpen, after the sixth-inning rally, slammed the door. Andrew Nardi worked 1 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts. Anthony Bender followed by striking out both batters he faced in the eighth. After Hicks provided a critical insurance run with another RBI single in the eighth, Fairbanks closed it in the ninth. Winn led off with a triple and scored on Ramón Urías’ sacrifice fly, but Fairbanks struck out Thomas Saggese and José Fermín to end the game.

The Cardinals’ offense, which produced just five hits, never solved Meyer’s mix of high-velocity fastballs and sharp sliders. They put two men on via hit-by-pitch in the first but failed to score, setting a tone for a night of missed opportunities. Miami’s six hits were timely, with Hicks leading the way by driving in two runs.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 7-2 Cardinals win. Miami’s ELO probability to win was 52.2%, and they covered the pregame spread of -1.5.

Meyer’s performance continued a strong start to his season, lowering his ERA to 3.00 over three starts. For St. Louis, the loss snapped a three-game winning streak.

The two teams continue their series Tuesday night in Miami. The Cardinals will look to even the set before heading home to face Seattle, while the Marlins aim for a series win before embarking on a West Coast road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles.