ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Max Meyer pitched seven shutout innings and the Miami Marlins broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the eighth inning before adding two more in the ninth Friday night, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 at Busch Stadium III.

Meyer improved to 9-0 on the season, striking out six and allowing three hits over seven innings. The right-hander walked one and hit a batter, lowering his ERA to 2.89. Miami’s bullpen completed the shutout with two scoreless innings, with left-hander Andrew Nardi working a perfect eighth and Anthony Maldonado retiring the side in the ninth.

The Marlins improved to 43-39 with their fourth win in five games, while the Cardinals dropped to 42-37, losing for the sixth time in seven contests.

St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy matched Meyer for much of the night, yielding four hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one, but the Cardinals could not provide him any run support.

The game remained scoreless through six innings as both pitchers dominated. McGreevy escaped a second-inning jam after Owen Caissie singled with one out but was erased on a double play grounder by Joe Mack. Meyer, meanwhile, retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, allowing only a second-inning single to Jordan Walker.

St. Louis mounted its best threat in the seventh inning against Meyer. Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch to lead off, and Alec Burleson walked. Jordan Walker grounded into a force out that erased Burleson but left runners at the corners. Lars Nootbaar walked to load the bases with one out. Masyn Winn grounded into a force out at home plate, and Nathan Church lined out to left fielder Esteury Ruiz to end the inning.

Miami broke through in the eighth against Cardinals reliever George Soriano, who entered having allowed two earned runs over his previous eight appearances. Ruiz led off with a single to left. Graham Pauley followed with a ground-rule double down the right-field line, scoring Ruiz for a 1-0 lead. After Jakob Marsee popped out, Griffin Conine walked. Xavier Edwards also walked after a successful challenge overturned a called third strike, loading the bases.

Kyle Stowers then grounded to first baseman Burleson, who threw home for the second out, but Pauley scored on the play after another successful challenge by Miami, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Otto Lopez grounded out to end the inning.

The Marlins added two more runs in the ninth against reliever Max Rajcic. Joe Mack walked leading off, and Ruiz walked. Mack moved to third on a fly out to right by Pauley. Marsee lined a single to center, driving in Mack and Ruiz for a 4-0 lead. Marsee was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, but the damage was done.

Miami’s eight hits were spread among seven different players. Ruiz went 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. Pauley doubled and drove in a run. Marsee singled and drove in two. Conine walked twice and scored a run. Edwards walked twice, stole a base and scored.

St. Louis managed just three hits. Walker singled in the second, Nootbaar singled on a bunt in the fifth, and José Fermín doubled in the eighth. Fermín’s double was the only extra-base hit for the Cardinals, who struck out nine times and left seven runners on base.

The game lasted 2 hours, 39 minutes before an announced crowd of 27,584.

The Cardinals had a chance in the eighth after Fermín’s two-out double chased Maldonado, but Nardi entered and struck out JJ Wetherholt to end the inning. Burleson grounded out leading off the ninth, Walker struck out swinging, and Nootbaar grounded out to second to end the game.

Meyer’s performance continued a strong season for the Marlins, who have won three straight dating to Wednesday’s series finale against Texas. St. Louis, meanwhile, has lost three in a row, all to Arizona before this defeat.

The two teams continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Miami 6, St. Louis 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected St. Louis with a 52.90 percent probability to win. St. Louis had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 4 went over the over-under line of 8.