Three Things for Marlins to Feel Good About After Beating Cardinals
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The Miami Marlins claimed a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at loanDepot Park.
The Marlins (11-12) got closer to .500 in a game where both Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards had a hit and an RBI. Kyle Stowers went 1-for-3 in his second game of the season Agustin Ramirez slammed a solo home run.
Here are three things for the Marlins to feel good about after the win.
Liam Hicks Making All-Star Case
Liam Hicks not driving in runs: difficulty impossible. pic.twitter.com/T1ilOMyKKp
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 21, 2026
If the All-Star Game were Tuesday, the Marlins might have to send Liam Hicks as their representative. He’s been that good.
Monday was another typical game in his red-hot start, as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. His RBI singles in the sixth and eighth innings helped pad Miami’s lead to 5-2. It could have been more, but two Cardinals outfielders threw out baserunners at home and third base, respectively, to prevent more runs from getting home.
He still walked away with a season slash of .338/.380/.549 with four home runs and 21 RBI. He co-leads the Majors in RBI with five other players.
He’s been indispensable to the Marlins. His ability to play first base has helped them ride out injuries at that position. On Monday he was the designated hitter. Miami has to keep his bat in the lineup any way it can.
Swing and Miss Max
8 Ks for Mad Max 😤 pic.twitter.com/ydNPxsCPhz
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 21, 2026
The Marlins need more length out of starter Max Meyer. He has yet to get out of the sixth inning in five starts. But, on Monday, he did go 5.1 innings, which qualifies as his longest outing of the season.
But what stood out was the swing and miss stuff that has made him such an intriguing starter throughout his time in the Marlins’ system.
He had 17 whiffs on Monday, most of which came off his effective sweeper (eight) and slider (four). Seven of his eight strikeouts came off those two pitches. Meyer got at least one whiff off of all five of his pitchers and used them all effectively. By the end of his 91 pitches he induced 47 swings, had 12 called strikes and 36% of his called strikes were whiffs.
The best part? His fastball velocity remained steady throughout the game, as it remained at 94 mph or better through the sixth inning. It was a quality outing even if it wasn’t the definition of a quality start.
Pete’s Back
Pete Fairbanks has settled down after two bumpy games bookended around his paternity leave.
He recorded his second straight save on Monday, even though he allowed a hit and a run in the ninth inning. He induced four whiffs in nine swings along with five called strikes.
In his last three outings he’s allowed one hit and one run, with five strikeouts and no walks. In his first three games of the season, he allowed one hit, no runs and no walks while he struck out five.
Those other two games around his paternity leave? He allowed six hits, six runs, a walk and two strikeouts in two innings. That’s why his ERA is 7.88. What’s he’s done in the past three games is why that ERA is coming down fast.
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