Urena gets 1st win as Marlins snap skid, beat Cards 7-4

Brian Anderson and J.T. Riddle homered to help a shaky Jose Urena get his first win of the season as the Miami Marlins stopped a six-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory Tuesday night over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Anderson had a two-run homer and two singles for the Marlins, who had lost nine of 10.

In getting swept last weekend, the Marlins allowed 21 runs at Arizona and only scored four times. Miami entered the St. Louis series 1-6 on this road trip with a minus-22 run differential.

Urena (1-7) pitched five innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs for his first win in 13 starts. Miami lost his previous 14 starts - a dubious team record - dating back to Sept. 26 last year. Urena started on opening day this season but his last win came on Sept. 20, 2017.

Kyle Barraclough pitched the ninth for second save.

The Cardinals returned their opening day battery from the 10-day disabled list for the series opener with right-hander Carlos Martinez and catcher Yadier Molina coming back.

In his return, Martinez was not sharp. He made his first start in four weeks since straining his right lat muscle in a May 8 loss to Minnesota. Martinez threw 75 pitches, going four innings. He allowed four hits and two runs with five walks and five strikeouts. He was helped by three double plays.

Preston Guilmet (0-1) made his St Louis debut after the Cardinals called him up Tuesday from Triple-A Memphis. It was a forgettable one inning of work.

In his first game against his former team, St. Louis' Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 4 with an RBI. In his last four games, Ozuna has gone 8 for 14, including a milestone 100th home run and grand slam, with six RBIs.

The Marlins scored three runs off Guilmet for a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Derek Dietrich scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Bour. Anderson hit a two-run homer that just cleared the fence in right field to score J.T. Realmuto.

St. Louis got two runs back in the fifth. Tommy Pham drove in a run with a bases-loaded fielder's choice. Ozuna followed with a run-scoring single, but Urena picked Pham off third and got a groundout to end the inning.

Miami added two runs off reliever Austin Gomber in the sixth to make it 7-4. Riddle led off with a homer and J.B. Shuck scored on a sacrifice fly by Dietrich.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second when Ozuna ran through a stop sign at third to score on a single to left by Molina.

Miami scored twice in the third. Starlin Castro scored on a double play and Dietrich came home on Anderson's infield single that hit Martinez's glove and glanced off his shoulder.

The Cardinals made it 2-all in their half of the third. Matt Carpenter scored when Pham hit into a double play.

GOOD CATCH

Dietrich ran almost to the infield to make a sliding catch of a short fly to left hit by Jose Martinez in the first inning. Dietrich rolled over, popped up and fired to first base to double up Carpenter.

ROSTER MOVES

St. Louis optioned right-hander Mike Mayers to Triple-A Memphis, where catcher Steven Baron was designated for assignment to make room for Guilmet on the 40-man roster.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Marlins: RHP Nick Willgren is on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised right middle finger.

Cardinals: INF Greg Garcia has been placed on the paternity list. Garcia likely will return Thursday following the birth of his first child, a girl named Olivia.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (1-3, 6.10 ERA) will be making his second career start at St. Louis and first since July 16, 2016. In his last start, Chen, the team's oldest starting pitcher at 32, made the shortest start of his Marlins career, lasting 1 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on four hits with two walks in an 8-3 loss at San Diego.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (2-1, 2.62) makes his first career start against Miami. In his last start, Flaherty did not earn a decision at Pittsburgh as he matched his shortest outing of the season (five innings).