The St. Louis Cardinals, currently on a roll with six victories in their last seven games, are off to a start that is surprising to some—but not to their manager, Oliver Marmol.

"It's exactly what I would've anticipated this group to do," Marmol said on Tuesday ahead of the Cardinals' 5-3 win over the host Miami Marlins.

The win helped St. Louis continue its momentum as they look to secure a series victory in Miami on Wednesday afternoon. Both teams are vying for the final game in the three-game series. St. Louis is coming off back-to-back series wins, while Miami has yet to take a series since their triumph over the Chicago White Sox from March 30-April 1.

The pitching duel for the series finale features a pair of right-handers: Miami’s Janson Junk (0-2, 4.50 ERA) and St. Louis’ Kyle Leahy (2-2, 5.21 ERA).

Junk, who has never faced the Cardinals, has struggled this season, with the Marlins posting a 1-3 record when he starts. Of his four starts, only one was a quality outing, which came on April 6 against the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, Junk has allowed nine earned runs over his last 10 1/3 innings, posting a 6.10 ERA.

Junk’s arsenal includes a four-seam fastball that sits at 94-96 mph, along with off-speed pitches including a sweeper, a changeup, and a curveball.

On the other hand, Leahy, who has not started against the Marlins, has made four scoreless relief appearances against them, striking out four in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander relies on a sinking two-seam fastball to generate ground balls, a slider for right-handed hitters, and a split-finger fastball against lefties. This year, Leahy has been a starter, though he has yet to finish the sixth inning. The Cardinals are 2-2 in his starts.

For the Cardinals’ offense, right fielder Jordan Walker’s 15-game hitting streak came to an end on Tuesday when he went 0-for-4. Despite the setback, Walker has been one of the Cardinals’ top performers this season, leading the team with eight home runs and an impressive .964 OPS. His performance marks a significant improvement from last season, where he hit just six homers in 111 games with a .584 OPS.

"I think we'd all be lying if we thought Walker would have this type of start," Marmol admitted. "The consistency of what he's done has been impressive."

Meanwhile, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough continues to experiment with his lineup, including placing speedy second baseman Xavier Edwards in the cleanup role for the past two games. Edwards, not known for his power (with only five home runs in 993 career at-bats), has posted a .915 OPS so far this season. His dynamic speed, which helped him steal 65 bases in 77 attempts since his 2023 debut, has made him a flexible asset in the lineup.

"The lineup is going to be fluid, maybe not day to day but series to series depending on who we're playing," McCullough said. "With (Edwards’) skill set, it makes it easy for me. I feel like I can put him anywhere."

Another speedy Marlins player, center fielder Jakob Marsee, has stolen eight bases this season, tied for fifth in the majors. Marsee had a standout performance on Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with a home run. The long ball came on his first pitch with a new bat after his previous one slipped out of his hands and landed in the first-base dugout netting. Marsee promptly grabbed a fresh bat and knocked the next pitch for a homer down the right-field line.

The Cardinals and Marlins will wrap up their series on Wednesday afternoon, with both teams looking to claim the rubber match.

-Field Level Media/Reuters