As the Cardinals have hurtled through this losing skid, they saw several games go by the wayside with one component of the roster clicking but another lagging. A night with solid pitching was spoiled by lackluster offense. A game with some outbursts in the batter’s box deteriorated due to untimely leakage by the bullpen, or an uncharacteristic defensive miscue.

A baseball equivalent of whack-a-mole.

For once, at a much-needed time, the Cardinals took home the top prize from the carnival, utilizing a late rally to rattle past the Marlins, 4-2, at Busch Stadium on the back of a steadying Adam Wainwright performance, the big hit from Tyler O’Neill and moments of defensive brilliance. It gave the Cardinals one victory back into the win column after dropping 11 of their last 13, as St. Louis opened a feastable stretch of 20 games against teams with a sub-.500 record on Monday evening.

“We can do it a lot of different ways, and we did it tonight with some foundational things that have been here in this organization for a long time -- the last several years as well including this year,” said manager Mike Shildt. “Really good starting pitching, really good defense.”

The evening was kick-started in the second by one of two key and ebullient moments on defense, when Magneuris Sierra -- a former Cardinal -- roped a ball from Wainwright past a sliding Dylan Carlson in center for a double.

As Adam Duvall came around third all the way from first, the relay from Edmundo Sosa to Yadier Molina was dropped. The throw beat Duvall and the Marlins outfielder appeared to score … except that he missed the plate.

Wainwright, yelling and pointing to his longtime batterymate, guided Molina to the loose ball and saved a go-ahead run.

“I never stopped watching Duvall, I knew he didn't touch home,” Wainwright said. “I'm glad [Yadi] heard me. A lot of times, you won’t hear somebody right in the action like that.”

As fate would have it, St. Louis later found itself in an almost identical situation, when Carlson raced home on an O’Neill double in the third. The center fielder, too, missed the plate, made a U-turn and was tagged out by Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro.

But the eventful night at the plate continued when, with the Marlins using a relief pitcher to pinch-hit in the seventh, Molina fired down to Sosa covering first base in lieu of Paul Goldschmidt protecting against the bunt, nabbing Isan Díaz drifting off the bag.

The result: a strike-'em-out throw-'em-out … from the catcher to the second baseman … at first base … on a bunt attempt … by a relief pitcher.

“I'm always looking for ways to be able to remain active and see what else we can get out of whatever is going on the field,” Sosa said through translator Antonio Mujica. “Taking into consideration that I'm always active in the basepaths, defensively, and taking into consideration that we have Yadier Molina behind the plate, we're both always looking for extra outs that we can get on the playing field.”

It was an out that was crucial to continue the example set by Wainwright’s opening act on Monday. So, too, were the 10 base knocks -- only the third game with double-digit hits this month.

Wainwright, St. Louis’ proclaimed bulldog, went six innings while allowing a pair of runs. It marked the second consecutive quality start provided by the Cards rotation, with Carlos Martínez tossing seven frames with two unearned runs on Sunday Night Baseball.

In the macro, it was the first time the Cardinals received consecutive quality starts since May 19 and 21, thanks to Jack Flaherty and Martínez. St. Louis went 7-13 in that span. It was the Cardinals’ second win in four such starts, but one they hope can plug the holes from a leaking month of June.

"I know we have not been playing great ball, but I've got a sneaky suspicion that things are going to turn around real quick for us,” Wainwright said. “Yadi and I were talking the other day, and what we just went through, I think, is going to help us in the long run."

The Cardinals provided glimpses of that sort of turnaround on Monday, playing clean baseball in all facets but still needing a big moment to ultimately win in the margins.

Then Carlson raced home on O’Neill’s power stroke in the eighth. He didn’t miss home plate that time.