MIAMI -- What was supposed to be another outing from the Cardinals’ most consistent starter on Wednesday instead turned into a bullpen game mere minutes before first pitch in an eventual 4-3 walk-off loss to the Marlins.

Minutes before Masyn Winn stepped into the batter’s box to open the series finale vs. the Marlins, Kyle Gibson -- in line for his 15th start this year after being activated off the bereavement list -- was scratched due to back tightness. Instead, the Cardinals called on lefty Matthew Liberatore.

Gibson felt good as he went through his pregame routine, until he went to stretch.

“[I] did something during stretching to aggravate my left hip,” Gibson said. “By the time -- 10 minutes later I was in a training room, I couldn't bend down and touch my toes.

“So 10 pitches and just didn't -- I couldn't rotate anytime I put that weight on that left hip. It just wasn’t letting me rotate through to do what I needed to do. Probably the first time in my career I went down to warm up and didn’t pitch the game.”

With only 15 or so minutes and the top of the first inning to warm up, Liberatore took the mound at loanDepot park. It was St. Louis’ second walk-off loss in as many days, after the first two games of the series went to extra innings. Sporting an already-depleted bullpen, with the majority of the Cards’ back-end arms out of commission, the club was in a tough spot.

Since rejoining the bullpen in late May, Liberatore has been impressive. Over his past nine relief appearances, Liberatore has a 1.13 ERA (one earned run over eight innings).

On Wednesday afternoon, Liberatore delivered -- but not before he got hit around in the first inning. He gave up a first-pitch homer to Bryan De La Cruz, which Jesús Sánchez followed with a solo homer of his own. A double from Josh Bell and a walk from Jake Burger came before Liberatore got the first out of the game. It was just the second time in franchise history that the Marlins have led off a game with three consecutive extra-base hits.

After the 22-pitch first inning, though, Liberatore settled in.

Liberatore kept the Marlins quiet over the next 2 2/3 innings, allowing just those two runs and three hits in his 3 2/3 innings on the bump. Had Liberatore not pitched the night prior, the Cards might have let him stay in the game longer, but after 48 pitches, his day was over.

“I mean, this was a dogfight of a series,” Liberatore said. “Playing two extra inning games -- almost doing it again tonight -- and then Gibby going down before the game today. We had the back-end of our bullpen still down for the most part so, yeah, I wanted to go out and give us the best opportunity to win possible. And ... if they were gonna let me keep going, I would have been happy to.”

All told, the bullpen combined for an impressive game -- particularly when considering how it started. After that two-run, four-hit first inning, St. Louis’ arms allowed just one run -- up until Miami’s walk-off single.

“They picked me up great,” Gibson said. “[Liberatore] settled in after that first inning and threw the ball really well, and the bullpen after that did an awesome job over the next eight innings to cover for me not being able to be out there. So [I’m] super proud of those guys, how they stepped up -- and some are on short rest and have been thrown a lot, so they did a great job.”

While the Cards’ relief corps held the Marlins scoreless in the middle innings, St. Louis’ bats didn’t fare much better. The Cardinals got chances after their two-run second inning, but they stranded five runners in scoring position between the second and fourth innings -- and that’s not including Brendan Donovan, who was thrown out at home plate in the fourth on a liner up the middle.

“Obviously disappointed we didn't win the series,” said Nolan Arenado, who exited after an eighth-inning HBP and is day-to-day. “Every game was close. We had some games where we played well and, you know, we didn't pitch well. And we had some games where we couldn't score runs like today.”

Gibson, meanwhile, is hopeful he will make his next start.

“I've had scoliosis basically my whole life, so I've dealt with hip issues and certain stuff, just from those hips not really being 'normal,' might you say?” Gibson said. “So I really try to do a good job of staying ahead of it. So I'll stay on that same plan until a doctor or trainer says, ‘Hey, this is out of the ordinary.’”