Dixie bracket: 2009 Marlins defeat 1973 Cardinals in six games

Game One: Marlins 3, Cardinals 1
WP: J Johnson (1-0)
LP: B Gibson (0-1)
Save:  Lindstrom (1)

Game Two: Cardinals 4, Marlins 3
WP: Wise (1-0)
LP: Nolasco (0-1)
Save: Segui
HR: Brock (1)

Game Three: Marlins 10, Cardinals 8 (11 innings)
WP: A Miller (1-0)
LP: Murphy (0-1)
Save: Nunez (1)
HR: Maybin (1), Baker (1), Brock (2), Ramirez (1)

Game Four: Cardinals 8, Marlins 4 (10 innings)
WP: Hrbrosky (1-0)
LP: Badenhop (0-1)
HR: Paulino (1), Sizemore (1), Ross (1), Carbo (1)

Game Five: Marlins 7, Cardinals 1
WP: J Johnson (2-0)
LP: B Gibson (0-2)
HR: Uggla (1), Cantu (1), J Johnson (1)

Game Six: Marlins 7, Cardinals 5
WP: Nolasco (1-1)
LP: Wise (1-1)
Save: Nunez (2)
HR: Brock 2 (4), McBride (1)

The Marlins outslugged St. Louis and got just enough out of their bullpen to take the series.

The homestanding Marlins scored three unearned runs in the third inning of the opener in Land Shark Stadium. with help from errors by shortstop Mike Tyson and first baseman Joe Torre. That was all Florida got off Bob Gibson, but that was all it needed. Josh Johnson held St. Louis to one run in six innings, and Andrew Miller and Matt Lindstrom kept the Cards off the scoreboard over the final three frames.

Rick Wise retired the first 14 men he faced in Game Two and turned a 4-1 lead over to the bullpen after seven innings. It took three relievers to hold the Fish to two runs in the eighth, but Diego Segui got all three men he faced in the ninth, two on strikes. Jose Cruz drove in two runs for St. Louis and Lou Brock homered.

The series moved to Busch Stadium II in St. Louis  for Game Three, and the runs started coming in bunches. Hanley Ramirez homered in a three-run top of the third, but the Cards scored four in their half of the inning, with Bernie Carbo singling in two runs and Cruz following with a triple. Cameron Maybin's three run homer in the eighth gave Florida a 7-5 lead, but Brock tied it with a two-run homer off Burke Badenhop. In the 11th, Florida scored three runs off Tom Murphy, and that was two more than the Cards could get off Leo Nunez.

St. Louis evened the series with an extra-inning win of its own in Game Four, with Brock's two-out single bringing home Tim McCarver with the walk-off run. Florida scored five runs in the eighth on four doubles and a triple to overcome the Cardinals 7-2 lead.

Dan Uggla hit a two-run homer in the first off Gibson in Game Five, the first of three homers the Fish got off the Hall of Famer. Jorge Cantu and starter Josh Johnson each hit solo shots. Johnson went six scoreless innings for the win.

The Marlins wrapped up the series at home in Game Six, building a 7-1 lead after seven innings. Winner Rick Nolasco allowed three runs in 7.2 innings. When Lindstrom allowed back-to-back homers from Bake McBride and Brock in the ninth -- Brock's homer his second of the game -- Nunez entered to retire the Teds, Sizemore and Simmons, to secure the game and the series.

Player availablity: The Florida bullpen will be fully rested with the two days off for Round 2

Projected rotation: Johnson-Volstad-Nolasco-Sanchez-(Johnson)-(Volastad)-(Nolasco)