Agustín Ramírez homers and Marlins halt Cardinals' winning streak with 5-3 victory

MIAMI (AP) — Agustín Ramírez homered and Max Meyer pitched effectively into the sixth inning to lead the Miami Marlins to a 5-3 victory over St. Louis on Monday night, snapping the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.

Meyer, who has battled injuries since being selected third overall in the 2020 amateur draft, left after 5 1/3 innings and 91 pitches. He permitted two runs on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Calvin Faucher (2-2) got the final two outs in the sixth. He allowed the tying run to score on a wild pitch but was credited with the win after Miami went back ahead in the bottom half.

Pete Fairbanks gave up a leadoff triple to Masyn Winn and a sacrifice fly to Ramón Urías in the ninth before finishing for his fourth save in five opportunities.

Meyer hit JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera with pitches to begin the game but then retired 10 batters in a row.

Jordan Walker got the game's first hit when he singled with one out in the St. Louis fourth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. He scored on Winn's sacrifice fly to put the Cardinals up 1-0.

Michael McGreevy (1-2) didn't allow a baserunner until Kyle Stowers walked with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Stowers scored on Xavier Edwards' ground-rule double to tie it at 1.

Ramírez hit his second home run leading off the fifth for a 2-1 lead.

Faucher entered with one out and Walker on first in the sixth. Winn singled before Walker scored on a wild pitch to tie it 2-all.

Stowers singled in the sixth before scoring the go-ahead run from first on a double by Otto Lopez. Edwards walked but was thrown out at home on Liam Hicks' single that drove in Lopez to make it 4-2.

Lopez, who has a hit in nine straight games, drew a walk from Ryan Fernandez in the eighth before scoring on Hicks' single for a 5-2 advantage.

McGreevy gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Wetherholt has been hit by a pitch in a Cardinals-record five straight games.

Cardinals RHP Dustin May (2-2, 6.98 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Marlins RHP Chris Paddack (0-3, 5.59).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera tags out Miami Marlins' Xavier Edwards as he slides home on a single by Liam Hicks, during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers slides home to score on a double by Otto Lopez during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Marlins Agustin Ramirez celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Tuesday that he had survived a vote on his leadership among his own party’s lawmakers, after recent slumps in the polls prompted speculation he might be ousted.

The vote, during a routine meeting of Luxon’s center-right National Party lawmakers, was held privately. Luxon emerged afterward, however, to tell reporters he had called for a confidence vote, in which he was successful.

“The last week, there has been intense media speculation about my leadership,” Luxon said, adding that he had called for a confidence vote “to put that media speculation to rest.”

He did not give a breakdown of the vote or say that it had been unanimous.

National has governed New Zealand in a right-wing coalition government since the 2023 election. Luxon, a former airline executive who entered Parliament in 2000, has led the party since 2021.

The vote among his lawmakers happened months before New Zealand’s next national election, scheduled for Nov. 7. Recent drops in the polls for National had prompted speculation from analysts that he would face a leadership challenge.

After an unusually long meeting of his caucus at Parliament in Wellington, which lasted two and a half hours, instead of the usual hour, Luxon read from a brief statement about the vote. He departed without taking questions from reporters.

While two recent New Zealand prime ministers — National's John Key and Labour's Jacinda Ardern — have voluntarily quit the post, it would have been extremely unusual for lawmakers to oust a sitting prime minister.

Luxon blamed reports of unrest within his part's ranks on news outlets, but one political poll released days ago appeared to have made a discussion of leadership unavoidable. The 1News-Verian poll suggested slumping support for Luxon and for National in a hypothetical election.

The levels of support in the most recent poll implied the right-wing bloc led by his party could come in behind the left-wing bloc led by Labour if an election were held immediately, though the vote won’t occur for more than another six months.

“If the media want to keep focusing on speculation and rumor, I am not going to engage,” Luxon said Tuesday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, right, speaks to reporters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, after a vote among his own lawmakers about his leadership of the National Party, on Tuesday. April 21 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

FILE - New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks during Question Time at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay, File)

FILE - New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announces a cabinet reshuffle at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay, File)