The Kansas City Royals broke open a tight game late, scoring three times in the eighth inning to defeat the Miami Marlins 7-3 at Kauffman Stadium. Carter Jensen powered the attack with three hits, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored, giving Kansas City the lineup pressure Miami could not contain. Michael Wacha supplied the foundation with six innings and seven strikeouts, while the Royals’ offense answered every phase of Miami’s early resistance with a clean finish.

Miami scored in the first, second and fourth innings to build a 3-1 lead, but Kansas City changed the game in the third and fifth. The Royals scored twice in each of those innings to pull even at 3-3, with Jac Caglianone contributing two hits and two RBIs and Kyle Isbel adding two hits and two runs. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino each drove in a run, extending an attack that kept traffic on the bases without relying on one hitter alone.

Wacha’s seven strikeouts were the clearest pitching separator. He worked six innings with the swing-and-miss stuff to keep Miami from expanding its early lead, while Sandy Alcantara also completed six innings but surrendered four earned runs and struck out only two. With neither team scoring in the sixth or seventh, the game stayed level until Kansas City’s three-run eighth provided the decisive margin. Miami managed one hit by Cade Gibson over his scoreless inning, but the Marlins never regained the offensive position they held early.

The victory moves Kansas City to 63-78 and gives the Royals a firm result built on middle-inning adjustments, a strong start from Wacha and Jensen’s production throughout the order. Miami falls to 71-70 after failing to protect an early lead and going scoreless over the final five innings. For Kansas City, the formula is clear: keep the rotation in the game, force contact-heavy innings and let a lineup with Jensen, Caglianone and Isbel create pressure in waves.