Jakob Marsee couldn’t have asked for a better way to start his career with the Miami Marlins.

The 24-year-old outfielder also couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to celebrate with his family than what played out Wednesday.

With dozens of relatives and longtime friends in the stands, Marsee hit two homers and tied the franchise record with seven RBIs in a 13-4 rout of the host Cleveland Guardians.

The teams will wrap up the three-game interleague series on Thursday, when Miami sends Edward Cabrera (6-5, 3.08 ERA) to the mound against fellow right-hander Tanner Bibee (8-9, 4.60) for Cleveland.

“I pictured myself in a lot of these moments and I dreamed a lot about these things,” said Marsee, who also had a career-high four hits. “All those (statistics) are pretty cool. Obviously, it’s an honor and super special to do it. But the win, honestly, means more to me.”

Marsee was acquired by the Marlins on May 4, 2024, when they dealt reigning National League batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in exchange for four minor-leaguers. The others have not reached the majors.

More than a year after the deal, the Dearborn, Mich., native made his big-league debut on Aug. 1 against the New York Yankees. He went 1-for-2 with a double and three walks to start a remarkable stretch that has seen him bat .436 with a .542 on-base percentage, an .872 slugging percentage, three homers, 13 RBIs and six stolen bases through 13 games.

In a nice poetic touch, both of Marsee’s homers against the Guardians landed in right field, where his entire cheering section was located. The gang made the 2 1/2-hour drive from Michigan to watch his first series outside of the southeastern United States.

“There’s a lot of people here and their support means everything,” Marsee said. “It’s awesome. Anytime I have them around, it’s a little comforting. It’s been a long journey, so (I pointed to them) because having them here means everything.”

Marsee became the third player since 1920 to have a seven-RBI performance in his first 13 appearances, joining J.R. Towles of the 2007 Houston Astros and Hunter Renfroe of the 2016 Padres.

“He had a good night,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said succinctly.

Cabrera will face Cleveland for the initial time, but he is 6-6 with a 3.56 ERA in 19 career interleague starts. He has been terrific since July 22, posting a 1.40 ERA with three wins and one loss.

The Guardians have not played well while splitting the first two games against Miami, issuing seven walks and making two errors on Tuesday in a 4-3 win before allowing season-high-tying totals of runs (13) and hits (17) on Wednesday. The Marlins collected nine extra-base hits in their blowout victory, which ended with Guardians backup catcher Austin Hedges pitching the ninth inning.

Cleveland is 10-3 since July 29 and remains one game behind the New York Yankees for the final American League wild-card spot, but there is no positive way to spin the latest loss.

“These are one-offs that you just try and forget about when they’re over,” Vogt said. “The Marlins swung the bats excellent tonight, and that’s not who we are.”

Bibee signed a five-year, $48 million contract extension before the season but hasn’t performed like the ace the Guardians expected. His past five starts reflect his erratic production as he is 4-0 but with a 5.53 ERA and has reached the seventh inning only once.

Cleveland needs Bibee to work deeper in his first career appearance against Miami after starters Logan Allen and Gavin Williams combined for just eight innings as the teams split the first two games.

“I should have gone out and pitched better,” said Williams, who was done after three innings on Wednesday. “We’ll get better from here.”

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs aim to salvage a split of their road trip Thursday afternoon when they play the decisive game of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

After Toronto took the opener 5-1 on Tuesday, Chicago prevailed 4-1 on Wednesday. That puts the Cubs at 2-3 on their six-game trip and 11-12 since the All-Star break.

The Cubs are scheduled to start left-hander Matthew Boyd (11-5, 2.45 ERA), who will be looking for his first win against his original major league team. Boyd is 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA in seven career starts against the Blue Jays, but he has not faced them since 2021.

Toronto right-hander Max Scherzer (2-2, 4.21 ERA) is slated to face the Cubs for the first time since 2022. He is 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA in 11 career starts against Chicago.

The Cubs emerged from their win with an injury to catcher Miguel Amaya, who took a nasty spill crossing first base on an infield single. He was removed from the field on a cart.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Amaya had a sprained left ankle and will need a stint on the injured list. X-rays were negative. Amaya was activated from the IL on Tuesday after he had been out since late May with a strained left oblique, and he was in his first game back when he got hurt again.

“It’s swollen up pretty good already,” Counsell said postgame of Amaya’s ankle. “Bad luck, unfortunately, and we’re going to miss him.”

When Amaya returned from the IL, the Cubs elected to carry three catchers in case there was an injury to one of them. Reese McGuire, who took over on Wednesday, and Carson Kelly will be Counsell’s options unless the club adds another catcher to take Amaya’s roster spot.

Matt Busch hit a solo homer and a sacrifice fly for the Cubs on Wednesday while Matt Shaw hit his eighth homer since the All-Star break.

The Blue Jays had only two hits in the loss but did score a run in the sixth to end Cade Horton’s scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings. Horton struck out a career-high eight and allowed one hit in 5 2/3 innings.

“This is the hardest team to strike out in baseball,” Counsell said. “And so, what he did to a very good lineup is just a continuation of what we have seen over this past month. He was awesome. We’ve had some superlatives with him on each start, and this was maybe the best one.”

Horton gave credit to Amaya’s work behind the plate.

“I think we had a really good game plan,” Horton said. “And you hate to see what happened to him. Just adding him to our lineup and having him behind there — he’s a special player, great teammate.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI double for Toronto and is batting .376/.447/.683 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 25 games since the All-Star break.

The Blue Jays could have George Springer back soon after he cleared concussion protocol. He has been out since July 28, when a fastball brushed his shoulder and hit his batting helmet. He is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

“I had days where I felt good and days where I did not,” Springer said. “Probably three or four days ago, I had my first great day. It’s about small victories. Over the past three or four days, I feel like I have had a lot of small victories, and had another one today. I get to go and start the (minor league rehab) process, and we’ll see what happens.”

–Field Level Media

Logan O’Hoppe hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning, rallying the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif.

The Angels completed their first-ever six-game Freeway Series sweep of their Southern California rivals. The Angels’ only other season sweep vs. the Dodgers came when they went 4-0 in 2019.

The Dodgers, who took their fourth straight loss, fell one game behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West. Los Angeles hadn’t trailed in the division since April 27.

With the bases loaded and the Dodgers up 5-4 in the eighth, O’Hoppe lined a 103.2 mph fastball from reliever Edgardo Henriquez into center field to drive in Christian Moore and Taylor Ward, who had walked against Justin Wrobleski (4-4).

Tigers 1, White Sox 0

Troy Melton and three relievers combined on a two-hit shutout and Wenceel Perez contributed a run-scoring sacrifice fly to help Detroit defeat the host Chicago.

White Sox pitching limited the Tigers to just five hits, but Detroit capitalized to earn a three-game series victory.

Melton and fellow rookie right-hander Shane Smith of Chicago dueled for the first five innings. Smith allowed two hits and three walks with five strikeouts while throwing 56 of his 92 pitches for strikes.

Brewers 12, Pirates 5

William Contreras drove in four runs and Christian Yelich three more in host Milwaukee’s win over Pittsburgh.

It was the Brewers’ 12th consecutive win, which is the second time in franchise history the team has won at least 12 in a row. Milwaukee has also won 27 of its last 31 games. Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff allowed four hits in four innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

Bryan Reynolds homered twice and drove in all five runs for the Pirates, who lost their fifth straight. Starter Mitch Keller (5-11) took the loss, giving up six runs and eight hits in four innings with two walks and five strikeouts.

Braves 11, Mets 6

Michael Harris II closed out a nine-run fourth inning by hitting a grand slam for visiting Atlanta, which stunned New York in the middle game of a three-game series.

The Braves, who trailed 6-0 after two innings before mounting their biggest comeback of the season, have won five of seven. The Mets took their 12th loss in 14 games.

Jurickson Profar finished 3-for-5 with a three-run double for the Braves. Marcell Ozuna homered and knocked in three runs. Juan Soto homered for the Mets, and Pete Alonso added three hits and two RBIs.

Diamondbacks 6, Rangers 4

Ketel Marte’s three-run homer with two outs in the ninth rallied Arizona to the series victory over Texas in Arlington, Texas.

Marte, who also homered in the ninth Tuesday to lift the Diamondbacks to victory, finished 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs. James McCann triggered Arizona’s rally with a two-out solo homer off Phil Maton (2-4) in the ninth. John Curtiss (2-0) tossed a scoreless eighth while Andrew Saalfrank claimed his first career save.

Josh Burger hit a two-run homer for the Rangers while Evan Carter added two hits. Texas starter Merrill Kelly, acquired from Arizona at the deadline, went six innings and allowed seven hits and two runs. Zac Gallen gave up five hits and three runs over five innings.

Nationals 8, Royals 7

Daylen Lile went 2-for-5, including the go-ahead RBI, to help Washington avoid a sweep with a win over host Kansas City.

The rookie outfielder knocked a line-drive single off reliever Carlos Estevez (4-5) in the top of the ninth to drive in Luis Garcia Jr. Nationals reliever Jose Ferrer (4-3) held the Royals scoreless in 1 1/3 innings in the eighth and ninth to earn the win.

Both starters went four innings, with Washington right-hander Irvin giving up six runs on seven hits and four walks. Vinnie Pasquantino provided the big blow against him, belting a changeup 410 feet to right field for a three-run homer in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Royals’ Seth Lugo allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks. Nathaniel Lowe highlighted a five-run Nationals first with a grand slam to right field, and CJ Abrams added a solo shot in the fourth.

Rockies 6, Cardinals 5

Hunter Goodman hit a two-run pinch-hit homer in the ninth to lift visiting Colorado past St. Louis.

Braxton Fulford drove in two runs and Mickey Moniak went 2-for-5 with a homer as the Rockies won their second straight game and snapped an eight-game losing streak.

Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who lost for the fourth time in six games against the Rockies this season. Pedro Pages drove in two runs and Lars Nootbaar homered and scored twice.

Padres 11, Giants 1

Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. contributed two-run singles to a seven-run second inning, Nick Pivetta pitched into the seventh for his 12th win of the year, and San Diego completed a three-game road sweep of San Francisco.

Six consecutive Padres reached base against Giants starter Kai-Wei Teng (1-2) with one out in the second, with Cronenworth’s single making it 2-0 before Tatis’ single doubled the score.

Pivetta (12-4) took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh before a triple by Jung Hoo Lee and a sacrifice fly by Christian Koss completed the game’s scoring.

Twins 4, Yankees 1

Kody Clemens highlighted a three-run sixth-inning rally with a two-run double, Joe Ryan pitched 6 2/3 stellar innings and visiting Minnesota earned a victory at New York.

After a 1-hour, 52-minute delay, the Twins broke a nine-game losing streak to the Yankees. Ryan (12-5) allowed one run on four hits, while Byron Buxton had two hits for Minnesota.

Cody Bellinger homered for the Yankees. Reliever Yerry De los Santos (0-1) was charged with three runs without recording an out.

Orioles 4, Mariners 3

Jackson Holliday rapped a two-out, run-scoring double in the bottom of the ninth inning as Baltimore edged visiting Seattle.

Ryan Mountcastle homered and pinch hitter Jeremiah Jackson tripled in Baltimore’s three-run seventh inning. Trevor Rogers provided seven strong innings before Keegan Akin (4-2) got the win despite blowing a lead.

Despite scoring twice in the top of the ninth, the Mariners had their season-best eight-game winning streak end. Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford each had two hits. Reliever Matt Brash (1-1) took the loss.

Marlins 13, Guardians 4

Jakob Marsee hit two home runs and tied the franchise record with seven RBIs, and Eury Perez remained unbeaten in interleague play as Miami routed host Cleveland.

Marsee, who made his MLB debut Aug. 1, had a three-run shot off Gavin Williams in the first inning and a two-run blast against Kolby Allard (2-2) in the fifth. He tacked on a two-run double in the sixth. The 24-year-old outfielder went 4-for-5 and also stole his sixth base, raising his average to .436. Marsee is the seventh Marlins player to drive in seven runs in a game, the first since Adam Duvall on April 13, 2021. Perez (5-3) worked five innings, giving up four runs on three hits. The righty struck out eight and is 7-0 with a 1.47 ERA in 10 career interleague starts.

The Guardians, who are 10-3 since July 29, got a three-run homer from Gabriel Arias and a leadoff shot by Steven Kwan.

Cubs 4, Blue Jays 1

Cade Horton struck out a career-best eight, Michael Busch and Matt Shaw hit home runs and visiting Chicago defeated Toronto.

Horton (7-3) allowed one run and one hit in 5 2/3 innings while winning his fourth consecutive start. His scoreless streak ended at 28 1/3 innings after he exited in the sixth, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run double off reliever Andrew Kittredge.

Busch added a sacrifice fly to help the Cubs gain a split of the first two games of the three-game series.

Reds 8, Phillies 0

Hunter Greene returned from a two-month injury stint and tossed six shutout innings while Miguel Andujar stayed red-hot with a grand slam to lead Cincinnati past visiting Philadelphia.

Greene, out since June 3 with a right groin strain, was dominant over the course of his 85-pitch effort, striking out six and walking none. The Reds put the game away with a four-run seventh on Andujar’s third homer in four games, a third career grand slam to the seats in left off reliever Jordan Romano.

Cristopher Sanchez (11-4) allowed four runs — three earned — matching a season high for a third time this year. The left-hander lost for just the second time in 11 starts since June 8.

Astros 4, Red Sox 1

Hunter Brown pitched 6 2/3 strong innings and his batterymate Yainer Diaz drove in three runs as Houston beat visiting Boston in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Brown (10-5) snapped a six-start winless streak by producing his 15th quality start of the season. Diaz finished 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an RBI single to pace the Houston offense.

Boston starter Walker Buehler (7-7) allowed four runs on four hits and four walks, with three strikeouts, over six innings.

Rays 8, Athletics 2

Hot sluggers Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero each bashed a two-run homer and Drew Rasmussen pitched six strong innings to help Tampa Bay top the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.

Caminero had two hits, three RBIs and two runs in the series finale as the Rays took two of three from the A’s. Rasmussen (10-5) allowed two runs (one earned) and three hits.

Lawrence Butler homered for the A’s. J.T. Ginn (2-5) threw 70 pitches while lasting just two innings. He gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits.

–Field Level Media

If the Baltimore Orioles aren’t going to produce much on offense, at least some timely hits can come in handy.

They will look for a few more key clutch hits in the series finale against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon.

The Orioles didn’t score in the first 15 innings of the series, but they pulled out a 4-3 victory on Wednesday thanks to Jackson Holliday’s two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. It was Baltimore’s first walk-off victory of the season.

“Just enjoy being a kid and playing baseball and it’s a whole lot of fun,” Holliday said.

In the decisive game of the three-game series, Baltimore will try to extend its streak of series victories against Seattle to six.

The Orioles have won only three of their past nine games, but uplifting results like Wednesday’s can fuel excitement.

“This game will beat you down,” Holliday said. “Luckily, I have really great teammates to lean on. I don’t think we’ve played the baseball that we would like to, but we have a great group of guys that pick each other up.”

While Baltimore’s offensive woes are well-documented, the Mariners have been unusually quiet with the bats in the current series. They have a total of four runs and no homers.

Manager Dan Wilson normally likes how the Mariners produce runs in a variety of ways — with or without long balls.

“We’ve talked about if you can do both, you’re going to have a consistent offense,” Wilson said.

Catcher Cal Raleigh, the big-league leader with 45 homers, believes the Mariners have enough sources on offense.

“That’s what having a deep lineup does,” said Raleigh, who is 0-for-8 in the series.

Right-hander Logan Evans (6-4, 4.36 ERA) will start for the Mariners on Thursday, looking to extend a personal two-game winning streak. The rookie has three wins in his past four outings despite compiling a 5.85 ERA in that span.

Evans will be opposing the Orioles for the first time.

Baltimore’s Thursday starter, Tomoyuki Sugano (9-5, 4.24 ERA), has won his past three decisions. The rookie right-hander didn’t allow a home run in his past two starts, his longest such streak of the season.

Sugano notched a June 3 victory at Seattle when he permitted one run on five hits in seven innings. The run came on a homer by Rowdy Tellez, who is no longer with the Mariners.

Bullpen issues have been troubling the Orioles recently. Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin combined to allow two ninth-inning runs on Wednesday, blowing a 3-1 lead, but they were bailed out by the run in the bottom of the frame.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get the ninth inning solved,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It’s a very unique inning and it changes emotions and feelings.”

Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser is eligible to be reinstated from the concussion list on Thursday, but he won’t be activated for the game.

“I don’t see it being too long,” Mansolino said. “Still going through concussion protocol, but I think in the near future we’ll see him here in a major league game.”

–Field Level Media