Chapman homers and Gausman throws 6 solid innings as Blue Jays beat Marlins 6-3

MIAMI -- — Matt Chapman homered and doubled, Kevin Gausman pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 on Wednesday.

Cavan Biggio stepped in for late scratch Bo Bichette and doubled and singled for the Blue Jays. Bichette, who leads the American League in hits with 101 and played in Toronto’s first 75 games, sat out because of left thumb discomfort.

“It was irritating him and it was a 12 o’clock game and we have an off day tomorrow,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I don’t want to push anything. We’ll see how he is after the off day when we get back home.”

The Blue Jays clinched the three-game series after being shut out 11-0 in the opener Monday night.

“Hopefully, we can kind of keep it rolling,” Schneider said. “It takes one through nine. It’s not a hit here or hit there. It’s everyone pulling in the same direction.”

Luis Arraez went 2 for 5 for the Marlins and is hitting a major league-leading .398.

Gausman (7-3) scattered eight hits and struck out six in his 12th start of six or more innings. Jordan Romano picked up his 22nd save.

“The key word is try. I try to go nine innings all the time, but that’s not realistic,” Gausman said. “Any extra innings that us (starters) can cover is going to help.”

Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara had another rough outing. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner gave up five runs and 10 hits over seven innings as his ERA increased to 5.08.

Alcantara (2-6) has allowed double-digit hits in each of his last two starts.

“I don’t see anything different,” Alcantara said of the drop from his standout season. “I want to be able to attack the hitter, but they just took advantage today.”

Consecutive doubles from Chapman and Biggio began a five-run second inning. Biggio scored on Kevin Kiermaier’s single. George Springer hit a two-run single and raced home on Whit Merrifield’s single for a 5-0 lead.

Garrett Cooper’s two-RBI double in the fourth helped Miami reduce the early gap.

The Marlins ended Gausman’s outing after Garrett Hampson’s RBI single in the seventh made it 5-3. Erik Swanson relieved Gausman and induced a double-play groundout from Arraez and retired Jorge Soler on a groundout.

Chapman homered on the first pitch from Marlins reliever Steven Okert to lead off the eighth.

Trevor Richards pitched a perfect eighth. Romano gave up a single and a walk in the ninth before retiring Arraez on a force play at second for the final out.

“Proud of the guys, how they came back down 5-0,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We had a chance almost every inning after that. They made some good pitches when they had to. Got out of some jams with the hitters we wanted to at the time.”

ROSTER MOVE

The Blue Jays activated Brandon Belt from the injured list and optioned OF Spencer Horwitz to Triple-A Buffalo. Belt started at DH and singled in four at-bats.

CAMP OUTING

The first day of summer coincided with a common feature in weekday Marlins afternoon games. Children, clad in brightly-colored T-shirts and representing South Florida summer camps, sat in different sections of loanDepot Park. The club has another summer weekday afternoon game on Aug. 3 before school resumes in the fall.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: C Rob Brantly had imaging Wednesday, a day after sustaining a left elbow contusion during an at-bat in Buffalo’s game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Schneider said initial tests have been promising.

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (turf toe) walked in three plate appearance in a rehab game with Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Have not announced a starter for the opener of a three-game home series against the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

Marlins: LHP Braxton Garrett (3-2, 3.88) will start the opener of a four-game home set against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.

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