The Miami Marlins erased a three-run deficit and walked out of Kauffman Stadium with a 9-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Carter Jensen homered twice and Salvador Perez went deep as well, giving Kansas City plenty of offensive firepower — but a bullpen collapse in the middle innings handed Miami the opening it needed, and the Marlins made the most of it, handing the Royals a painful home loss in nine innings.

Carter Jensen and Salvador Perez Power Kansas City Offense

Jensen was the offensive highlight for Kansas City, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. The young catcher gave the Royals a cushion early and kept the home crowd engaged throughout. Salvador Perez added his own solo shot, finishing 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Michael Massey chipped in with two hits and an RBI on a 2-for-4 night, giving the Royals nine hits total off a Miami pitching staff that was shaky early.

Marlins starter Eury Pérez struggled, surrendering six earned runs on nine hits and three walks across 4.2 innings while striking out just three. Kansas City had every reason to feel good about its position heading into the middle frames.

Bullpen Falters as Miami Mounts Comeback

The turning point came when Jose Cuas entered in relief. Cuas recorded just one out, allowing two hits, one walk, and two earned runs in a third of an inning — a disastrous appearance that tightened the game and handed Cuas the loss. The damage did not stop there. Alex Lange surrendered two more earned runs across a full inning of work later in the game, and by the time the Marlins were done, they had erased a three-run deficit entirely.

Miami's offense spread the damage around. Javier Sanoja went 3-for-5 with a home run and an RBI. Kyle Stowers added two hits, a home run, and two RBI in five at-bats. Heriberto Hernández contributed two hits and two RBI, while Jakob Marsee and Griffin Conine added a home run and a multi-hit game, respectively. The Marlins tagged four different Kansas City relievers for five combined earned runs after Cuas entered.

Kansas City Pitching Notes

Starter Noah Cameron gave the Royals a reasonable outing — five innings, four earned runs, five hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts — but the bullpen could not hold the lead he left behind. Craig Kimbrel and Nate Pearson each threw a scoreless inning, and Connor Thomas contributed 0.2 innings without allowing an earned run, but those performances were bookended by the costly outings from Cuas and Lange.

Cade Gibson earned the win for Miami despite recording just one out. Calvin Faucher closed it out with a clean ninth inning to earn the save.

Key Performances at a Glance

Kansas City Royals

  • Carter Jensen: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI
  • Salvador Perez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  • Michael Massey: 2-for-4, 1 RBI
  • Noah Cameron (SP): 5.0 IP, 7 K, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB

Miami Marlins

  • Javier Sanoja: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI
  • Kyle Stowers: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  • Heriberto Hernández: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
  • Jakob Marsee: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
  • Griffin Conine: 2-for-3, 1 RBI

What's Next for the Royals

Kansas City will need to regroup quickly. The Royals generated plenty of offense — six runs and nine hits — but the inability to protect a lead through the bullpen is what defined Wednesday night. The series with Miami continues, and the Royals will be looking for their starting pitching and relievers to hold a game when the offense does its job.