Carter Jensen falls a single shy of cycle as Royals avoid sweep of Marlins

Carter Jensen continued to fuel the Kansas City Royals with power and timely hitting, driving in three runs and going a single shy of the cycle as Kansas City beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 to avoid a sweep. Jensen hit a triple and two-run homer in the win, while starter Michael Wacha rebounded from early issues to deliver six innings and the bullpen—despite a brief scare for Craig Kimbrel—held Miami scoreless when it mattered. The Marlins had taken an early lead on Heriberto Hernández’s leadoff home run in the opener, but Jensen’s multi-hit performance and Kansas City’s run production steadied the Royals. Coming off a year-long MLB anniversary, Jensen had also shown his two-homer ability in a prior 9-6 loss to Miami, underscoring his rapid rise as a key bat for the hometown team. Jensen is emerging as a central piece of Kansas City’s lineup, including setting a franchise record with his sixth leadoff home run earlier in the series and now providing consistent offensive output as he balances increased responsibility behind the plate.