Chapman dinger helps Blue Jays double up Marlins for series victory

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.

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."