Preston Plambeck scored in his fourth career MLS appearance in the 87th minute to spoil Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut and lift short-handed Inter Miami to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.

Luis Suarez scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season for Miami (10-4-2, 34 points), which was playing without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul. Both were granted leave from the club after helping Argentina reach Sunday’s World Cup final.

Puso Dithejane leveled for Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) midway through the second half, after an error from Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo gifted the Fire an early lead.

Lewandowski, the former Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona star, played 62 minutes in his first MLS match for Chicago after the 37-year-old’s signing became official in late June.

But it was the 20-year-old Plambeck who made the decisive play to extend the second-place Herons’ winning streak to five matches on a night they began six points behind Eastern Conference-leading Nashville.

As he did on his second goal, Suarez combined with German Berterame to work into the penalty area.

This time Chris Brady saved the initial attempt. But Plambeck contorted his body and was able to guide the airborne rebound over the line on his first touch.

Chicago went in front when Rios Novo whiffed on a routine backpass from Ian Fray, allowing the ball to cross the goal line in the 18th minute.

Suarez’s first goal came from the penalty spot nine minutes later. Brady guessed incorrectly, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered with Suarez’s right-footed strike kissing the inside of the left post.

The Uruguayan veteran’s second arrived in the 51st minute, finishing past Brady after a give-and-go with Berterame that included Berterame’s exquisite back-heeled return ball.

Dithejane responded in the 67th minute, five minutes after his insertion during a triple substitution that also saw Lewandowski exit. Following a deflection of a rebound off Maren Haile-Selassie, Dithejane turned his body and fired a first-time finish between the diving Rios Novo and the right post.

The Fire looked more likely to break the tie for most of the next 20 minutes, but were ultimately punished for allowing Suarez into the box one more time.

–Field Level Media

Pavel Bucha scored two goals to propel host FC Cincinnati to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday in the teams’ return to MLS play.

Kevin Denkey and captain Evander each recorded their team co-leading 10th goal for FC Cincinnati (6-5-5, 23 points), who improved to 5-2-1 at home.

Roman Celentano finished with three saves to help his club defeat Vancouver for the first time in four tries (1-1-2).

Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld scored two goals while playing in his first MLS match since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason. He returned to action last Wednesday when Vancouver posted a 4-1 victory over Cavalry FC in Canadian Championship play.

Homegrown midfielder Jeevan Badwal scored his first goal of the season in the 12th minute and Yohei Takaoka turned aside two shots for the Whitecaps (10-3-2, 32 points), who yielded just 12 goals in their previous 14 MLS matches.

Vancouver star Sebastian Berhalter was not spotted on the bench for the team after competing for the United States in the World Cup. His contract is up after this season, however.

Gauld deflected a shot from Oliver Larraz past Celentano to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Denkey converted a header in the 28th minute and Evander unleashed a shot from outside the box in the 36th.

Bucha, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, gave FC Cincinnati a 4-2 lead in the 56th minute after converting Evander’s chip-pass from the 6-yard box. The Whitecaps didn’t help themselves by failing to clear the ball on multiple occasions.

Gauld halved the deficit in the 58th minute with a sizzling blast from just outside of the box.

The Whitecaps pressed for the equalizer, to no avail.

–Field Level Media

Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs and Trevor Larnach added a leadoff blast to go with three RBIs as the Minnesota Twins snapped their four-game losing streak with a 10-6 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

Lee’s three-run shot occurred in the fourth inning, when Minnesota scored four times to seize a 7-3 lead against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (4-7). Alex Jackson singled in Alan Roden with the go-ahead run, then came home with Luke Keaschall on the homer.

Seven-time All-Star Jose Ramirez had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once in his return from a broken left hamate bone for Cleveland. He had been on the injured list since fracturing his wrist on June 13 against the Detroit Tigers.

Travis Adams (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. The Twins had been outscored 34-9 in their previous four games, all on the road, before erupting for their highest-scoring performance since an 11-4 win July 4 at the New York Yankees.

Larnach’s two-run single off Matt Festa and Josh Bell’s RBI hit off Will Dion in the eighth pushed Minnesota’s lead out to 10-4. Kyle Manzardo had a solo homer and an RBI single in the final two frames for Cleveland.

The Guardians built a 3-1 advantage over the first two innings on RBI singles by Brayan Rocchio, Patrick Bailey and Ramirez. Minnesota erased it with a pair in the third on Lee’s RBI single and Bell’s RBI grounder.

All four Minnesota runs in the fourth were unearned thanks to a throwing error by Rocchio. Cecconi pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out five with three walks.

Bailey Ober worked a season-low-tying four innings for the Twins, allowing four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk. First baseman Victor Caratini exited the game in the fifth after fouling a ball off his right knee.

–Field Level Media