Dodgers 7, Marlins 6: Stunning comeback forces extras, but Edman walks it off

[Kevin Barral]

The Marlins gave the reigning World Series champs everything they could handle, but ultimately lost for the fourth time in five games.

Trailing 5-0 more than halfway through the game, the Miami Marlins nearly pulled off an incredible comeback win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It took 10 innings for the home team to finish on top in walk-off fashion by a final score of 7-6.

The Marlins finally got on the board against right-hander Dustin May in the sixth inning thanks to Eric Wagaman's RBI single, driving in Xavier Edwards from second base and moving Jesús Sánchez from first to second.

When the Dodgers went with lefty Anthony Banda, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough countered with righties off his bench. Going into Monday's game, Kyle Stowers was slashing .520/.536/.680/1.216 with five RBI against left-handed pitching, but McCullough preferred the platoon advantage anyway and brought in Connor Norby to pinch hit. Norby worked a five-pitch walk, loading the bases.

Next, Dane Myers came to the plate replacing Matt Mervis. Myers got ahead in the count, 3-1. Anticipating a fastball in the zone, he took Banda 405 feet deep to left-center, hitting his first career grand slam and the second-ever pinch-hit, game-tying grand slam in franchise history.

"With the amount of lefties they have in their pen, you might have to take your shot when you feel like it's maybe the best chance either to get back in the game or extend it," said Clayton McCullough following the game. "Felt like right there, pulling the trigger and going with some right handed-hitters against Banda was the best shot to get back into that game."

Once the Marlins tied the game, it became a battle of the bullpens. The Marlins used the following relievers: Lake Bachar, Anthony Veneziano, Anthony Bender, Jesús Tinoco, Calvin Faucher and Ronny Henriquez. They combined to allow only one earned run on three hits and struck out six.

Tinoco and Faucher had their best swing-and-miss stuff working. With a runner on first in the eighth, Tinoco induced a lineout from pinch-hitter Tommy Edman and then struck out both Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Calvin Faucher struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

The Marlins struck in the top of the tenth inning thanks to a Jesús Sánchez two-out RBI double, driving in Ronny Simon. Sánchez advanced to third on an error from outfielder Andy Pages. Eric Wagaman flew out to end the inning.

Calvin Faucher, coming off a lights-out ninth and well-rested entering the night, should've been an option to go out for a second inning of work. He hadn't completed multiple innings in any outing so far this season, but the bullpen was out of trustworthy alternatives. Instead, the Marlins went with Ronny Henriquez, who was eyeing his first career save.

After allowing a five pitch walk to Andy Pages, pinch hitter Kiké (Enrique) Hernández bunted, allowing both runners to advance. That was the first sacrifice bunt of the season from the Dodgers. Tommy Edman then walked it off on the first pitch of the at-bat.

"Tommy is just a terrific baseball player," said McCullough. "Having a chance to watch him play every day—how much he brings, the defensive versatility, what he can add on the bases, the switch-hit—Tommy's just a really good baseball player and got one up in the zone and hit him."

Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera once again struggled. He allowed five runs on nine hits (one home run), walked three and struck out two. Despite the struggles, McCullough was "proud of Cabby."

"You look over the line and maybe it doesn't look that great," said McCullough. "It was early in the game, gets the bases loaded, and he gets out of it, limited damage. That was a big succession of at-bats. For him to buckle down there and do that—hits are hits, but there were some guys that just found holes and that's jut part of it. I think as a whole, he takes it as a positive step forward."

Going into this series, The Athletic published an article focusing on how difficult it is for the Marlins to compete with the Dodgers on the field when there is such a massive difference in their payrolls. At least through one game of this three-game set, the Marlins showed that they belong on the same field as the best of the best.

With the loss, the Marlins are now 12-16 on the season and will look to even the series with ace Sandy Alcantara taking the mound. This will be a tough task for Alcantara, who has a career 12.94 ERA in four starts in Dodger Stadium. First pitch is at 10:10pm EST.

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[Guest]

I wish SOMEBODY would ask McCullough why he REFUSES TO PLAY THE INFIELD AT DOUBLE PLAY DEPTH with Runners at First and Third or bases loaded and less than 2 outs. Supposedly you Fish Stripes guys are insiders, right? He makes crazy moves that have everyone wondering WTF he's thinking, even the TV guys who have to be very careful not to criticize the genius manager. Pinch hitting for Stowers because a lefty pitcher is coming in? Benching the hot hitting Norby in favor of Graham Pauley. I could go on as there have been a lot of strange moves, but REFUSING TO PLAY THE INFIELD AT DOUBLE PLAY DEPTH might be the craziest one. It has cost us several runs.

[One Regend]

I honestly expected this game to be a blowout in the Dodgers favor. This is a matchup of talent mismatch. The fact the Marlins made it as close as they did is surprising, to say the least.

I still don't think they're a legit team, though. They're a BABIP-reliant team that's coasting on a soft schedule in April. But maybe my 110-loss prediction at the beginning of the year might be slightly off. I do feel the hard crash of reality coming, though. I'm going to guess May or June.