LOS ANGELES -- For Tommy Edman, a day off is almost never really a day off.
The switch-hitting utility man is versatile in just about every aspect of his game, so more often than not, his team can find a situation where he can enter and make an impact.
"I always like being available," Edman said. "I kind of consider it just having the first part of the game off, because I hit switch, so odds are I'm gonna get a chance to either get a pinch-hit at-bat either, righty or lefty, or play defense or pinch-run."
Naturally, on a night that he was supposed to sit out for the first time this season, Edman played the hero.
Edman came off the bench as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, then laced a two-run single in the 10th to walk it off for the Dodgers in a 7-6 victory on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. It was Edman's first walk-off hit as a Dodger, and he completed the comeback in a game they had been in position to win comfortably until Miami flipped the script.
After five innings, the Dodgers held a commanding 5-0 lead. But the Marlins found some momentum in the top of the sixth, scratching across their first run of the night against Dustin May on two base hits and a walk. May was pulled in favor of Anthony Banda after getting one out in the frame.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, formerly the Dodgers' first-base coach, sent two pinch-hitters to the plate to face Banda. First, Connor Norby drew a walk to load the bases. Then Dane Myers launched a grand slam to left-center, and it was a whole new ballgame.
"You've got to fight for every win," Edman said. "It's not easy winning games in the Major Leagues. Every team you play has a lot of talent, and you’ve just got to stay focused throughout the game, regardless of what the score is. We've done a good job of it, even though we've made some games close, and done a good job pulling out a lot of wins."
Dodgers relievers held the Marlins scoreless until the game reached extras, but the offense squandered opportunities with runners on in the late innings until the 10th rolled around.
Michael Conforto was the automatic runner on second, and the Dodgers' 7-8-9 hitters were due up, starting with Andy Pages. Pages was coming off a red-hot series against the Pirates where he knocked a combined 10 hits, which helped him secure co-NL Player of the Week honors. But instead of trying to single-handedly put the game to bed, he drew a walk.
Then Kiké Hernández dropped down a sacrifice bunt, allowing both baserunners to move up a base and giving Edman his best shot to do damage. For a Dodgers team that has been streaky at the plate in April, the sequence was much more in line with what their manager had wanted to see from his players.
"It's a sign of experience," manager Dave Roberts said. "Andy's at-bat right there, you're down a run, you've got to try to get on base and not try to expand, take the walk. And then Kiké comes in there and gets down a nice sacrifice bunt to set the stage for Tommy. … We're doing things fundamentally really well now offensively, and that's a good thing."
With the infield drawn in, Edman didn't wait long. He pounced on a first-pitch sweeper up in the zone from Marlins reliever Ronny Henriquez and called game.
"Tommy is just a terrific baseball player," McCullough said. "Having a chance to watch him get to play every day, how much he brings. It's the defensive versatility, it's what he can add on the bases, the switch-hit. Tommy's just a really good baseball player."
The Dodgers have continued to learn just how much value Edman lends to their team ever since acquiring him as part of a three-team deal with the Cardinals and White Sox ahead of last year's Trade Deadline.
Edman came through during the World Series run, winning NL Championship Series MVP honors along the way, and inked a five-year extension in the offseason. With the everyday opportunities he's gotten with L.A., there should be more big moments ahead.
And perhaps he'll get a full day off along the way, even though he'd rather be contributing.
"I mean, I still got to rest for seven innings today," Edman said. "It's a little bit less than a normal day."