ANAHEIM -- Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper cracked a huge grin when asked about the prodigious power display teammate Jorge Soler has put on during the club’s current road trip.

“It’s like Barry Bonds right now,” Cooper said of Soler, whose go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of Saturday night’s 8-5 win in 10 innings over the Angels at Angel Stadium was the slugger’s fifth in as many games. 

Soler’s blast, which at the time of impact turned a 3-2 Marlins deficit into a 4-3 lead, didn’t prove to be the game-winning hit, as a Gio Urshela homer in the eighth forced the game into extra frames. But Soler’s clutch long ball against reliever Chase Silseth made possible a 10th inning that saw the Marlins push across four runs and clinch the series -- something Miami definitely wanted to do, after having come into the third of a three-city road trip having dropped five of its first seven games.

In that fateful 10th inning, after Bryan De La Cruz struck out and Yuli Gurriel was intentionally walked, Cooper’s fly ball to deep left-center was dropped by Mickey Moniak to plate the first run. Jacob Stallings then hit into what appeared to be a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning, but a Miami challenge was upheld as catcher Matt Thaiss didn’t have his foot on the plate, extending the inning for Garrett Hampson -- who flipped a two-run single into left to give the Marlins some breathing room they wouldn’t relinquish.

“That was a gutsy win,” said manager Skip Schumaker, who observed his starter, Edward Cabrera, pitch into the sixth opposite Shohei Ohtani. Schumaker noted that the club may have been “in trouble” had the game extended past the 10th, due to a lack of available arms in the bullpen. “That's not an easy win right there, against Ohtani. [We’re] very fortunate to squeak one out right there.”

The late-inning action was made possible by Soler’s seventh-inning homer, which came after he was held in the park by Ohtani with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Soler took full advantage of his first at-bat against someone else, pouncing on a full-count fastball from Silseth, sending it a projected 402 feet to left-center field and making Marlins history in the process. 

With 12 homers so far in May, Soler tied Giancarlo Stanton (2012) and Dan Uggla (2008) for the most in the month in franchise history. He also set a club record with 17 home runs in his first 51 games, passing the previous high mark of 16 homers in that span (Uggla in 2008, Mike Lowell in 2003 and Gary Sheffield in 1996).

In the Marlins’ clubhouse, everyone is certainly enjoying the boost Soler is providing these days.

“I don't know what else to say about him anymore,” admitted Schumaker. “It's crazy. You just kind of expect it, which is insane. Think about that, you're just expecting a home run. Because those are hard. It's hard to hit, and he's just hitting home runs. So we'll ride the highs as much as we can. The good thing is, he's hitting them and we're winning those games. The last two games, we don't win if he doesn't hit those home runs.”

After Friday’s series-opening win, which also featured a vital Soler home run, the outfielder cited his patience and “waiting for my pitch” as a factor in his recent hot streak at the plate. His teammates have taken notice of this approach, with Hampson adding that, “it's not just the home runs that he's doing right now. Just at-bats in general, just really good at-bats. His patience is … I mean, if I was hitting 12 home runs a month, I’d be swinging at everything, so he’s been awesome. It’s fun to watch.”

The Marlins (27-26) have a chance for a sweep on Sunday behind No. 1 prospect Eury Pérez. Having already secured the first series win in Marlins history at Angel Stadium, the pesky Miami squad is working hard toward establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with in a highly competitive National League.

“I just think we don't panic,” said Hampson of the Marlins’ resilience. “We're never out of it. And when the moment comes, it seems like we come through, which is awesome. We’ve got some great leadership and older guys who have been there, done that, and that also kind of trickles down to everybody else.”

“I think it's a testament to what we've been preaching all year,” echoed Cooper. “It's a different dynamic this year, a different feel. Every single guy on the bench, or who’s starting, it’s one-through-nine. We’re always in games.”