CLEVELAND -- When Oscar Gonzalez was tagged out at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Saturday’s nightcap between the Marlins and the Guardians, everyone in Progressive Field thought the game was over.

Everyone except for A.J. Puk.

With Cleveland’s contact wizard Steven Kwan at the plate, Puk threw an 86 mph sweeper that Kwan hit into a swinging bunt. Catcher Nick Fortes fielded the ball and got it to Puk, who dashed to the plate to apply the tag that would have given the Marlins a win.

But, with both managers (or in Miami’s case, an acting manager) coming onto the field to figure things out, Puk knew he’d need to get Kwan out again, as he saw in real time the ball hit his bat then his hand -- an automatic dead ball.

After the dust had settled and Kwan stepped back into the batter’s box, Puk did his job again, getting Kwan to pop out to secure a 3-2 win that clinched the Marlins’ doubleheader sweep of the Guardians.

“When I saw him hit it, I pointed because I thought I saw him hit the ball twice,” Puk said. “I originally thought it was a foul ball, so I knew it was going to be reviewed, and I’d have to go out there and do it again.”

Much like in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Marlins picked up a victory on the back of a small ball mentality that’s made its way down the Marlins' lineup.

With the game tied at one in the sixth inning, the bottom of the Marlins’ order made its presence known. After No. 7 hitter Jon Berti led the sixth inning off with a double, No. 8 hitter Nick Fortes moved him over on a bunt single before No. 9 hitter Garrett Hampson drove Berti in with a bloop single. Hampson had his best game of the year in the nightcap, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI hits while making a couple of nice plays in the field.

“I felt good out there,” Hampson said. “I got a lot of plays and saw a lot of action. I came up in some big spots today; I think someone was on in every one of my at-bats, so good job by the guys in front of me to contribute.”

That production from the bottom of the lineup was complemented by hot streaks from two hitters at the top, as Luis Arraez and Bryan De La Cruz both had three hits in Game 2, with De La Cruz extending his hitting streak to a career-high nine games.

“I’m feeling really good at the plate,” De La Cruz said. “It’s something I’ve really been working on, so it’s awesome to see those results at the plate.”

Arraez’s strong showing increased his batting average on the season to an eye-popping .444, and he’s now second in Marlins history with 32 hits through the club’s first 21 games.

“I took some heat the other day when I said he’s the modern day Tony Gwynn, but my point is that his bat-to-ball skill is elite,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It’s not a ton of power, but he’ll hit a lot of doubles … It almost looks like he picks which [outfield] hole to hit.”

Schumaker watched the back-half of the game from the Marlins' clubhouse after he earned his first career ejection in the fifth inning. Schumaker got the heave after home-plate umpire Dan Merzel ejected Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins' dugout when Chisholm objected to Merzel’s strike zone during Garrett Cooper’s at-bat.

“Umpires are going to make questionable calls; that’s part of the game, that’s human,” Schumaker said. “The reality is … he’s not going to be perfect, and we know that.”

Puk and the bullpen were set up to lock the game down after another strong start from a Marlins starter, as Braxton Garrett scattered five hits and one run over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win. His victory came a few hours after Devin Smeltzer threw four scoreless innings in a spot start in the opening game of the doubleheader.

“It’s been awesome, we’re competing in every game,” Garrett said. “The bullpen’s been fantastic. It’s been a lot of fun.”