MIAMI -- When the week began, Jesús Sánchez sulked by himself in the dugout after being benched during the club’s seventh consecutive loss.

What a difference three days makes for both Sánchez and the Marlins.

Sánchez raised his arms awaiting his teammates’ embrace as the walk-off hero in Thursday afternoon’s 5-4 victory over the Rockies in 10 innings at loanDepot park. It marked the first time Miami won multiple games in walk-off fashion in the same series since 2022 (July 13-14 vs. Pittsburgh).

“This is something,” Sánchez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It can show you how life is, how baseball is. And you know there's ups and downs, but you've got to just keep moving forward and work hard, do your things, and then good things will come.”

With a runner at second with one out in the 10th, Colorado manager Bud Black brought in southpaw Jalen Beeks to face the left-handed-hitting Jazz Chisholm Jr., who flied out to center. Josh Bell walked before Sánchez, who entered with a .196 career average against lefties, recorded his second career walk-off hit.

Determined to stick with his game plan of sending Beeks’ fastball to the opposite field, Sánchez did just that by lining a 2-2 four-seamer to left past a diving Jordan Beck.

“For him to walk off, I know that's a tough night the other night, but credit to him,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He's moved on, and I think he's grown from it already. I told him I still love him and [that it] doesn't mean I'm not going to play him anymore. His teammates also built him up after that.

“There were a lot of good conversations, and I'm super happy for him.”

But Sánchez’s clutch knock doesn’t happen without another stellar performance by Miami’s bullpen.

Once a strength in 2023, it hasn’t fared as well in ‘24. During the three-game series, however, the relief corps didn’t allow an earned run over 15 innings. In Thursday’s finale, just one inherited run scored, on a fifth-inning double play.

With several arms unavailable during this stretch of 13 straight days with a game, the unit was running on fumes. The last thing Schumaker needed was this one to go even deeper.

So for the second straight game, rookie righty Anthony Maldonado was handed the ninth inning. After recording his first career save on Wednesday, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the score knotted at 4.

Maldonado, ranked as Miami’s No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has opened his Major League career with six scoreless innings across four outings. He is making a case to stick in The Show because of his wipeout slider and demeanor.

Right-hander Burch Smith, who was acquired in a trade with the Rays prior to Opening Day, then tossed a scoreless 10th. After fielding a sacrifice bunt that advanced the automatic runner, he struck out Ryan McMahon and Elehuris Montero with the infield drawn in.

“It's an ideal outcome,” said Smith, who entered with a 14.3 percent K rate. “I try to not go for a strikeout until I get to two strikes. A lot of times, I'll find myself trying to go for the strikeout and it never happens. So just trying to make good pitches and if I find myself in an 0-2, 1-2 count, maybe go for it. But I really just execute each pitch one pitch at a time.

“Just a lot of confidence. I think [bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda] has been great with the reports and we are able to lean on him. Really just watching everybody go out and compete, and just making good pitches. We've got a nice little stretch going here, and I hope we can keep it going.”

Miami now travels west to face the A’s and Dodgers for six games, hoping its best baseball is ahead. The Marlins rediscovered their winning formula of clean defense, solid pitching and timely hitting.

“We put ourselves in a hole, there's no doubt about it, but there's a ton of season left,” Schumaker said. “That was a nice series for us. Going out to the West Coast, it's a long flight. So having a happy flight is definitely a big deal when you're flying five hours across the country.

“Everybody contributed this series. I think that's kind of what stuck out to me is the bullpen was really good. Starting pitching was really good. Some rookies that came up really stepped up.”