ATLANTA -- By the nature of the job, catching is a leadership position.

The Marlins, in the midst of a four-game losing streak, were looking for somebody to step up on Saturday night. Their catcher, Jorge Alfaro, did just that, belting two home runs, including a two-run drive in the ninth inning that proved the difference in Miami’s 4-2 comeback victory over the Braves at SunTrust Park.

Alfaro went to right field off A.J. Minter with Starlin Castro on first. The drive, according to Statcast, projected at 369 feet, with an exit velocity of 104.5 mph.

The ability to impact the game with one swing, and demonstrate the kind of power that Alfaro has thus far displayed has the Marlins optimistic about his future in Miami.

“If this guy can get himself in good position, there's a lot there, and a lot of it has been untapped, to be quite honest with you,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “There's a lot there. We really think there's a chance for this guy to be a really good offensive player. It's going to take some time for him, and some work, but this guy has got a chance.”

In his first career multi-homer game, Alfaro accounted for three of the Marlins’ four runs. In the fifth inning, trailing by two runs, Alfaro put Miami on the board with a home run, also an opposite-field shot, off Kyle Wright.

"Alfaro, I know he can do some damage,” Minter said. “I kept the ball away. I probably could have gone back in hard, but I decided to stay away. I felt like I beat him, but it ran into the barrel and he made a good swing on it."

Alfaro has three home runs on the season, all hit to right field.

“I think it's what his game should be, honestly,” Mattingly said. “He's got that kind of pop. This is not regular guys' pop.”

The type of “pop” Mattingly is talking about is Marcell Ozuna, Giancarlo Stanton level, former Marlins All-Stars.

“This is like, quite honestly, like Ozuna, Giancarlo and those guys,” Mattingly said. “The ball jumps off his bat that way, and that's really something he can do. There's not a lot of guys that can do it the way he does it. So, it's something he needs to take advantage of, and that's what we'll hopefully help him do, get him in the right position to get a chance to do that.”

The Marlins acquired Alfaro from the Phillies as part of the J.T. Realmuto trade.

“I never try to think about that,” Alfaro said of projections or expectations. “I just try to play hard. If I hit the ball, I'm going to run fast. If I have to throw, I will do it. I never think about tools, or anything like that. I just play the game how I played when I was a little kid.”

Alfaro has three homers in seven games this year, after hitting 10 in 108 games with the Phillies a year ago. The fact he was included in a high-profile trade for arguably the best catcher in the Majors invariably brings comparisons.

“The last couple of years, we've had a really good offensive catchers,” Mattingly said. “They're kind of similar. They both run really well. They're both athletic. Jorge is a little different style. J.T. is more of the pull-side, for me. Jorge needs to be more in the middle of the field, but it's stupid pop.”

BIG BLAST BY O'BRIEN

After the injury to Garrett Cooper, right field remains an unsettled position for the Marlins. 

Peter O’Brien is getting his turn right now, but there is a sense of urgency as the organization is looking for production. The 28-year-old from South Florida offered a glimpse of an answer on Saturday night, with a towering, opposite-field home run in a two-run fifth inning. 

O’Brien has as much raw power, if not more, than anyone on the 25-man roster, and perhaps in the organization. His game-tying home run off Wright was another reminder. Statcast projected it at 413 feet, with a 104.3 mph exit velocity.

“Pete's a streaky guy,” Mattingly said. “We've seen it in the past, where there will be sections of time where he's not making contact, and then he will have sections of time where he will hit six or eight homers in three or four days. Right now, we're looking for the hot spot. Hopefully, keeping him in the lineup, keep seeing pitches.”

O’Brien entered Saturday 1-for-14 with nine strikeouts.

The Marlins appear to be willing to run O’Brien out there in right field, but he also could be on short leash. At Triple-A New Orleans, Austin Dean is getting time in right field and could be a fallback plan if O’Brien struggles. 

Cooper, on the injured list with a left calf strain, has not resumed baseball activities. 

Monte Harrison, the Marlins’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is at Triple-A New Orleans. Harrison is missing the first few Minor League games due to a sore right wrist. But once he returns, if he heats up, he could be the long-term solution in right field. That is a more long-range plan.

UP NEXT

Closing out the Marlins’ three-game series on Sunday is left-hander Caleb Smith, who struck out eight in five innings in his first start. Smith takes on the Braves at 1:20 p.m. ET at SunTrust Park. Smith is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA against Atlanta. Sean Newcomb goes for the Braves.