LOS ANGELES -- The ninth inning of a close game at Dodger Stadium looked a bit different than usual on Friday night. Where normally closer Craig Kimbrel would get the ball, manager Dave Roberts instead turned to right-hander Evan Phillips to preserve a one-run lead.

Phillips did just that, as the Dodgers beat the Marlins 2-1 in the series opener. He got more than a little help from Trayce Thompson, whose clutch catch on the warning track in center field helped keep L.A. on top.

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“As an outfielder, any ball at the wall that you can pull down, it's a good feeling to help your pitcher out there,” said Thompson.

With nobody out, Nick Fortes drove a 1-2 fastball from Phillips 395 feet to center field with an exit velocity of 105 mph, according to Statcast. The fly ball had an .800 expected batting average, and while Thompson and manager Dave Roberts agreed that it wasn’t going over, it would’ve hit off the wall for extra bases had Thompson not been able to glove it.

If Thompson looks like a natural in center field, that’s because it’s the position he played most when he was coming up through the Minors. To this day, it’s the outfield spot he’s most comfortable in -- and his 2 outs above average in limited playing time there this year speak to his skill at the position.

“He's a clutch player,” said Roberts. “He's a guy that's been around for quite some time and really has an understanding now of who he is as a big league ballplayer. And he just has that ability, really, to slow the game down. Probably in his bloodline.”

Thompson concurred that he has been influenced as an athlete by his father, two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson. But when it comes to his abilities as an outfielder specifically, he credits Daryl Boston, who was the White Sox outfield coordinator when Thompson was drafted in 2009 (Boston is now Chicago’s first-base coach).

“Every day, we'd be out there working on stuff, working on balls at the wall, working on ground balls, throwing guys out at home,” Thompson said of Boston. “He's my guy. He's someone I still keep in contact with pretty regularly. I'm sure he'll text me when he sees that play.”

While the catch was the more dazzling play, just as important was Thompson’s RBI double to get the Dodgers on the board in the seventh inning. Having been shut down by Jesús Luzardo through 6 1/3 frames, Thompson saw his opportunity with lefty reliever Steven Okert on the hill. With two outs and Justin Turner on first base, Thompson drove a 2-0 hanging slider to left field, allowing Turner to score and tie the game.

“I talk to Trayce a lot and I'm just so happy for him and the success he's having,” said starter Tyler Anderson, who threw seven innings of one-run ball. “He's in a tough spot. He doesn’t get a chance to play every day and it's awesome to see that. On the bench, we talk every day, and he just stays locked in, stays ready for whatever it's going to be. If it's a pinch-hit in the seventh and then he goes out and plays defense, or if he starts, I feel like he does a really good job staying in the moment.”

Thompson’s certainly had his share of big moments since the Dodgers acquired him from the Tigers for cash considerations on June 20. Through 42 games in his second stint with Los Angeles (28 starts), he’s slashed .282/.373/.527 with five home runs -- and, yes, some impressive defense.

For his part, Thompson doesn’t see being a bench player as an obstacle to staying fresh, noting that there are ways to do so even when you’re not regularly in the starting lineup.

“That's why you prepare before the game,” said Thompson. “Batting practice for an outfielder is the biggest thing, in my opinion. And I feel like Doc’s done a good job. I mean, Doc’s been running me out there quite a bit. So, you know, I feel like I was prepared.”

As for Phillips getting the save opportunity over Kimbrel, Roberts explained the decision as being a matter of Kimbrel’s recent usage, as he’d pitched in three of the Dodgers’ last five games. Phillips, on the other hand, hadn’t pitched in two days.

“I trust [Phillips] to finish a ballgame,” said Roberts. “So it kind of was the best-case scenario, in the sense of giving Craig a day and getting him back in there tomorrow.”