The Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday narrowly secured a series-opening win against the Miami Marlins by a score of 8-7 at Chase Field in Phoenix thanks to a walk-off home run by Corbin Carroll.

The victory sets up the middle portion of a critical homestand for the Diamondbacks. What should be taken away from it?

The Marlins showed just how tough they could be, but the Diamondbacks responded.

After a scoreless first inning, Miami took a 3-0 lead when Arizona starter Corbin Burnes gave up two singles, a two-RBI triple, and a sacrifice fly. The Diamondbacks had an early hole to climb out of, and they did so quickly.

After being retired in order in the bottom of the second, Arizona’s offense got right back in the bottom of the third when Pavin Smith — whose struggles at the plate saw him designated for assignment earlier in the season — hit a leadoff double to spark momentum. 

Then, Jordan Lawlar hit a single, and a double-steal effort between him and Smith ended with the latter stealing home to put the Diamondbacks on the board, and Lawlar ended up at third after a throwing error by Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez. Subsequently, Lars Nootbaar tied the game with a two-run blast to right-center field.

For the rest of the game, Miami continued to make things hard on Arizona. The Marlins added two more runs in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead, and the Diamondbacks scored a run in the fifth to close the gap.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Diamondbacks were down 7-4, and time was running out for them. However, Lawlar showed up with a two-run home run, but Arizona was still down 7-6 at the end of the inning.

In the top of the ninth, reliever Juan Morillo did well to not let the Marlins add any more runs on the board, and that gave the Diamondbacks three more chances to get back in the game.

Closer Pete Fairbanks took the mound for Miami, and he gave up a leadoff walk to Gabriel Moreno. That walk compelled Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo to go to Tommy Troy as a pinch runner, and a subsequent sacrifice bunt by Geraldo Perdomo advanced Troy to second base.

With a runner in scoring position, Arizona had Carroll, one of its brightest stars, coming up to the plate, and he delivered his talent in the form of a clutch, walk-off, two-run home run to right field to win the game. 

It was a win the Diamondbacks desperately needed, especially after dropping their previous series to the Texas Rangers. A loss would have marked the third in a row for Arizona, but now it has reclaimed critical momentum.

The Marlins are dangling over the proverbial cliff to being eliminated from the postseason, but that does not mean they will not fight to stay above water.

Earlier in the season, Miami was looking good, and it looked like it had a chance to make it back to the playoffs. But the Major League Baseball season is a long one, and the days when the Marlins looked the strongest have passed.

However, this is a team that just took two out of three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, so that potential still exists, and it will only make things harder for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks, who are still 2.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for third place in the National League Wild Card standings despite Monday’s victory, need every win they can get. But if this series proves anything, the comforts of playing at home against a below .500 team do not mean much this time of year.

The Marlins are still trying to give themselves a shot to try and go on one last run to punch a ticket to October. They know this is their final chance to do so, even as it becomes increasingly unlikely, and Arizona has to play with the same urgency against them.