JUPITER, Fla. -- Don't try to convince Marlins center fielder Lewis Brinson that it’s just Spring Training. The way he's hitting, he's just enjoying the ride.

Brinson belted two home runs in Miami’s 9-8 walk-off win over the Nationals on Monday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

In Grapefruit League play, Brinson is batting .438 (7-for-16) with five home runs and a double.

"It feels good," said Brinson after his second multihomer game of the spring. "Like I've said, spring, regular season, winter ball, it doesn’t matter. If you’re hitting the ball well, it feels good."

Brinson is looking to make a statement after struggling during his rookie season in 2018, where he hit .199 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs.

"I know it"s early," Brinson said. "I know these games don't mean a lot. But to me, every game I play right now means a lot. I'm just trying to have good at-bats."

There’s a sense of urgency for Brinson to produce in his second season with the Marlins.

A centerpiece in Christian Yelich trade with the Brewers last year, Brinson is striving to live up to his potential and prove he can be a productive everyday big leaguer.

A year ago, Brinson also had a strong Spring Training, batting .328 with two home runs, only to follow that up with a disheartening regular season.

"He had a pretty good spring last year, but it wasn’t the same type of swings," manager Don Mattingly said. "It looks really good right now. Hopefully, we just keep building and get him ready for the season."

Alfaro back in action

Catcher Jorge Alfaro was back in the lineup, even though it was as a designated hitter.

Alfaro had two at-bats, striking out in the first inning and grounding to shortstop in the fourth. It was a nice step forward for Miami’s projected everyday catcher.

Alfaro bruised his right knee ramming into a dugout railing on Feb. 23, Miami’s first Grapefruit League game.

"Just to get him back playing, and get him on the field, really," Mattingly said of the objective of the day. "He’s been getting at-bats in the [back fields]. He’s probably had close to 10 over the past few days. To get him back out there, it’s just different."

The hope is for Alfaro to catch on Tuesday. But if he’s not ready to go, then it could be Wednesday.

"He’s doing good," Mattingly said. "We’ll just kind of come along slowly with the leg."

Chen’s rough outing

Wei-Yin Chen, projected to be in the rotation, had his second straight rough Grapefruit League start. The veteran left-hander was tagged for four runs on five hits in two-plus innings on Monday. In his first start, at the Mets, he gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings.

In both cases, Chen faced National League East rivals.

To Chen, early in camp he is getting ready for the regular season, regardless of the opponent.

"I don’t really alter my game plan according to who I'm facing," Chen said through his interpreter. "It's Spring Training. Even though they are a divisional rival, they know me, and I know them. In Spring Training, I have stuff that I want to work on and I have adjustments I want to do, so I don't really care about who I am facing. I'm just doing what I want to do out there."

Pablo Lopez, also in the mix for a rotation spot, struck out one in three scoreless innings of relief on Monday. Lopez's fastball maxed at 97 mph.

Ninth-inning heroes

Isaac Galloway was the walk-off hero with his RBI single in the ninth inning on Monday. Before that, Gabriel Guerrero, a non-roster invitee, pulled Miami even with a home run to lead off the ninth.

Guerrero, an outfielder, is a 25-year-old who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the comeback win.

"Gabriel Guerrero is a pretty nice little player, and I shouldn't say little, because he’s big," Mattingly said.

Guerrero, 25, is listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.

"He can run. He can throw. He hits," Mattingly said. "He's got a good swing. That was a good pickup for us. He can swing the bat, and he can play."

Up next

Sandy Alcantara, lined up as the Marlins’ No. 4 starter, gets the nod against the Mets on Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. ET at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. New York is going with lefty Jason Vargas.