Scott Van Slyke’s walk-off home run lifts Dodgers

Scott Van Slyke was in the middle of everything Monday night.

He might have cost the Dodgers a run. He also prevented the Miami Marlins from scoring one. And after scoring a run in the seventh inning, he hit a three-run home run against Steve Cishek in the ninth that gave the Dodgers a 5-3 walk-off victory at Dodger Stadium.

“That was a lot of action out there for me, a lot more than I’m used to,” Van Slyke said.

Van Slyke’s late-game heroics were a reminder of the kind of depth that could be purchased for $270 million, as they came at a time when Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford were on the disabled list.

That depth is about to improve.

Closer Kenley Jansen said he expected to be activated Saturday from the disabled list.

“I’m very excited,” Jansen said.

Jansen’s return would fortify a bullpen that has ranked among baseball’s best in the first five weeks of the season. The group went into the series with the Marlins with a combined earned-run average of 1.85, which was third in the majors.

Jansen has been recovering from a foot operation he underwent before spring training. He has pitched in five minor league games as part of a rehabilitation assignment, including on consecutive days over the weekend.

He will pitch in a minor league game Wednesday, after which he will continue to test his foot in fielding drills for a couple of days.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said he plans to use Jansen a couple of times in low-leverage situations before calling for him to pitch the ninth inning.

Jansen said he was on board with the plan.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in a big league game,” Jansen said.

The ninth inning Monday was pitched by Yimi Garcia, who posted a 0.63 ERA in his previous 14 appearances. Garcia made a misstep, serving up a two-run home run to Christian Yelich that moved the Marlins in front, 3-2.

But in the bottom half of the inning, Yasmani Grandal drew a one-out walk, which was followed by a single by Andre Ethier.

With the Dodgers down to their final two outs, Van Slyke stepped into the batter’s box.

“Good vibes,” Van Slyke said. “I felt confident. I was on time and felt I had a good chance to square something up.”

He was right.

Van Slyke launched a slider by Cishek over the center-field wall.

The walk-off home run was the second of Van Slyke’s career.

Even without the home run, the game was an eventful one for the reserve outfielder.

With the Dodgers leading, 1-0, he was on third base in the fifth inning when Jimmy Rollins lined out to right field.

Before Van Slyke could tag up and touch home plate, Giancarlo Stanton doubled off Joc Pederson at first base. The run didn’t count.

If Van Slyke didn’t run home fast enough, he made up for it in the seventh inning, when Adeiny Hechavarria lined out to him in left field with the bases loaded. Van Slyke threw out Yelich at home to preserve a 1-1 stalemate.

Van Slyke singled to left field in the bottom half of the inning and took an extra base when Yelich mishandled the ball. Two batters later, Van Slyke scored on a single by Pederson to move the Dodgers in front, 2-1.

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez