kiké hernández

Freeze frame. There’s Dodgers catcher Will Smith’s follow-through as he watches the ball he just crushed travel toward the wall Saturday.

Now, split screen. Pull up an image of the bobblehead the Dodgers gave out before the game, commemorating Smith’s Game 7 World Series-winning home run. It’s a mirror image.

On his bobblehead night and 31st birthday, Smith delivered a two-run home run in the eighth inning as the Dodgers swept their season-opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 3-2 victory Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Cue an aerial shot of the Hollywood sign.

“When you talk about big hits, clutch, Will’s right at the top of the list,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts originally planned to sit Smith. The catcher played in the first two games of the series, and an off day on Sunday would have given him two straight days of rest early in a grueling season.

“We always talk about stuff,” Smith said. “He was going to give me the day off, I just kind of dropped the bobblehead card [for Saturday] and he let me in there.”

A key edit to the script.

Roberts made a few tweaks to the lineup ahead of the Dodgers facing a left-handed starter for the first time this season. Against Eduardo Rodriguez, Roberts swapped first baseman Freddie Freeman and Smith in the batting order; Smith hit fourth and Freeman fifth.

Santiago Espinal also made his Dodgers debut, starting at third base. Roberts said it wouldn’t be a platoon between Espinal and Max Muncy at third, but he wasn’t sure exactly how the playing-time split would play out.

For the first five innings, no one on the Dodgers did much on offense, except for Freeman.

Freeman went hitless in the first two games of the series despite making hard contact. But he had three hits in four at-bats Saturday, including a double in the sixth inning that drove in the Dodgers’ first run.

“Definitely nice to get off the barrel on the first one and hit a flare up the middle,” Freeman said. “And obviously once you get one, you can just kind of rest easy. And then they played the shift on my third hit, and that was nice, because then I was able to stay on the fastball and hit it to left field down the line.”

That hit cut the Diamondbacks’ lead to one run, thanks to a strong showing from the Dodgers’ pitching staff.

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Tyler Glasnow turned in a quality start. Holding the Diamondbacks to two runs over six innings, Glasnow used his curveball as his putaway pitch against right-handed hitters, and two-strike sinkers kept left-handed batters off balance, especially deeper into his start. Glasnow recorded six strikeouts.

The Dodgers’ bullpen continued its scoreless streak for the series, as Alex Vesia, Will Klein and Edwin Díaz shut down the Diamondbacks through the last three innings.

For the second straight night, Díaz entered to a live rendition of Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco,” performed by trumpet player Tatiana Tate.

“When Edwin comes in the game, that means something good’s happening for the Dodgers,” Freeman said. “So I’m a fan.”

Although the Dodgers’ offense was quieter than in their other wins of the series, their lineup again proved to be pesky. In all three games, they fell behind 2-0. In all three, they won.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith, left, celebrates with Tesocar Hernández after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday, Mookie Betts drew a walk. Then Smith worked a 2-2 count, fouling off three fastballs before he was right on time for one at the top of the strike zone.

“We never feel like we’re out of it,” Smith said. “We keep taking good at-bats, keep believing in each other, keep believing that someone’s going to come up with a big hit.”

On Saturday, it was destined to be Smith.

“Birthday and bobblehead day,” Glasnow said, “It was a magical night.”

Roll credits.

Injury updates

Dodgers utility players Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery recovery) and Kiké Hernández (left elbow surgery recovery) took early batting practice on the field Saturday afternoon.

Roberts has said he expected Edman, on the 10-day injured list, will be an option by at least the end of May. Hernández will be eligible to be activated off the 60-day IL around the same time.

“I’d be shocked if [Hernández] wasn’t ready when that time is up,” Roberts said. “Taking grounders, the way he’s moving, the way he’s throwing, catching, the swing, ball coming off the bat. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was in the lineup tonight.”

PHOENIX — A three-time World Series champion, Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández has had his fair share of clutch hits, home runs and game-saving, series-defining moments that will forever be etched in baseball lore.

Earlier this month, however, he witnessed something new.

On March 7, hours after Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hit the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history to power Team Netherlands past Nicaragua in Miami, Athletics prospect Darell Hernaiz delivered a game-winning blast of his own to lift Team Puerto Rico over Panama in extra innings in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Hernández stormed out of the dugout at Hiram Bithorn Stadium alongside his teammates to greet Hernaiz at home plate and celebrate the monumental moon shot.

“There had never been a walk-off homer in the history of the WBC, and we [got] to see two in the same day, which was pretty cool,” Hernández said at his clubhouse stall at Camelback Ranch. “For me personally, I was running to home plate, conscious that I wasn’t necessarily part of the team so I couldn’t run laps around home plate, like I did on Freddie [Freeman’s] walk-off homers [in the World Series], but it’s still up there as one of those really cool moments that I’ll always remember.”

Unable to participate in this year’s WBC as he recovers from offseason left elbow surgery, Hernández left Dodgers camp to spend the first leg of the tournament with Team Puerto Rico.

“I got to experience it in a different way this year,” said Hernández, who has played twice in the WBC. “I was just kind of there as a fan, almost in like a coaching role. I get a lot more nervous when I’m not playing, because I really don’t have any power over it. I don’t have any control over what’s going on, so it was pretty nerve-wracking.”

He added: “Obviously, seeing that stadium packed out was pretty special. And of course, I’m still bummed that I don’t get to be a part of it, but I still support my people, and I’m still hoping they can win.”

During a Team Puerto Rico news conference last week, Hernández told reporters in Spanish that the WBC rates above the World Series. Hernández, who’s played in five World Series, elaborated on his statement.

“I said it feels bigger,” Hernández said. “I didn’t say it’s bigger. Atmosphere, crowd, you’re representing your country. You’re not representing a city. You don’t always choose who you play for. Sometimes that’s out of your control and you know, when you’re representing your country, you’re playing along with your homies. Sometimes you’re playing along with people that you grew up with. Your people back home are rooting for you, at times.

“You’re playing in the United States, you’re playing for different teams, and sometimes they’re rooting against you. And for us, coming from our little island, the things that we can do for our island while the tournament is going on, it becomes a lot bigger than baseball, to where, it does not always feel that way when you’re playing for an organization in Major League Baseball.”

Hernández will be in Houston for Puerto Rico’s quarterfinal game against Italy on Saturday, and he said he doesn’t know if he would go to Miami if Puerto Rico reached the semifinals.

“I haven’t had the conversation yet with Andrew,” Hernández said, referring to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “I only asked permission to go to Houston. We win in Houston, he might get another text message if I can go along for the ride, but haven’t decided yet.”

As for his rehab from surgery, Hernández said he’s progressing rapidly and hopes to return in late May, when his 60-day IL stint expires.

“I’m not surprised that it’s going well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “End of May, beginning of June is probably a safe bet. Something like that.”