Just when it looked as if we might have only one game Friday after gorging on playoff baseball the past two days, Fernando Tatis Jr. happened and we have a postseason doubleheader: Game 2 of Marlins-Cubs and the winner-take-all Game 3 between Tatis’ Padres and the Cardinals.
Here’s what you need to know to get ready for those games, plus some amazing numbers, a spicy hot take and a look back at Thursday’s action.
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What’s on tap
All times Eastern; all series best-of-three played entirely in higher seed’s home park
Game 2: No. 6 Miami Marlins (Sixto Sanchez) at No. 3 Chicago Cubs (Yu Darvish), 2 p.m., ABC
After Thursday’s rainout, the Marlins look to extend their unexpected postseason appearance behind the rookie Sanchez, whose electric stuff caused quite a buzz after his big league debut in August. He mixed in more off-speed pitches in his past two starts with poor results (nine earned runs in seven innings), so look for Sanchez to keep the heat high in Game 2. With their season on the line, the Cubs turn to their ace, Darvish, who was second in the NL with a 2.01 ERA but has a 5.81 ERA in six career postseason starts.
Game 3: No. 5 St. Louis Cardinals (Jack Flaherty) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (TBD), 7 p.m., ESPN
The Padres seemed to be on their way out of the playoffs before erupting for five home runs from the sixth inning on to win Game 2. Lost in all the fireworks is the fact that the Cardinals didn’t exactly roll over, fighting until the end against the San Diego bullpen, most notably closer Trevor Rosenthal. Now St. Louis can throw Flaherty, who wasn’t great in 2020 but was better than great for much of 2019, in an effort to regain control of the series.
If you watch only one game today it should be …
After all the fun we saw in San Diego on Thursday night, we can’t wait to see what comes next. Not to mention that the Padres and Cardinals both will be in do-or-die mode.
Then again, those plucky Marlins have a chance to knock off the Cubs and move on to Round 2. Yes, the Marlins (it’s still hard to believe Miami is in the playoffs, expanded field or not).
Heck, after the smorgasbord of action the past few days, catching two games really shouldn’t be that hard. Just watch them both.
Updated odds for every series
Projections courtesy of ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle.
Marlins-Cubs (MIA 1-0): Marlins 60.8% to advance.
Padres-Cardinals (Tied 1-1): Padres 62.2% to advance.
Current World Series odds:
NL: Dodgers 39.3%, Braves 11.1%, Padres 8.8%, Cubs 2.0%, Cardinals 1.4%, Marlins 0.8%.
AL: Rays 13.5%, Yankees 9.4%, A’s 9.4%, Astros 4.4%.
Hot take of the day
The Marlins have never lost a postseason series and they will extend that streak to seven in a row when they beat the Cubs in Game 2. Sure, the Cubs have Darvish going and he has been one of the top starters since the second half of 2019, but he doesn’t exactly have a big-game reputation and had an extra 24 hours to think about his start. Still, he should have at least a solid start against a mediocre Marlins offense.
The bigger issue is the Cubs can’t hit. They hit .217 in August. They hit .213 in September. And they especially struggled against high-octane fastballs, hitting an MLB-worst .195 against pitches 95 mph or faster. Marlins starter Sanchez? He averaged 98.5 with his fastball. The Marlins move on. — David Schoenfield
Stat of the day
Tatis and Wil Myers of the Padres became the second pair of teammates in postseason history to each have two home runs in the same game Thursday night. They join Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who did it for the Yankees in the 1932 World Series.
For ESPN+ MLB postseason betting info, check out our picks and best bets
About last night …
The A’s had lost nine straight winner-take-all postseason games (their last win was in the 1973 World Series). The White Sox had never had a winner-take-all game. Maybe all that losing finally helped Oakland, which moved on to the division series by beating Chicago 6-4. The A’s fell behind 3-0 but rallied against a parade of White Sox relievers, winning a postseason game in which they trailed by three or more runs for only the third time. They’re now 3-47 in such games. Next for Oakland is a bad-blood matchup with the Astros in the division series. … The Reds went out with a whimper as they were shut out for the second straight game, falling to the Braves 5-0. Rookie Ian Anderson led the way with nine strikeouts in six innings as, like Oakland, Atlanta erased a run of postseason futility, posting their first series win since 2001, a streak of 10 series losses. … The Brewers were sent packing by Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, 3-0. …. The Padres’ home run barrage sunk the Cardinals 11-9, forcing a decisive Game 3 on Friday.
MORE: Wild Card Thursday takeaways
Social media post of the day
Goooo homeeeee😂 pic.twitter.com/Xg1vryQ1CO
— Ronald Acuna Jr (@ronaldacunajr24) October 2, 2020
Best moment of the MLB playoffs to date
Postseason baseball, meet Fernando Tatis Jr. With his team trailing 6-2 in the sixth inning of Game 2 against the Cardinals on Thursday night, MLB’s most electrifying player sparked a much-needed uprising with a three-run homer. Manny Machado followed with another homer in the next at-bat to tie it, and when the dust finally settled, San Diego had hit five home runs, including another Tatis shot — complete with an epic bat flip. The Padres had fended off elimination with an 11-9 win, and Tatis had enlivened not just his team but the entire sport.
Niño’s not like the rest of us 😤 pic.twitter.com/qdZinLgppt
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 2, 2020
And the running MLB playoff MVP is …
The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw. Eight dominant innings, giving up only three hits while recording 13 strikeouts, all on breaking pitches. The 13 K’s in Game 2 against the Brewers were the most ever by a pitcher in a potential series-clinching game. And perhaps most important, the performance might have set the tone for L.A.’s October.