MLB Playoff Bracket 2020: Updated NL Predictions Before Friday's Schedule

The highest-scoring National League wild-card series could be set up for another shootout Friday night.

San Diego and St. Louis have combined to score 31 runs in the first two games at Petco Park, including 20 in Thursday's Game 2. 

The total runs scored in Game 2 was one fewer than the other five games across the NL wild-card round. 

The Chicago Cubs need more offensive production of their own to stay alive against the Miami Marlins, who triumphed in their first playoff game since 2003.

Pitching phenom Sixto Sanchez will try to end the series in two games, but to do so, he has to outlast Yu Darvish at Wrigley Field.

Friday NL Wild-Card Schedule

Game 2: Miami at Chicago Cubs (2:08 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 3: St. Louis at San Diego (7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Predictions

Fernando Tatis Jr. Continues Offensive Surge

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered the offensive performance many were waiting for in the back half of Game 2 to keep the Padres alive for at least another game. 

The shortstop delivered a pair of home runs in consecutive at-bats to bring San Diego back from a four-run deficit and provide some confidence to the rest of the lineup. 

After his sixth-inning home run, Manny Machado went deep and Wil Myers followed with long balls in the seventh and eighth innings. 

Tatis is more than capable of producing a similar performance in Game 3. He had home runs in back-to-back games on four occasions during the 60-game regular season. 

Three of those occurrences happened in the middle of a four-game home run streak at the start of August against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The 21-year-old phenom also hit home runs in two games of the final series against San Francisco to help secure the No. 4 seed. 

Even if he does not homer and just gets on base, Tatis could be the offensive catalyst that puts Jack Flaherty under pressure in the first few innings. 

Seven of San Diego's nine starters produced at least one hit in Game 2 and four players, including pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar recorded multiple hits. 

If Tatis gets on base early, he would allow Manny Machado or Eric Hosmer an early RBI opportunity, and that could cascade into Myers getting involved from the bottom half of the order based off San Diego's production Thursday. 

If St. Louis contains Tatis in each of his at-bats, it could recover from the Game 2 loss and move on, but it has been hard to keep the shortstop under wraps in the series. 

Tatis owns a 1.611 OPS with four hits in nine at-bats in his first postseason appearance. 

Cubs Provide Run Support For Yu Darvish, Force Game 3

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Cubs are 9-3 in games that Darvish started in the regular season.

In those 12 contests, the Cubs produced 50 runs. They also had a streak of seven consecutive victories in Darvish appearances that lasted from July 31-September 4. 

Chicago does not have to put up a high number of runs, like the Padres, since Darvish has been able to hold most opponents under three runs. 

The Japanese hurler conceded over three earned runs on a single occasion against Minnesota, and he rebounded from that with seven scoreless innings versus the Chicago White Sox. 

Darvish also has plenty of experience pitching against playoff teams, as his last seven appearances at home occurred against qualifiers from both central divisions. 

Leadoff man Ian Happ will likely be the offensive catalyst for the Cubs, as he had two of the team's four hits in Game 1. 

If he gets on base, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant will have the best chances to convert on run-producing opportunities. 

Bryant may be best equipped of the two players to drive in Happ if he reaches base. Bryant has better playoff splits than Rizzo and has at least one hit in 10 of his last 15 playoff games dating back to Game 5 of the 2016 World Series. 

If the Cubs make Sanchez feel uncomfortable on the mound, they could force Game 3 Saturday.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference