Sixto Sanchez, Marlins Advance to NLDS with Game 2 Win vs. Yu Darvish, Cubs

The Miami Marlins remain undefeated in playoff series after their 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series.   

In just their third postseason appearance in franchise history, the Marlins are a perfect 7-0 in playoff series. They swept the NL Central champion Cubs and will play in the NLDS for the first time since 2003. 

Miami made the playoffs as a wild card with a 31-29 record during the regular season. The team was outscored by 41 runs (304-263) in those 60 games, but manager Don Mattingly had no problems getting his team ready to play the Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

Sixto Sanchez's playoff debut couldn't have gone better. The 22-year-old went pitch for pitch with Yu Darvish, striking out six and allowing four singles in five shutout innings. 

Garrett Cooper broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh inning with a solo homer off Darvish. Magneuris Sierra provided an insurance run later in the inning with an RBI single that scored Lewis Brinson.

Notable Game Stats

• Sixto Sanchez (MIA): 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
• Garrett Cooper (MIA): 1-for-3, Solo HR, 2 K
• Magneuris Sierra (MIA): 1-for-3, RBI, K
• Yu Darvish (CHC): 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• Ian Happ (CHC): 2-for-4, K
• Anthony Rizzo (CHC): 0-for-4, 2 K

Sanchez Solidifies Star Status in Playoff Debut

The Marlins waited one month into the 2020 season before calling Sanchez up, but the right-hander has already left an indelible impression on the franchise. 

Among all pitchers who threw at least 30 innings during the regular season, Sanchez's average fastball velocity of 99 mph ranked first in Major League Baseball. He wasted no time putting that electric velocity on display in the first inning of his playoff debut:

In addition to having some of the best raw stuff in MLB, Sanchez displayed great poise when things looked like they might be getting away from him. The 22-year-old walked Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber to start the bottom of the fourth but got out of the inning unscathed thanks to some help from Matt Joyce:

The Cubs threatened again in the fifth inning by loading the bases with two outs, but Sanchez again escaped without any damage done by getting Schwarber to fly out. 

Mattingly would turn to his bullpen for the rest of the game. They combined for four shutout innings, with closer Brandon Kintzler striking out three straight after giving up a leadoff double to Jason Heyward in the bottom of the ninth. 

With the pitching staff doing its job, the Marlins finally took advantage of a mistake from Darvish when Cooper launched a hanging slider over the left-field fence in the top of the seventh:

Even though this is only his first postseason start, Sanchez has a lot of the same qualities that Josh Beckett did during the 2003 playoffs. Both are young power pitchers with wipeout stuff that can stifle opposing hitters. 

Beckett had more experience under his belt prior to that postseason run with 48 regular-season starts from 2001-03, but he was only 23 at the time. Sanchez was making his just his eighth career start Friday. 

Regardless of whether or not the Marlins can advance to the World Series, Sanchez is proving he has the potential to be an ace who can shut down a lineup on the sport's biggest stage. 

Punchless Cubs End Season in Disappointing Fashion

As was the case throughout the regular season, Chicago's offense was a huge disappointment in two playoff games. 

The Cubs managed just one run on an Ian Happ solo homer in the fifth inning of Game 1. Contreras' ninth-inning double in Wednesday's game was their only other extra-base hit until Jason Heyward led off the ninth with a double in Game 2. 

This isn't anything new for the Cubs, though. Their offense ranked 18th in MLB in on-base percentage (.318), 20th in runs scored (265) and 27th in batting average (.220).

Among the many issues for Chicago's lineup is how far Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez have fallen since leading the franchise to the 2016 World Series title:

In the scheme of things, this is still a very small sample of games to choose from. But when you combine those playoff stats with the regular season, even this 60-game schedule, it becomes alarming. 

Kris Bryant missed 26 games during the regular season with finger, wrist and back injuries. The 2016 NL MVP set career lows with a .206 average, .293 on-base percentage and .351 slugging percentage. 

Baez was completely punchless at the plate this season. The two-time All-Star had the lowest on-base percentage (.238) of 142 hitters who qualified for the batting title.

Getting Bryant back to full strength and giving Baez a normal offseason to get ready could help both players reach their potential in 2021. 

But there's the question of what Chicago's roster will look like next season. Ownership has been very conservative on the free-agent market over the past two years. The team only has $58.5 million in guaranteed contracts on the books for 2021, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

However, Craig Edwards of FanGraphs estimated back in April that the Cubs still project to have the highest payroll in MLB ($188 million) because of their arbitration candidates. 

That's particularly worrisome because the starting rotation looks like a mess behind Darvish and Kyle Hendricks. Tyler Chatwood, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana will all likely become free agents. 

When the Cubs were celebrating their World Series title four years ago, it seemed like they had the brightest future of any MLB team. 

Now, though, Theo Epstein and the rest of the front office have a lot of work to do if they want to keep the Cubs atop the NL Central after a quick playoff exit. 

What's Next?

The Marlins will take on the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS at Minute Maid Park starting Oct. 6.