LEADING OFF: Cubs' Darvish tries to save season vs Marlins

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

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TRY AGAIN

The Cubs and Marlins resume their series a day after poor weather caused a postponement at Wrigley Field. Miami leads the best-of-three 1-0 but may be without outfielder Starling Marte, who was hit by a fastball during Wednesday’s 5-1 victory and has a nondisplaced fracture of the bone running between his left pinky and wrist. He wasn’t in the starting lineup for Thursday’s postponed game, but manager Don Mattingly had not ruled out using him.

Chicago is counting on Yu Darvish to avoid a playoff sweep. The ace right-hander was a steady presence for the Cubs throughout the pandemic-shortened season, joining the NL Cy Young Award conversation. A four-time All-Star with Texas, he tied Cleveland’s Shane Bieber for the major league lead with eight wins and was second in the NL to Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer with a 2.01 ERA.

The Marlins will counter with 22-year-old Sixto Sánchez, who debuted Aug. 22 and posted a 3.46 ERA in seven starts.

Game 3 will be played Saturday if necessary.

BIG SWINGS

Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres are finally into the swing of this unusual postseason. Tatis and Wil Myers became the first teammates since the Yankees’ Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1932 World Series to each homer multiple times in the same postseason game, spurring an 11-9, come-from-behind win in Game 2 against St. Louis on Thursday to keep the season alive.

Prior to his rally-sparking three-run homer in the sixth, Tatis had stranded 10 runners in the series’ first 14 innings, including a bases-loaded strikeout in the fourth on Thursday.

The first shot got San Diego going, and the Padres went on to become the first team in postseason history with five home runs from the sixth inning onward...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Cubs-Darvish-tries-to-save-season-15614966.php