CHICAGO _ The Miami Marlins begin their first playoff run since 2003 at 2 p.m. Wednesday when they face the Chicago Cubs in the wild card round.
Here are five story lines to watch as the best-of-3 series begins.
1). Who wins the starting pitching battle?
Like most postseason baseball matchups, the Marlins and Cubs will most likely be decided by which team's starting pitching steps up the most.
The Cubs will go with Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 2.88) for Game 1 and Cy Young contender Yu Darvish (8-3, 2.01 ERA) in Game 2. Jon Lester (3-3, 5.16) would be the presumptive starter for Game 3. The trio has pitched in a combined 43 career playoff games with 38 starts.
The Marlins, meanwhile, will throw Sandy Alcantara in Game 1, Sixto Sanchez in Game 2 and Pablo Lopez in Game 3 (if necessary). They're not household names across MLB yet and all three are no older than 25 years old, but the trio has proven during the season that it has the potential to excel.
Alcantara was the team's Opening Day starter and threw 6 2/3 innings in his first start before being sidelined for more than a month with COVID-19. He threw 7 1/3 innings in Miami's playoff-clinching win over the Yankees on Friday. In his five starts this month, Alcantara has a 2.30 ERA, giving up 12 runs (eight earned) through 31 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts against 11 walks.
Lopez was the Marlins' de facto ace early when the roster was decimated by the COVID-19 outbreak. He's 6-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 59 strikeouts against just 18 walks through 57 1/3 innings.
Sanchez, the Marlins' top prospect, had five strong starts to begin his MLB career (3-1 record, 1.69 ERA, 29 strikeouts, five walks in 32 innings) before the Nationals and Braves roughed him up in his final two starts of the season in their second time facing him.
"We know our dudes have got some stuff," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "If they get on a roll, you don't really want to be on the other side of that."
Cubs manager David Ross agrees.
"They're big arms," Ross said Tuesday. "They're good. They pitched in a really good division. They're up and coming with a lot of confidence. Their stuff is electric. We're excited to face them. ... They're here for a reason."
2). How will playoff experience (or lack thereof) impact the series?
The Marlins only have five players on their roster with postseason experience: Jesus Aguilar, Brandon Kintzler, Starling Marte, Yimi Garcia and Matt Joyce. Conversely, they have 13 rookies among their 40 players eligible for the postseason roster.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have nine players on their roster who were part of their 2016 World Series run.
3). Will Mattingly's managerial experience give Miami an edge against Ross?
Mattingly has been down this road before. He led the Los Angeles Dodgers to three playoff berths and made it as far as the National League Championship Series in 2013. Ross, while a two-time World Series winner as a player (2013, 2016), is managing in the postseason for the first time.
4). How will no fans impact the series?
The Marlins' playoff series, like every other game to this point in the season, will be played without fans in the stands.
That might actually work in the Marlins' favor, putting less pressure on their youth-laden team without a roaring road crowd factoring into the game.
"It's really different playing with nobody at Wrigley than with the streets going crazy and people packed into the building," Mattingly said. "The younger guys get a little bit of a break not to have to walk in with the place packed and a hostile environment."
5). Will the Marlins' offense show up?
The Marlins went 20-6 this year when they outhit their opponents, 19-3 when they score at least five runs and 20-8 when they score first. They will need their heavy hitters in Brian Anderson, Corey Dickerson, Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper to produce.
