Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images The Marlins and Cubs took very different paths to the 2020 MLB postseason. Wild Card Series preview The Marlins (31-29, minus-41 run differential) are visiting the Cubs (34-26, plus-25 run differential) at Wrigley Field for a best-of-three first-round postseason series, beginning with Game 1 Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET on ABC. As you are well aware, the Marlins have never lost a postseason series before. Just like the 1997 and 2003 teams, the 2020 Fish are considered underdogs (+170 odds, per Bovada). While nobody would label the Cubs as “dominant” this season, they practically led the NL Central from wire to wire, never dropping below the .500 mark. They also have the distinction of being one of the few MLB teams who haven’t had any players test positive for COVID-19 since the start of summer camp. Because of MLB’s regional schedule, the Marlins and Cubs had no mutual opponents in 2020 and didn’t directly play each other. Probable starters: Miami will use Sandy Alcantara, Sixto Sánchez and Pablo López in some order. Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks will take the mound for Chicago, though their No. 3 option is to be determined. Perhaps playoff-tested veteran left-hander Jon Lester gets the nod in that scenario. The Cubs announced their 40-man postseason player pool on Thursday. Mainstays from their 2016 World Series championship club include Hendricks, Lester, Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Jason Heyward, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber. The Marlins have not officially done the same yet. However, I believe these 38 players will be postseason eligible because they were included in Miami’s traveling party during the season-ending road trip (José Ureña has been removed after suffering a fractured forearm on Sunday): Don Mattingly owns an 8-11 career record as a postseason manager from three previous runs with the 2013-2015 Dodgers, advancing to the NLCS in ‘13. This will be David Ross’ first time in this position, though he had a prominent leadership role as a player on the ‘16 Cubs. Subscribe to the Fish Stripes podcast for a more extensive series preview coming out Tuesday morning! Walk-off links Congrats to Jesús Aguilar (Team MVP), Pablo López (Charlie Hough “Good Guy” Award), Francisco Cervelli (Jeff Conine Award) and Sixto Sánchez (Rookie of the Year) on receiving 2020 awards from the South Florida chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Thanks to all 184 people who have participated in our Fish Picks prop bets contest this year! The fun will continue into the postseason with points leaders getting their chance to win Ride the Wave, Air Rojas and Marlings t-shirts from BreakingT. Locked On Marlins is releasing a new interview with beloved FOX Sports Florida analyst Tommy Hutton later today. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com explores the consequences of so many top prospects skipping Triple-A en route to making their major league debuts in 2020. The Marlins did it with a handful of talented players, including Sixto Sánchez, Trevor Rogers and Jazz Chisholm who are all expected to be featured on their postseason roster. Shortstop prospect Nasim Nuñez, who just recently turned 20, is launching his own apparel line. @nsquaredapparel/Instagram

Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Welcome to the Splash Zone, the quickest way to get your day started off right. We bring you a rundown of Miami Dolphins news from the last 24 hours. The Dolphins signed Jordan Howard and traded for Matt Breida to help improve their running back room. Both backs were expected to be big contributors on offense, but Myles Gaskin has something to say about that. The second year back has outplayed both the veterans and appears to be the main back as he played 75% of the snaps against the Jaguars last week. You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below. Myles Gaskin outplaying Jordan Howard, Matt Breida in Miami - ProFootballTalkThe Dolphins thought they needed to improve at running back this offseason, so they signed Jordan Howard to a two-year, $9.75 million contract and traded a fifth-round draft pick for Matt Breida. Little did the Dolphins know that their best running back was already on the roster. Brian Flores Flores discusses improvement vs. JagsDolphins coach Brian Flores gives an update following Miami's first win of the season. Dolphins 2020 Season NFL Week 3: Bills, Patriots win, keeping Dolphins in third | Miami HeraldNFL Week 3 AFC East highlights: The Buffalo Bills win a classic. The New England Patriots pound the Las Vegas Raiders. And the Miami Dolphins gain no ground. The Tape Don't Lie: Miami Dolphins control Jacksonville JaguarsThe Dolphins beat the Jaguars, 31-13. And Joe Schad breaks it all down with The Tape Don't Lie. Phinsider News You May Have Missed Miami Dolphins News 9/26/20: Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Just Having Fun - The PhinsiderWelcome to the Splash Zone, the quickest way to get your day started off right. We bring you a rundown of Miami Dolphins news from the last 24 hours. The Phinsider Q&A: Preparing for Sunday after TNF win - The PhinsiderThe NFL is just a few hours away from the start of Sunday’s Week 3 games. This week, Sunday is a nice, relaxing day for Miami Dolphins fans after the team dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars on... NFL 2020 Week 3 Dolphins fan rooting guide - The PhinsiderThe Miami Dolphins have already claimed a victory in Week 3 of the 2020 NFL season thanks to a 31-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. That makes today’s slate of games,... 202 NFL Week 3 picks from The Phinsider contributors - The PhinsiderThe Phinsider contributors are back with our Week 3 straight-up picks for each game on this weekend’s schedule. Of course, this weekend’s slate is a little more relaxing for Miami Dolphins fans, as...

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Bam Adebayo finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. The Miami Heat held a small lead over the Boston Celtics for nearly all of Game 6, but the Celtics made a run to open the fourth quarter. With 9:15 left to go, Jaylen Brown stole the ball from Tyler Herro and made a breakaway layup to put the Celtics up six. Erik Spoelstra called a timeout. Less than a minute later, Herro hit an open 3-pointer. On Miami’s ensuing possession, the 20-year-old rookie made a pullup jumper to tie the game. Then, Bam Adebayo drove to the rim for a filthy slam to give the Heat the lead back. IT'S BAM TIME 30 Pts | 11 Rebs | 2Asts pic.twitter.com/Zi5PJlk4ib— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 28, 2020 On Miami’s next trip down the floor, Adebayo connected on an and-one opportunity. Then, the third-year center found Jimmy Butler for a nice layup. About a minute later, the first-time 2020 All-Star found a wide-open Duncan Robinson for a 3. Miami had a five-point lead. Robinson then stole the ball from Jayson Tatum, igniting a fast-break. Herro took the ball to the rim for a reverse layup. Miami went up 109-102 with 4:31 left to go. BABY GOAT LIVES FOR THESE MOMENTS pic.twitter.com/NfLh0GfHn8— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 28, 2020 Brad Stephens called a timeout, but the Heat kept pouring it on. Herro hit a bank shot to put the Heat up 112-102 with 3:31 left. Adebayo then found Butler for another layup, and the Heat were suddenly up 116-102. And then with two minutes to go, Adebayo found Duncan Robinson for a 3. Miami was up 119-104. The Heat held on to win 125-113 and advance to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last 14 years. For Miami, the fourth-quarter performance of imposing their will on Boston was nothing short of amazing. Miami’s zone defense, which the Celtics carved up earlier in the game, was much tighter. The Heat’s dominance was reminiscent of their 40-point fourth-quarter in Game 3 of the Heat’s last series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bam Adebayo deserves the game ball for his performance. After struggling in Game 5, Adebayo dominated in the clincher. The Heat’s 2017 first-round pick finished with 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the foul line. Adebayo also picked up 14 rebounds and five assists. From his game-saving block on Tatum in overtime of Game 1 to this all-around performance, Adebayo was the best player in this series. Butler added 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line. He was aggressive early, making several drives to the rim in the first quarter. He drifted from the game a bit offensively later in the game, but Butler brought solid two-way play on both sides of the ball. In the fourth quarter, he found opportunities to score. OUR LEADER pic.twitter.com/KsNXaK9ha5— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 28, 2020 Miami had a true balanced effort. Herro added 19 points off the bench, Robinson made five 3-pointers on the night, and Jae Crowder again made nice cuts to the basket and finished with nine points. But Andre Iguodala was huge with four 3-pointers and score 15 points in 27 minutes off the bench. The Celtics purposefully left him open, and Iguodala made them pay. Every single time. IGGY IS HERE.He has 14 PTS on 4/4 3 PT (via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/9KUSD4pmac— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2020 The Heat face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 on Wednesday.

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