No offense, and Cubs season ends with loss to Miami
Once again, the Cubs offense failed in the clutch. Going back to the 2017 NLCS, and 2018 when they dropped an NL Central playoff game and Wild Card game on back-to-back days, they've scored 1 run or less in five straight postseason contests - all at Wrigley Field.
The 2020 season came to an end with a 2-0 loss to Miami on Friday, and they dropped the Wild Card Series 2-0. The Cubs finished with 5 hits, two each by Heyward and Ian Happ.
In the bottom of the ninth against former Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler, Jason Heyward led off with an opposite-field double. Then both Javy Baez and David Bote took third strikes on the outside edge. Pinch-hitter Jason Kipnis ended it with a swinging strikeout.
Yu Darvish was on cruise control well into the seventh inning, but with two outs and two strikes, Garrett Cooper belted a high fly ball to left field that the wind couldn't keep out of the seats.
The Marlins quickly added a second run as Matt Joyce doubled and the Cubs intentionally walked Miguel Rojas to get to Magneuris Sierra, but he delivered an RBI single to right.
The Cubs should have been ahead at that point in the game, missing some scoring chances in the middle innings.
In the fourth, Marlins starter Sixto Sanchez walked Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber to start the inning. With one out, Jason Heyward lined a broken-bat single to right field, but Contreras didn't get a good jump and was thrown out at the plate by Joyce. Had Contreras made it safely, the Cubs might have scored a second run because Javy Baez followed with a deep fly out, that could have been a sacrifice fly.
The Cubs returned the favor in the next inning, though, as Schwarber threw out Rojas trying for a double after he bounced a line drive off the bullpen door. Rojas was initially called safe and the Cubs won the replay challenge.
Sanchez worked out of trouble again in the fifth as the Cubs loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of singles and a hit batsman. But Schwarber popped to left to end the inning.
Both pitchers started out on fire, with Darvish breezing through most innings and the rookie Sanchez frequently hitting 100 miles per hour.