Marlins, Padres advance to NL Division Series

CHICAGO (AP) — Garrett Cooper homered against Yu Darvish in a two-run seventh, hard-throwing rookie Sixto Sánchez dominated for five innings and the Miami Marlins won their first playoff series in 17 years, beating the Cubs 2-0 Friday to complete a two-game wild card series sweep.

Miami will face Atlanta in the NL Division Series in Houston starting Tuesday.

Cooper gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead with two out in the seventh with a drive into the seats beyond the left-field wall. Matt Joyce doubled off the glove of diving center fielder Ian Happ, and Miguel Rojas chased Darvish with an RBI single.

Winner Brad Boxberger threw 1 1/3 innings. Former-Cub Brandon Kintzler gave up a leadoff double to Jason Heyward in the ninthm then struck out the next three batters.

Chicago missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2014, then scored one run in its return. The Cubs haven’t advanced since the 2017 team lost in the NLCS.

PADRES 4, CARDINALS 0

Craig Stammen and eight fellow relievers combined on a four-hitter in a brilliant, record-setting effort, giving San Diego a 2-1 win in their NL wild-card series.

San Diego won a postseason series for the first time since 1998, when they beat Houston in the Division Series and Atlanta for the NL pennant, then was swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees.

The nine pitchers marked the most used in a nine-inning shutout in any big league game since at least 1901.

With starters Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet unavailable due to injuries suffered in their final regular-season starts, rookie manager Jayce Tingler was forced to tap the Padres’ already-stressed bullpen.

Trevor Rosenthal, who started his career with the Cardinals, struck out the side in the ninth and the Padres began to celebrate in empty Petco Park.

Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled into the left-field corner off losing pitcher Jack Flaherty with one out in the fifth and scored on Eric Hosmer’s two-out double. The Padres added on against reliever Alex Reyes in the seventh, on a bases-loaded walk to Hosmer and Manny Machado’s fielder’s choice and an error on third baseman Tommy Edman. Rookie Jake Cronenworth homered in the eighth.

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