MIA-ATL Game 2 lineups, FAQ (MLBN)

By Mark Bowman and Joe Frisaro | October 7, 2020

It will be interesting to see if the drama will continue when the Marlins and the Braves play Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

Game	Date	Result	Highlights
Gm 1	Oct. 6	ATL 9, MIA 5	Watch
Gm 2	Oct. 7	ATL 2, MIA 0	Watch
Gm 3	Oct. 8	ATL 7, MIA 0	Watch

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The Braves produced a six-run seventh to claim a 9-5 win on Tuesday in the opener of this best-of-five series. Atlanta’s first NLDS Game 1 win since 2001 was highlighted by Ronald Acuña Jr. becoming the youngest player to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason.

Acuña was also hit by a pitch in the third by Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. This stirred bad blood that has been brewing as the Marlins have hit the young outfielder five times since he debuted in 2018.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said his team will be ready to turn the page after the Game 1 loss.

“Usually, the first few minutes will be a little bit thoughtful or everybody is looking at the game,” Mattingly said. “It’ll be fine, they’ll be fine.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
The game will air on MLB Network at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It is also available to stream on MLB.TV with authentication.

What do the starting lineups look like?
Marlins: Minus Starling Marte, Mattingly continues to juggle his roster. Marte, of course, is not on the NLDS roster due to a fractured left pinkie. The left-handed-hitting Magneuris Sierra is in center field with Atlanta going with right-hander Ian Anderson. Matt Joyce, formerly with the Braves, has been starting in right field against right-handers, with Lewis Brinson an option to enter late as a defensive replacement. Corey Dickerson is back in the leadoff spot after hitting sixth on Tuesday.

1) Corey Dickerson, LF (L)
2) Jon Berti, 2B
3) Jesús Aguilar, DH
4) Brian Anderson, 3B
5) Garrett Cooper, 1B
6) Matt Joyce, RF (L)
7) Miguel Rojas, SS
8) Magneuris Sierra, CF (L)
9) Chad Wallach, C

Braves: Manager Brian Snitker has made it clear he does not plan to tinker with this lineup mix, unless necessary, over the remainder of the postseason. Travis d'Arnaud (3-for-7 with 2 HR) and Acuña (5-for-14 with 2 HR) are the Braves who have had the most success against Pablo López.

“I think we've worked really hard the last few years trying to establish a lineup,” Snitker said. “Now we have one. I like that.”

1) Ronald Acuña Jr., CF
2) Freddie Freeman, 1B (L)
3) Marcell Ozuna, DH
4) Travis d’Arnaud, C
5) Ozzie Albies, 2B (S)
6) Dansby Swanson, SS
7) Adam Duvall, LF
8) Nick Markakis, RF (L)
9) Austin Riley, 3B

Who are the starting pitchers?
Marlins: López (0-0, 0.00)
López made three starts during the season against the Braves, with dramatically different results. The outing that was the most historically memorable was on Sept. 9 at Truist Park. That night, Atlanta rolled to a 29-9 victory, setting an NL record for most runs in a game. López lasted 1 2/3 innings and was tagged for seven runs. However, that start doesn’t tell his full story in head-to-head meetings with the Braves. On Aug. 14, López beat Atlanta, giving up two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts. And on Sept. 24, he threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts.

“Yeah, we have a little history of these two teams, so there’s really not a lot of secrets between us,” López said. “So it’s just really how we approach the situation. How we got to the field, we have a plan and we try to execute it. We’ve seen each other, we’ve faced each other several times.”