Getty Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant return to the postseason.
The Chicago Cubs (34-26) and the Miami Marlins (31-29), both back in the postseason, square off in the first of a three-game series at Wrigley.
Game 1 will be televised on ABC, and Games 2 and 3 will be on one of the ESPN networks. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of every Marlins vs Cubs wild-card game online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN, ESPN2 and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Marlins vs Cubs live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3 on the ESPN platforms) can be watched for free this way if you have a participating internet service provider, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV/cable provider to watch the ones on ESPN or ESPN2. If you don’t have either of those, you can also use your FuboTV credentials to sign in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN, ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Marlins vs Cubs live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3 on the ESPN platforms) can be watched for free this way if you have a participating internet service provider, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV/cable provider to watch the ones on ESPN or ESPN2. If you don’t have either of those, you can also use your Vidgo credentials to sign in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN, ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Marlins vs Cubs live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3 on the ESPN platforms) can be watched for free this way if you have a participating internet service provider, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV/cable provider to watch the ones on ESPN or ESPN2. If you don’t have either of those, you can also use your Hulu credentials to sign in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Marlins vs Cubs Preview
The National League Central Division champion Cubs are the third seed, and they’ll be looking for their second World Series title in five years. The Cubbies hadn’t been divisional champs since 2017, but they’re not happy with merely making it back to the postseason.
“You’re never satisfied with just one,” third baseman Kris Bryant said about the possibility of winning another Series. “You always want more, more. Sometimes it comes. Sometimes it doesn’t. But, the group here is a really good group and a lot of talent, so I don’t see why we couldn’t put more rings on the board.”
First-year manager David Ross will go with the rotation of Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester. Hendricks will get the nod in Game 1, while Darvish will take the mound for Game 2. Pitching has been key for Chicago all season, and it could very well determine the outcome here, as well.
The Cubs still have several core members of their championship squad this postseason, including Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and third baseman Kris Bryant, who homered in back-to-back games towards the end of the season. Bryant, who has been dealing with an oblique injury this year, could just be starting to heat up, which is a scary thought if you’re Miami.
After losing 105 games last season, the Marlins have been a pleasant surprise in 2020. Manager Don Mattingly has done an excellent job with this squad, with the team sliding into the sixth seed, which was enough.
Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez have been a huge reason for the Marlins’ success this season, but Miami’s bullpen has been shaky. They had the fifth-highest ERA in the majors this year (5.50) and that’s a scary prospect against this hot-hitting Cubs team.
Still, Mattingly says his team will be ready to go.
“We’ll be rested,” Mattingly said prior to the game. “We’ll be ready. I think they’re going to expect to play well. I think our guys will be loose, I think we’ll be fine. This group has been a solid group, a great group actually, trustworthy from the standpoint they’ll be ready to play. Anything that’s come their way, they’ve dealt with, so really proud of these games and happy to have a winning record.”
The Marlins will be led offensively by first baseman Jesús Aguilar, who had eight homers and 34 RBIs this season. Brian Anderson will also be a force for Miami. He led the team in both major offensive categories, hitting 11 dingers while adding 38 RBIs.
These two teams last met in the playoffs back in 2003, when the Marlins came back from being down 3-1 to win both that series and later, the World Series.