Marlins’ veteran acquisitions continue to prove valuable in Miami’s playoff victory

The Miami Marlins don’t have the abundance of veterans on their roster like the Chicago Cubs and several other playoff teams.

But they have just the right mix to complement their youth.

“I think we have the right pieces and the right guys so let’s see what happens,” first baseman Jesus Aguilar said.

The way the Marlins secured their 5-1 comeback victory against the Cubs in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series on Wednesday backs up Aguilar’s assessment.

The Marlins had chance after chance to score on Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks slip away until Corey Dickerson belted a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to put Miami ahead for good.

Then Aguilar, one of six Marlins with prior playoff experience heading into the series, followed two batters later with a two-run home run to right field.

And who set up those rallies?

Miguel Rojas, the team’s captain, shortstop, and a seven-year veteran who experienced the postseason back in 2014 while with the Dodgers.

Rojas’ single with one out was followed by a single by Chad Wallach before Dickerson’s 384-foot blast to left center field.

And after Hendricks was removed, Starling Marte kept the inning going with a single off the Cubs’ best setup reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Aguilar followed with his blast.

Marte, who was acquired at the trade deadline, played on three different playoff teams from 2013-15 for the Pirates and was a career .272 hitter with 10 home runs at Wrigley Field before this game.

The Marlins might have lost Marte for an undetermined amount of time, however, after he suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a 92.2-mph sinker from Cubs reliever Dan Winkler in the ninth inning. The Marlins are listing him as day-to-day.

Marte has been hit three times on that hand this season and been hit by pitches nine times combined between his time with the Marlins and Diamondbacks.

Although Dickerson played in his first career playoff game Wednesday, he had plenty of experience and success at Wrigley Field in the past.

Dickerson hit his second career home run there and has hit .323 with a .859 OPS in 69 career plate appearances (18 games).

“Corey has always hit,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He seems to always hit good pitching no matter where he’s been.”

In a season where the Marlins have had a club-record 18 rookies make their debuts, and are carrying seven on their 28-man playoff roster, the acquisitions of Dickerson and Aguilar have proven invaluable.

A year after they used 14 different outfielders, Dickerson has brought stability and a reliable bat in left field. The former All-Star is in the first year of a two-year deal.

And Aguilar, who played in 10 playoff games with the Brewers during his All-Star season in 2018, has rebounded after hitting .236 with a .714 OPS and 12 home runs in 369 combined plate appearances for the Brewers and Rays in 2019.

“Last year was not a good year for me and I’m just grateful that this organization believed in me,” Aguilar said.

Their clutch hits turned what could have been a frustrating loss for starter Sandy Alcantara into his first playoff win.

Alcantara gave up one run – an Ian Happ solo homer in the fifth — on three hits over 6 2/3 innings.

The Marlins put runners on base in every inning except the first including putting a pair of runners on in the fifth and sixth against Hendricks, who didn’t exhibit the typical control he had during a season in which he compiled a 2.88 ERA and walked only eight batters in 81 1/3 innings.

Hendricks walked three batters — something he hadn’t done in his previous 41 starts — and hit a batter.

“He was hitting his spots and he’s a tough at-bat,” Dickerson said. “With him, it’s just about hitting your spot and don’t miss it.”