T he Fighting Fish, formerly known as the Florida Marlins, finally decided to live up to their nickname this weekend. They finally showed how they got through an intense wild card race, and why they had the best record in the National League in the second half of the season.

Then again, no celebrations are needed when they managed to extend the series at home. It was a homestand where they nearly got blindsided by the billy goats loitering in the parking lot of Pro Player Stadium. In other words, they should have won yesterday, and I would have been shocked if they didn't.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe the Cubs would put forth their most valiant effort. However, the Marlins were in the top five in home winning percentage in the entire league, accumulating a 53-28 record. It would have been embarrassing for their organization if they lost three straight at home, and four straight overall.

As a result, Josh Beckett delivered a masterful performance in what was probably the best pitching performance of these playoffs. In nine innings, he picked up 11 strikeouts and surrendered only two hits. He got ahead of the Cub hitters all day long, which is further indicated by his pitch-to-strike ratio of 115-80.

Beckett was so unhittable on Sunday that I began to think about the 1984 National League Championship Series, where the Cubs were playing the Padres. In that series, the Cubbies were up 3-1 also, and they lost three in a row to the Padres. Ironically, that team was also coached by current Marlins manager, Jack McKeon.

McKeon may be digging in the baseball cellars for the tape from that series, or he may be trying to recall his pep talk. It probably won't matter, because these Cubs have their best chance tonight with Mark Prior taking the ball for the Cubs. The Marlins will meagerly counter with Carl Pavano, who has not made a postseason start. Pavano will be asked to keep the Marlins alive against Prior, while pitching in the raucous Wrigley Field, all while only pitching two innings of relief in the series.

Prior's only start in the series was a 12-3 blowout victory at Wrigley in Game 2. The start was a comfortable one for Prior, where he was given an 11-0 after five innings. Now, after six days of rest, he should be ready to deliver a gem.

"Prior's record after the loss has been outstanding, plus he's performed better on the sixth day than he has on the fifth day, which is why we didn't pitch him on Sunday," explained Cubs manager Dusty Baker to ESPN.com.

Hopefully Prior pitches like Babe Ruth once did in 1918, since that was the last time the Cubs were shutout in the postseason by a single pitcher. If that ends up being the case, then Green Street will look a lot like Clark Street tonight.

In Dusty We Trusty

If there is any manager that understands his players and their strengths and talents, it's Dusty Baker.

"Sometimes, matchups are not about statistics, they are about a gut feeling that you have with your players based on communication," Baker said.

A solid example is the almost miraculous pinch-hitting done by the Cub bench during the NLCS. In fact, before Doug Glanville's game-winning triple in Game 4, he had gone 1-for-9 against pitcher Brandon Looper, and had not had an RBI since Aug. 23rd.

The Early Bird Takes the Worm

A definite key to the Cubs' success in the postseason is their ability to score first. The Cubs are batting .432 in the first inning in the postseason, and .474 in the NLCS before Game 5. Also, the Marlins starters have a 24.75 earned run average in the first frame. If the Cubs can jump out early against Pavano and the Marlins, expect a smooth outing from Mark Prior.

Gonzo Gone Wild

Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez had a relatively poor season offensively, batting only .220. However, during the postseason, he has accumulated a .303 batting average, with four HR, eight RBs and five runs.

Ashley A. John is a senior in materials science and engineering. He can be reached at sports@dailyillini.com.