Is the White Sox-Guardians Game Delayed? When Will it Start?

Rain washed out Sunday’s start time between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, where the tarp went down well before the scheduled 2:00 p.m. ET first pitch.

The delay was announced by MLB.com at about 1:30 p.m and confirmed by the UnderdogMLB social media account minutes later, which posted, “Game alert: White Sox-Guardians will be delayed due to inclement weather Sunday.”

“I think if they play the game 40 mins from now it probably works,” wrote sports meteorologist Kevin Roth, who monitors radar for all MLB Games. “If they give it another 2 hours it definitely works and they don’t have to worry about anything else popping up and causing an in-game delay.”

The delay lands at the worst possible moment for both AL Central contenders, who are separated by a single game in the standings and now face a soggy scramble to salvage a series finale that already had significant implications for playoff position heading toward the All-Star break.

Grounds crews kept the tarp on the field as White Sox relievers loosened up down the right-field line, according to MLB.com‘s Scott Merkin. Roth flagged a storm cell sliding southeast through the region, and projected a lengthy hold followed by a clean game once condition cleared. An in-game stoppage or a full postponement remained on the table.

What a Delay Means for the Chicago White Sox

Chicago enters the day fresh off a 3-1 win on Saturday behind a go-ahead home run from Colson Montgomery, a result that pulled the White Sox into a share of the division lead. Left-hander Chris Murphy, sporting a 3.79 ERA, was lined up to start before the weather intervened.

An off day looms on the schedule, softening the blow of any lengthy wait and giving Chicago’s bullpen a chance to recover from a taxing week. A full postponement would be a different story, erasing an immediate shot to gain ground on Cleveland in a head-to-head matchup and pushing the makeup date into an already crowded stretch that includes a series opener against the Boston Red Sox.

Guardians Face Bigger Stakes at Home

Cleveland, sitting a half-game back after Saturday’s loss, has more to lose from a scrapped date. A postponement would strip the Guardians of a home gate and the chance to build on a stretch of extra-inning drama that has defined their recent run, according to MLB.com.

Right-hander Tanner Bibee, already carrying a rough 2-9 record, would see his next turn pushed back if the game is scrapped and rescheduled. That would likely mean a doubleheader later this month, adding bullpen strain during an already condensed stretch that features a trip to Minnesota starting Monday.

Forecasts pointed to a 64 percent chance of rain at first pitch, with hourly totals staying elevated into the late afternoon, according to RotoWire’s hourly forecast for Cleveland. It marks the second rain delay of the series, after a Friday stoppage that began moments after Chicago had taken the lead, according to Cleveland.com’s report on Friday’s stoppage.

Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Is the White Sox-Guardians Game Delayed? When Will it Start? appeared first on HEAVY.