The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to face off today, but the start of their game has been delayed.
“Due to potential inclement weather, the start of tonight’s game will be delayed,” the Cardinals announced via the team’s social media account. “We will provide an updated first pitch time when it becomes available.”
The question? How long the delay will last and when the Cubs and Cardinals will finally take the field?
Storms threatening the St. Louis area held up the opener of a four-game set at Busch Stadium between the Cubs, 59-46 and second in the National League Central, and the Cardinals, 53-52 and fourth. First pitch had been scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT, 7:45 p.m. ET. The tarp went on before either club could take the field.
“Due to potential impending storms, tonight’s Cubs-Cardinals game is starting in a delay,” reported Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune.
Sports meteorologist Kevin Roth noted the delay, but added, “I still fully expect they play,” in a post on social media.
Though Busch Stadium remained dry as of 6:30 p.m. CY, Brenden Schaeffer of MLB.com posted an image showing an ominous-looking storm system appearing to move toward the ballpark from behind the left field wall.
“Tonight’s Cardinals vs. Cubs game at Busch Stadium will begin under a delay due to potential impending storms. I suppose this is why,” Schaeffer wrote, indicating the storm image. “The vehicles are ready to put the tarp on. But currently in a holding pattern. First pitch, TBD.”
The delay was announced ahead of the scheduled start before any rains had moved in, according to Chicago Sun-Times writer Vinnie Duber. No postponement was in the cards just yet.
| Chicago Cubs | ||||
| Record: 59-46 | ||||
| SP: David Peterson (LHP) | 5-7 | 5.97 ERA | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | CF | .290 | .545 |
| 2 | Seiya Suzuki | RF | .265 | .473 |
| 3 | Alex Bregman | 3B | .234 | .351 |
| 4 | Carson Kelly | DH | .257 | .373 |
| 5 | Michael Busch | 1B | .247 | .405 |
| 6 | Nico Hoerner | 2B | .247 | .337 |
| 7 | Ian Happ | LF | .220 | .425 |
| 8 | Dansby Swanson | SS | .220 | .413 |
| 9 | Miguel Amaya | C | .239 | .359 |
Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals Forecast at Busch Stadium
Heat, not rain, dominated the day in St. Louis. An Extreme Heat Warning covered the metro area through 9 p.m. CDT Monday, with the air temperature climbing toward 99 degrees and the heat index reaching as high as 113, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis.
The storm threat was the late arrival. Forecasters put the chance of showers and thunderstorms at 20 percent through 10 p.m., with a slight shower chance lingering until midnight, under partly cloudy skies, a low near 81 and a west wind of 5 to 7 mph.
What lands inside that 20 percent is the problem.
A weak disturbance moving across the region carried the potential for isolated but strong thunderstorms between roughly 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the greatest severe risk sitting from St. Louis north and east, as reported by First Alert 4 meteorologists. Damaging wind gusts topping 60 mph stood as the primary hazard with anything that developed, according to Vandalia Radio‘s weather briefing.
Relief arrives Tuesday behind a weak cold front, with a high near 93 and a heat index closer to 102. That does nothing for Monday night.
| St. Louis Cardinals | ||||
| Record: 53-52 | ||||
| SP: TBD (RHP) | 0-0 | 0.00 ERA | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JJ Wetherholt | 2B | .253 | .393 |
| 2 | Jordan Walker | RF | .286 | .510 |
| 3 | Iván Herrera | C | .244 | .382 |
| 4 | Alec Burleson | 1B | .289 | .471 |
| 5 | Masyn Winn | SS | .238 | .318 |
| 6 | Nelson Velázquez | DH | .209 | .433 |
| 7 | José FermÃn | CF | .253 | .371 |
| 8 | Lars Nootbaar | LF | .241 | .368 |
| 9 | Blaze Jordan | 3B | .238 | .352 |
Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals Rotations Face a Reshuffle
Left-handers were slated on both sides. David Peterson, 5-7 with a 5.97 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP since arriving in Chicago, drew the assignment against Matthew Liberatore, 5-7 with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP for St. Louis.
Neither has been reliable. Neither club can afford to lose the innings.
Postponed games at Busch Stadium are rescheduled as either a split doubleheader or an open date, and existing tickets carry over to the makeup, under the St. Louis Cardinals rainout policy. The Cardinals have already run that play twice this season, moving a May 5 game against Milwaukee to July 7 and a June 25 game against Arizona to July 23.
Push Monday back and the ripple runs the length of the series. Colin Rea and Michael McGreevy were lined up for Tuesday, Matthew Boyd and Dustin May for Wednesday, and Shota Imanaga against Andre Pallante in Thursday’s day game, according to Bleacher Nation‘s series preview.
A doubleheader forces a spot starter, burns a bullpen and shortens rest across four days. That possibility hits harder for Chicago, which is holding a rotation together with midseason additions while trying to protect a postseason position. For the Cardinals, sitting one game under .500 with two months left, every start left on the calendar is one they need to convert.
The tarp is the only thing on the field as fans and the teams waited for further weather updates.
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