The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox were unable to begin play as scheduled Wednesday after weather moved into the area, forcing officials to delay the start of the game while conditions are evaluated.
With both teams waiting for a window in the rainfall, fans are looking for updates on the weather situation and a possible first-pitch time. But with rain expected to continue well into the evening, according to The Weather Channel, the Guardians-White Sox game appeared be in serious danger of a postponement. But that was not how the team saw it.
Good news for fans of both teams came from Cleveland Plain Dealer Guardians writer Joe Noga, who wrote at 3:03 p.m. CDT that the game would start at 3:50 p.m. The White Sox confirmed that “estimated” start time on the team’s social media. “Estimated first pitch is 3:50 p.m. CT,” the White Sox social media team posted.
Jeff Agrest, deputy sports editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, earlier posted that “rain is expected to clear within an hour or so,” putting an expected new start time at sometime after 3:30 p.m. local time, give or take, including time required for players to warm up and the grounds crew to prepare the field.
Rain moved through the South Side of Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, pushing back the scheduled 1:10 p.m. CDT first pitch at Rate Field. The Chicago White Sox formally announced the delay on the team’s official social media account, with no revised start time immediately provided.
“The start of todayâs game will be delayed due to weather. We’ll provide updates as soon as they are available,” the club posted..
The game will be the third and final contest of the three-game home series between the two AL Central clubs competing for the top spot in the division.
| CLEVELAND GUARDIANS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Tanner Bibee (RHP) • 2-8, 4.03 ERA | ||||
| # | Name | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | .268 | .458 |
| 2 | Brayan Rocchio | SS | .271 | .392 |
| 3 | David Fry | LF | .217 | .368 |
| 4 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | .231 | .398 |
| 5 | Rhys Hoskins | DH | .173 | .351 |
| 6 | Kahlil Watson | RF | .176 | .353 |
| 7 | Daniel Schneemann | 3B | .213 | .347 |
| 8 | Patrick Bailey | C | .186 | .262 |
| 9 | Steven Kwan | CF | .206 | .255 |
Guardians-White Sox Weather Situation at Rate Field
Weather tracking showed a 32% chance of precipitation and 13 mph winds blowing right to left at Rate Field at the original start time, according to RotoWire. The forecast grew increasingly unsettled as the afternoon wore on. Precipitation probability had risen to 36% by 3:10 p.m. and sat at 42% by 5:10 p.m. A complete postponement had not been formally confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon, but officials had not ruled one out, and continued monitoring was advised. When the game does get underway, that persistent right-to-left wind will factor into the offensive environment for both lineups â and Rate Field had already seen plenty of run-scoring in the series.
The delay suspended a first-place battle that had been tightening all week. Chicago entered Wednesday sitting atop the AL Central at 41-37, one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, who came in at 41-39 and had lost three consecutive games heading into the series finale, according to ESPN.
The White Sox had taken Monday’s opener 6-5 and won the Tuesday night contest 2-1, reclaiming sole possession of first place with both narrow victories, per Agrest. A sweep Wednesday would extend Chicago’s divisional advantage and mark three straight series wins â a meaningful run with the July trade deadline approaching.
| CHICAGO WHITE SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Erick Fedde (RHP) • 2-6, 4.46 ERA | ||||
| # | Name | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Sam Antonacci | LF | .287 | .416 |
| 2 | Miguel Vargas | 3B | .237 | .470 |
| 3 | Andrew Benintendi | DH | .236 | .426 |
| 4 | Kyle Teel | C | .000 | .000 |
| 5 | Colson Montgomery | SS | .219 | .485 |
| 6 | Chase Meidroth | 2B | .268 | .380 |
| 7 | Braden Montgomery | RF | .250 | .432 |
| 8 | Tristan Peters | CF | .289 | .443 |
| 9 | Jacob Gonzalez | 1B | .163 | .224 |
Guardians Injury List Adds Urgency to Delay
Cleveland’s injury situation made the stakes even more urgent for the Guardians. All-Star third baseman José RamÃrez was on the IL with a hand injury. Outfielder Chase DeLauter was sidelined with a rib fracture on the 10-day IL, and infielder Angel MartÃnez was also out with a foot injury. Three regulars unavailable and a three-game losing streak in place means the Guardians needed to play this game and win it.
When first pitch does arrive, Tanner Bibee takes the mound for Cleveland, bringing a 2-8 record and 4.03 ERA with 78 strikeouts into the start. The White Sox planned to open with Chris Murphy as an opener before turning the ball over to right-hander Erick Fedde, who stood at 2-6 with a 4.46 ERA and 48 strikeouts on the season.
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