After rainout, Twins to play two on Sunday

DETROIT -- The sun was shining, the lines were drawn on the field at Comerica Park and all appeared to be going as planned for Friday's series opener. But just as gametime approached, the clouds settled in and the grounds crew put the tarp on.

After two hours and 29 minutes of steady rain -- and a string of storms that didn't appear to be letting up anytime soon -- the decision was made to postpone the game. Given this is the final time Minnesota comes to Detroit, it was Major League Baseball and not the Tigers who had the final say.

The Twins and Tigers will now play at 3:05 p.m. CT on Saturday and then partake in a day-night doubleheader Sunday with first-pitch times of 12:05 p.m. CT and 6:05 p.m. CT.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Samuel Deduno (6-4, 3.84 ERA) will pitch Saturday and Scott Diamond (11-8, 3.69 ERA) will go in the day game Sunday while P.J. Walters (2-4, 6.39 ERA) gets the nightcap. He also said the lineup is likely to remain the same.

However, the Tigers altered their rotation a bit. Rick Porcello, Friday's scheduled starter, will be skipped for now and Doug Fister (9-9, 3.55 ERA) remains Saturday's starter. Left-hander Drew Smyly (4-3, 4.45 ERA) will pitch in one of the two games, however which one remains undecided. And the other starter for Detroit is listed as TBA.

For the Twins' fans attending the game, the Tigers announced all paid tickets would be valid for the night game of Sunday's doubleheader. Fans unable to attend the rescheduled game may exchange their unused tickets at any time for a future regular season non-premium game within 12 months.