Blue Jays' finale at Yankee Stadium postponed by rain

NEW YORK -- Blue Jays No. 1 starter R.A. Dickey will have to wait another day for his next start after Sunday afternoon's game vs. the Yankees was postponed because of rain.

Dickey was set to take the mound for a potential pitchers' duel against New York's CC Sabathia in a battle of aces. A makeup date has yet to be announced, but the two teams do share an off-day on Aug. 19 in advance of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 20-22.

The 38-year-old Dickey has been pushed back approximately 24 hours and will now start against the Rays for a Victoria Day afternoon game on Monday.

"I was prepared to pitch regardless of the situation, but who knows what advantage that would give what team," said Dickey, who is 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts this season. "It's out of my control. I'll be ready to go tomorrow."

The extra day of rest could prove beneficial to both the Blue Jays and Dickey. Toronto has lost nine consecutive games in New York and its 11-31 (.262) mark at Yankee Stadium is the worst record for any Major League team at any current ballpark with a minimum of 30 games played.

Dickey, meanwhile, dealt with an upper back and neck injury earlier this year which plagued him for more than a month. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage and the pain is no longer really a factor, but an extra day of rest could still provide some benefits.

"I can't imagine it hurting," Dickey said. "I feel like that's become more of a non-issue going forward, so with an extra day off, it can only improve it. But it's hard for a starter because you get into the game mode, it's hard to get out of it, and you want to pitch. So I wanted to pitch today, but day game tomorrow, so you don't have to wait as long."

Instead of being matched up against a former Cy Young Award winner, Dickey will now face a pitcher who is set to make his Major League debut. Right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who came over to the Rays from the Royals as part of the deal for James Shields, will take the mound after going 4-0 with a 3.83 ERA at Triple-A Durham.

Dickey doesn't exactly have a lot of time to prepare for his start against the Rays, but he does have the added benefit of having just faced the club less than two weeks ago.

The native of Nashville allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits while striking out five during that outing but took a no-decision. The scouting report is still fresh in his memory, so he doesn't have to do a whole lot more than just reviewing what he already knows.

"I faced Tampa two starts ago, so they're pretty fresh in my mind and I have some notes that I'll reflect on," Dickey said. "But outside of that, I pretty much know what I need to do to be successful."

One repercussion of Sunday's rainout is that Blue Jays right-hander Chad Jenkins will have his next start skipped. Jenkins was scheduled to pitch Monday, but the club opted to at least temporarily remove him from the rotation while Ramon Ortiz, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow remain on their previously scheduled days.

Jenkins likely will be made available to pitch out of the bullpen if needed on Monday and becomes the early favorite to start Friday night vs. Baltimore. The 25-year-old Jenkins allowed two runs over five innings against the Red Sox in his lone outing this season.

That would temporarily give the Blue Jays a nine-man bullpen and just a three-man bench, but there was no word of an imminent roster move. That could change prior to Monday's game against Tampa Bay, with right-hander Mickey Storey possibly being a candidate to be removed from the 25-man roster to make room for another position player.

Sunday's rainout marked the first game to be postponed at Yankee Stadium this season. Fans holding paid tickets may use them for the rescheduled game or exchange their paid ticket for any regular-season game at Yankee Stadium during the 2013 season subject to availability.