CHICAGO -- Inclement weather has been an unfortunate theme in the early part of this season for the Cubs. That continued on Friday, when a steady rain and unrelenting forecast washed away a series opener against the Dodgers.
The Cubs announced Friday morning that they will host the Dodgers in a split doubleheader on Saturday at Wrigley Field. The games are scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CT (moved up from 1:20 p.m. CT) and 6:40 p.m. CT (makeup of Friday's postponement).
This comes after a two-game series with the White Sox earlier in the week that included what Nick Madrigal called "one of the toughest games I think I've ever played in" on Tuesday. It was cold with rain and strong winds, but the crosstown rivals played through the daunting conditions.
The Dodgers and Cubs opted against dealing with potentially long delays on Friday, especially with warmer temperatures and clear skies expected to finally find the Friendly Confines over the rest of the weekend.
The Cubs' probable starting pitchers for Saturday are lefties Drew Smyly (Game 1) and Daniel Norris (Game 2). Smyly will need to be activated from MLB's bereavement list, while Norris will be making his first MLB start since Aug. 2, 2020, with the Tigers.
Sunday's planned pitching matchup remains unchanged, with Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman set to face Dodgers righty Walker Buehler in a nationally televised night game (6:08 p.m. CT on ESPN).
The Cubs noted that separate tickets will be required for each game on Saturday. Fans will be asked to exit Wrigley Field after the completion of the first game (gates open 90 minutes before first pitch). Mobile tickets via the MLB Ballpark app will automatically update with the makeup game information. No ticket exchange is necessary.
The Cubs already had one game postponed on April 8 against the Brewers, and they will make that tilt up as part of a twin bill on May 30. Chicago also had a game against the Pirates on April 22 moved to a night game due to inclement conditions in the afternoon.
One day later on April 23, when it felt like summer for a day in Chicago, the Cubs enjoyed a 21-run, 23-hit shutout win over Pittsburgh in front of a raucous crowd enjoying the break from spring showers.
"I think a lot of people were appreciative of kind of the first day of spring slash summer, right? In a lot of ways," Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner said after that historic win. "Wrigley is awesome, always. But today was like a true Wrigley experience."
The 9-15 Cubs -- with three wins in their past 14 games -- could use that kind of boost again, especially given the offense's recent cold spell. Chicago has hit .183 with a .565 OPS as a team, averaging 2.1 runs per game, in the nine games since that 21-0 victory.
"We've got to change our luck," Cubs manager David Ross said following Wednesday's loss to the White Sox. "These guys are working hard. I don't think there's anybody that needs to get back to anything. I think we just need some results."