BOSTON -- With rain projected to pelt the Boston area on Thursday, the finale of the season-opening series at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and Pirates was postponed.
The game will be made up next Thursday, April 13, at 2:05 p.m. ET, the most convenient mutual off-day for Boston and Pittsburgh. Tickets for the postponed game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest, the Red Sox announced.
The Boston forecast called for sustained periods of rain to continue throughout the day, and a flood watch was in effect, according to the Red Sox. Boston lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl to start after the Red Sox took the first two games.
For the Pirates, the makeup game will fit between a six-game homestand and a six-game road trip to Chicago and Cincinnati. For the Sox, it will fit between home series against the Orioles and Rays.
"I just think with the number of common off-days without exceeding the number of consecutive days played, [next] Thursday was the most logical," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "I just think we didn't want this hanging out there as a possibility, and it slots in kind of naturally."
The Red Sox travel to Detroit for a four-game series that starts on Friday. With the rainout, Farrell decided to slot Rodriguez between knuckleballer Steven Wright and right-hander Rick Porcello.
Boston's rotation in Detroit will be Wright, Rodriguez, Porcello and Chris Sale, in that order, Farrell said. Left-hander Thomas Pomeranz will make his season debut Tuesday night against the Orioles.
Meanwhile, the Pirates return to Pittsburgh for their home opener against the Braves. Ivan Nova is scheduled to pitch Friday, followed by Kuhl on Saturday and Gerrit Cole in the series finale Sunday. Tyler Glasnow will make his first start of the season Monday in the series opener vs. the Reds, followed by Jameson Taillon and Nova on Tuesday and Wednesday, resepectively.
The rescheduling affects Kuhl on a more personal level. The Delaware native was expecting to pitch in front of several friends and family members who made the trip to see him pitch at Fenway Park for the first time.