Rare rainout in Anaheim forces doubleheader
Red Sox and Angels will square off in two games Monday
ANAHEIM -- As rain sprinkled down on the field at Angel Stadium before the start of Saturday's game against the Angels, Red Sox manager John Farrell joked that the grounds crew would need a manual to figure out how to put the tarp on properly. It was needed again Sunday, and this time, the tarp stayed on the field well after the game was postponed a little after 10:30 ET because of inclement weather.
The contest has been rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader. Game 1 will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET and Game 2 is slated to begin at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Eduardo Rodriguez, originally schedule to pitch Sunday, will pitch in the the first game, while Steven Wright gets the call in the second game.
"Just based on the conditions and even the standing water from last night and no drainage in the outfield, honestly I don't think playing tonight was ever really a likely situation," said Farrell.
The grounds crew tarped the field about an hour before the scheduled first pitch at 8:05 p.m. ET, in what was supposed to be the third game of the Red Sox's four-game set against the Angels. The start time was initially pushed back to 9 p.m., but with rain still steady at 8:30 p.m., the Angels announced they would reevaluate the situation -- and consider whether or not the game could be played -- at 10:15 p.m.
The last time a game was rained out in Anaheim was 20 years ago -- on June 16, 1995, against the White Sox.
The last rain delay at Angel Stadium was on April 24, 2011, also against the Red Sox. That game was only delayed for five minutes at the start, though.
"This is some Red Sox stuff right here," Boston designated hitter David Ortiz said. "Everywhere we go it rains. I'm not surprised."
This postponement is a tough way to begin the second half of the season for the Red Sox. Along with the two games on Monday, the team begins a three-game series in Houston on Tuesday with the first pitch at 8:05 ET.
"It is what it is," Ortiz said. "It is definitely going to make things harder."