Tied White Sox-Royals game suspended due to rain

CHICAGO -- The White Sox-Royals game, played during a steady rain Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field, was suspended due to unplayable field conditions. The score was tied at two after eight innings, with White Sox closer David Robertson warming up and announced to enter the game in the ninth.

This contest will be resumed prior to Saturday's regularly scheduled game, with the same 1:10 p.m. CT start. The regularly scheduled game will begin after Friday's completion.

Fans with tickets dated April 25 will be allowed to enter the ballpark to see both games. Tickets dated for April 24 will not be accepted for entry into the ballpark. Fans with tickets to the game on April 24 can exchange their ticket for a $10 outfield reserve seat for the conclusion of the suspended game as well as the regularly scheduled game. Gates to the ballpark will open at 11:40 a.m. CT.

Saturday's forecast calls for rain during much of the day. But per the White Sox, Major League rules call for the suspended game to be finished before the next regularly scheduled game can be played. So a Saturday washout moves the suspended game to Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT.

Rain began around the fifth inning. A significant downpour was falling by the seventh.

"It got sloppy. They deemed it too wet," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "They did the best they could and went as long as they could."

"They said they were gonna try everything they could to get it in," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "The puddles were still filling in, but they felt like they could put the Diamond Dry in, and it just got to the point where the Diamond Dry wasn't working anymore."

Jose Quintana started for the White Sox, working seven innings and allowing two runs, while picking up his 41st career no-decision with five strikeouts and one walk. Danny Duffy pitched 5 1/3 innings, yielding one unearned run and striking out three for the Royals.

"I was locating for the most part," said Duffy, who threw 98 pitches, as did Quintana. "It was kind of slippery out there, but we ended up making it work. I was getting down through my pitches enough to really be effective."

Zach Putnam followed Quintana, while the Royals used Duffy and three relievers in Jason Frasor, Franklin Morales and Chris Young. Conor Gillaspie is the only bench player left for the White Sox, who used J.B. Shuck, Geovany Soto and Emilio Bonifacio as pinch-hitters. Bonifacio replaced Micah Johnson at second base, while Soto replaced Tyler Flower at catcher.

Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton had two hits apiece for the White Sox, with Eaton tripling and scoring the tying run in the seventh on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly. Paulo Orlando, a one-time White Sox Minor Leaguer, had three hits and an RBI for the Royals.

"They're tough, that's obvious," Ventura said of the Royals. "We're hanging in there and we're tough, too. I like our shot."