BALTIMORE -- The Orioles returned home to tornado warnings and thunderstorms threatening to carry on into the weekend, and adjusted their schedule accordingly.
With rain pouring down by late afternoon, Friday’s scheduled series opener between the Orioles and Twins was postponed due to inclement weather. The teams will instead line up for a single-admission doubleheader Saturday at Oriole Park. The first game will begin at 4:05 p.m. ET, followed by the regularly scheduled game approximately 30 minutes after the first game concludes.
The Orioles are juggling their pitching plans slightly as a result. Alex Cobb had been scheduled to come off the injured list for Friday’s series opener, with Dan Straily set to start Saturday. Both will take the mound Saturday, but in reverse order: Straily (1-1, 10.24 ERA) opposite Jose Berrios (2-1, 2.30) in Game 1, with Cobb (0-0, 3.18) facing Martin Perez (1-0, 5.02) in Game 2.
The Orioles have a strategic purpose for flipping Straily and Cobb. Because the doubleheader was scheduled on such short notice, rules indicate each team only gets the benefit of a 26th man for Game 2. The Orioles must make a roster move anyway for Cobb, who has been on the injured list with a lumbar strain. Waiting until Saturday night to use him provides more roster flexibility, and would seemingly give the Orioles a chance to add Cobb and an extra pitcher for the second game, even if they option an arm to make room for Cobb on the active roster.
Per MLB rules, rosters must reset to 25 after the conclusion of the doubleheader.
The start will mark Cobb’s second of the young season. He did not factor in the decision in his first and only previous appearance, his home opener start against the Yankees sandwiched by IL stints due to a right groin strain and back spasms. Friday’s rain also pushed back the return of Twins second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who spent nearly six full seasons with the Orioles before being traded to Milwaukee last summer. Schoop has never appeared at Oriole Park as a visiting player.
Fans holding tickets for the originally scheduled 7:05 p.m. game on Saturday, April 20, should use those tickets for both games of the doubleheader. Tickets for Friday’s postponed game will not be automatically honored, however; fans must exchange the value of their tickets from Friday’s game at the Oriole Park Box Office.
Fans who purchased tickets on StubHub for the Friday, April 19, game will need to contact StubHub regarding the site’s policy for postponed events.