CLEVELAND (AP) — For the second straight day, the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians were postponed by inclement weather and unplayable, cold conditions.
Tuesday’s game was called four hours before the scheduled first pitch, with the decision coming after Guardians manager Terry Francona and White Sox manager Tony La Russa met the umpires outside at Progressive Field.
Snow piled up in downtown Cleveland the past two days and temperatures have been in the low 30s.
“Playing tonight, you start to worry about hurting somebody or playing the game when you shouldn’t,” Francona said. “You just do the best you can. It was going to be pretty miserable. To the point where you start to worry about your guys.”
The game will be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader Wednesday, starting at 2:10 p.m. Monday’s postponement will be played as part of a doubleheader on July 12.
This week’s four-game series is a three-game set with two games Wednesday and one Thursday. With a dryer, warmer weather forecast, the AL Central rivals should finally meet for the first time this season.
“I think it’s like between 50-55 (degrees) at game time, which will seem like summertime,” Francona said. “That’s doable. Again, it’s going to be hard. We’re going to have 27 innings potentially in 27 hours, which isn’t perfect.
“But if you’re supposed to play, you play. If you’re not, you don’t. I think everybody kind of came to the same conclusion.”
The second postponement again pushed back the matchup between former Cy Young Award winners — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber and Chicago’s Dallas Keuchel. They’ll match up in Wednesday’s opener.
White Sox right-hander Jimmy Lambert will start the second game against Cleveland’s Triston McKenzie.
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