DBacks-Padres cancel Sunday, set doubleheader Saturday ahead of Hurricane Hilary
SAN DIEGO — With Hurricane Hilary bearing down on Southern California, Major League Baseball canceled Sunday’s games in the area, including the Diamondbacks-Padres series finale at Petco Park.
The teams instead will play a split doubleheader on Saturday with games starting at 12:10 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. Games in Los Angeles between the Angels and Rays and the Dodgers and Marlins also were similarly rescheduled because of the storm, which was classified as a Category 4 hurricane on Friday.
A heavy deluge of rain is expected in the area starting on Saturday night, with a flood watch and tropical storm watch in effect for San Diego County.
The Diamondbacks are not sure which pitchers they will use in the doubleheader. Merrill Kelly originally was scheduled to start on Saturday.
"I don’t know what the answers are right now," manager Torey Lovullo said before Friday's game. "We have a lot of moving parts to it. We’re just glad we get to play both games. Restructuring the schedule and flying here and there as we did in Washington (in June to make up a rainout) is a little taxing on the team. The fact that we’re going to play two games tomorrow is, in my opinion, the right choice, and we’ll be ready to go."
The Diamondbacks have been trying to navigate a tired and overworked bullpen and an undermanned starting rotation in recent weeks, making the timing of a doubleheader less than ideal.
"I think we have to get through (Friday) and figure out (Saturday) tomorrow," Lovullo said. "That’s the best way to look at it for right now. We’re tired. Our staff is tired. No doubt about it."
Lovullo said the club would determine its plans for Saturday in part based on how right-hander Brandon Pfaadt performs on Friday night. If he goes deep in the game, they might not need to add a strict starting pitcher to the roster for Saturday. If he doesn't and the bullpen gets worked hard again on Friday, the club might need to find another starter for Saturday.
Tickets for Sunday’s Diamondbacks-Padres game are valid for the 12:10 p.m. game on Saturday, and tickets for the originally scheduled 5:40 p.m. game will not be affected, the Padres said in a news release. Per the Petco Park rainout policy, refunds will not be issued for rescheduled games.
Hilary grew in strength early Friday before losing some steam in the afternoon, with sustained winds falling from 145 mph to 130 mph. It was forecast to still be a hurricane when approaching Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Saturday night, and a tropical storm when approaching Southern California on Sunday.
No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: DBacks-Padres cancel Sunday's game ahead of Hurricane Hilary
