Heavy rain postpones Miami Marlins-Boston Red Sox series finale at Fenway Park
The Miami Marlins’ series finale with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday has been postponed as heavy rain falls at the ballpark.
Front office members from both the Marlins and Red Sox met on the field at about 1:15 p.m. to discuss field conditions, a half hour after the delay was originally announced. The came was called off about 15 minutes later.
The tarp was placed on the infield after Saturday’s 3-1 Red Sox win because of expected inclement weather in the Boston area throughout the day Sunday.
“It was only going to get worse as the day went on,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “So it was like do you burn a starter? It didn’t make any sense [to play Sunday].”
Mattingly said the team did have conversations about potentially using an opener instead of having Sandy Alcantara pitch should the game have been played, knowing that there likely would have been an in-game delay and that the full nine innings likely would not have been played.
This is the second time weather impacted a game in this three-game series. The opener on Friday was called in the middle of the sixth inning after field conditions became impossible to continue. Boston won that game, 5-2.
“That was probably as bad a field as our guys have played on by the end of the game,” Mattingly said Saturday about Friday’s field conditions.
Teams were in a holding pattern Sunday until the delay was announced at about 12:45 p.m. The Marlins had a group of players getting loose near and in their bullpen in right field around 11:30 a.m. before the rain and wind picked up from a drizzle into a downpour. About 10 minutes later, the bullpen area was cleared out, with pitchers carrying their bags across the outfield and into the dugout.
Almost simultaneously, the gates to Fenway Park opened and fans began trickling into the ballpark, enduring the elements as they hoped to watch a game being played.
A few Red Sox pitchers were getting loose at noon as well before retreating to the clubhouse.
No players came back out to the field. No game was played. They’ll try again in a week.
The game is scheduled to be made up on June 7 at 5:10 p.m. That’s the first mutual off day the Marlins and Red Sox have and also the day after the Marlins were scheduled to finish their current three-city road trip, which continues in Buffalo with two games against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and Wednesday and then goes to Pittsburgh for four games with the Pirates that takes place Thursday through Sunday.
Mattingly said the Marlins, playing their third consecutive three-city road trip, advocated for the game to be made up on a different date but “it wasn’t in our control.”
“We were looking at days later in the year,” Mattingly said. “This is our third three-city trip. We don’t have a three-team homestand the whole year. It just seemed like this was another day the guys needed and we were looking forward to, but you’ve got to do what you got to do. Go play. We’ll fly back in here and play and have to be ready for that.”
Marlins starting pitching plans
Mattingly said the Marlins’ starting pitchers will stay on turn following Sunday’s postponement and Monday’s off day. So Alcantara and Pablo Lopez should be the starters for Tuesday and Wednesday’s games against the Blue Jays at Sahlen Field. Miami was originally set to have a bullpen day.
“That spot start we needed, it changes that,” Mattingly said, “because Sandy will take that spot.”
Also worth noting: Elieser Hernandez, who has been on the injured list since April 4 with a right biceps injury, is eligible to return to the Marlins’ active roster on Thursday, giving Miami a chance to have a full five-man rotation. Trevor Rogers and Cody Poteet round out the group.
That’s needed since the Marlins are now going to play 16 consecutive games — only six of which are at loanDepot park — before their next off day.
