Twins-Red Sox to play split doubleheader on Sunday due to rain

BOSTON – The Twins played more than nine innings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so what does another 18 on Sunday matter?

That's their reality after persistent rain for much of the afternoon forced the Red Sox to postpone Saturday's game at Fenway Park. The game will be rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Sunday, with one game starting at 11:35 a.m. Central Time and another at 4:35 p.m.

Pablo López, who was scheduled to face Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford on Saturday, will instead face Nick Pivetta in Game 1, while Crawford will face Twins rookie Zebby Matthews in Game 2.

Delaying López's start by a day could create complications for the Twins because the right-hander, whose 2.35 ERA is fourth-best in the major leagues since June 23, had a schedule that would have allowed him to pitch in the opener of a wild-card playoff series on Oct. 1 with normal rest.

“Yeah, we've been looking ahead, but really all we're thinking about is winning this game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Let's go home and line up what we think is best, but I really don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We've got all the calendars and standings and everything with the different options … but really all we have to focus on is winning the next game.”

For fans, there are a few other things that are in focus – like the Royals, Tigers and Mariners, teams that also began the day three games apart in the race for two American League wild-card spots. The Twins, who have the tiebreaker against all three, are in last place, just behind Kansas City.

The gaps between the teams narrowed on Saturday, in part due to further drama in extra innings. Detroit blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning in Baltimore, but left the potential winning point on third base, then scored two runs in the tenth inning against former Twins relief pitcher Yennier Cano to beat the playoff-qualified Orioles 6-4.

The Tigers (81-74) came within a half-game of the Twins (81-73) to earn their third AL wild card and a game against Kansas City (82-73) for their second AL wild card. The Royals were limited to five hits in a 9-0 home loss to San Francisco, their sixth straight loss. Seattle (79-75), which trailed all three AL Central teams in the standings, played in Texas on Saturday night.