Snow job: Twins postpone 2nd straight game against White Sox
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The weather wound up taking three of four at Target Field this weekend.
Several hours after Saturday's game between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota was postponed, the Twins said Sunday's game wouldn't take place, either.
This marks the first time in the nine-year history of Target Field that three straight games have been called off. Friday night's game was postponed because of rain.
Minnesota won 4-0 Thursday, a game where Joe Mauer recorded his 2,000th career hit.
Four of the first 10 Twins' home games, including last Sunday with Seattle, were postponed due to wintry weather.
''It's been a different start,'' Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said Friday. ''You're always going to have weather, but this time it's been extreme. ... I think we're all looking forward to the day we can start putting it together day after day after day instead of the stagnation.''
The Twin Cities area is under a blizzard warning until 7 a.m. Sunday with forecasters calling for more than a foot of snow in some locations. In addition, temperatures in the 20s and high winds remain in the forecast.
Both the Twins and White Sox are headed for warmer destinations, assuming the airport opens.
''To say that I'm not concerned about that, I would be lying,'' White Sox manager Rick Renteria told Chicago reporters Saturday night.
Chicago, which took some swings in the cages and threw side sessions Saturday, is scheduled to begin a three-game series Monday night in Oakland.
Minnesota is headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a two-game series with Cleveland beginning Tuesday.
No makeup dates have been announced for any of this weekend's lost games.
The White Sox are scheduled to play at Minnesota on June 5-7, and each team has June 4 open.
The AL Central opponents end their seasons at Target Field on Sept. 28-30. The clubs have a few other mutual days between now and then.
Bad weather has been an issue throughout the majors this season. As of Saturday, 15 games had been postponed, including four each in Minnesota and Detroit.
Postponements have made a mess out of pitching staffs as starters have extra time between starts and some relievers have gone more than a week without action.
The White Sox plan to start Reynaldo Lopez on Monday, followed by Miguel Gonzalez and Carson Fulmer. Lopez, who has allowed one earned run in 13 innings this season and last pitched April 8, was scheduled Friday and Gonzalez Saturday.
Lance Lynn, who last pitched Monday, had been scheduled to start Saturday for Minnesota with Jake Odorizzi going Sunday. The plan is for Odorizzi to start Tuesday with Jose Berrios going Wednesday on regular rest in his home country. Berrios allowed three hits and struck out 11 in seven innings Thursday as he continues to develop into the Twins ace.
Yet, the adverse weather might have helped the Twins pitching depth. Minnesota does not need a fifth starter until April 24, which gives Phil Hughes more time at the team's Florida facility as he recovers from a strained left oblique muscle.
