The Twins have won 10 of their last 12 games in Target Field, so they would really like to keep that momentum. The rainy weather that has enveloped the Twin Cities all day makes that a challenge tonight, however.
It's still raining at the ballpark, and radar shows it won't stop for awhile. The second of three games with the Red Sox won't start at 7:10 p.m. as scheduled, the Twins have already determined, but the team's forecasters (and those at the National Weather Service) tell them the rain will let up enough to get the game in tonight.
Both teams would prefer getting the game in, especially the Red Sox, who are scheduled to fly to Texas immediately after tomorrow's afternoon game for a four-game series with the Rangers. So there is little appetite for a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday.
The grounds crew has occasionally mopped the standing water off the tarp, and there are no puddles in evidence except on the warning track. The gates have opened, so the team clearly intends to wait out the weather.
That will make things difficult for scheduled starters Mike Pelfrey and Clay Buchholz, who won't want to prepare to pitch and then sit around. And the prospect of mid-game delays will be a challenge, too; Twins manager Paul Molitor says he has talked with pitching coach Neil Allen about sending a starter back to the mound after a long delay, but he said he has no set time limit in mind.
If they play, Torii Hunter will serve as the designated hitter, the same position as his old teammate, David Ortiz, for Boston. Here are the lineups for tonight's game:
RED SOX
Pedroia 2B
Betts CF
Sandoval 3B
Ramirez LF
Ortiz DH
Napoli 1B
Bogaerts SS
Castillo RF
Leon C
Buchholz RHP
TWINS
Dozier 2B
Hunter DH
Mauer 1B
Plouffe 3B
Suzuki C
Escobar LF
Rosario RF
Hicks CF
Santana SS
Pelfrey RHP
