Twins-Tigers rainout gives two worst teams in American League chance to regroup

DETROIT – The Twins left the Motor City earlier than planned Sunday afternoon, two lopsided outcomes with no conclusion in tow.

Rain postponed Sunday's scheduled game, the finale of a three-game weekend series at Comerica Park. The Twins took Friday's rain-delayed game 7-3 before losing by the same margin Saturday.

Sunday's weather featured a steady drizzle that had little chance of relenting until evening. After a meeting, the Twins and Tigers decided — instead of delaying the start five hours or sacrificing Monday's off day for both teams — to push the game back two months. The teams will make up the game July 16, the first day back from the All-Star break, adding a 1:10 p.m. Central time start on top of the previously scheduled 6:10 p.m. game for a split doubleheader.

"We always get ready to play," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said shortly before the postponement. "In our clubhouse, our guys are up there getting ready like any other day. … But it's hard to ignore the fact that it's looking a little gray out there, and the rain's already started to come down."

Both teams exited the series with the worst records in the American League. Detroit is 10-24. The Twins, at 12-20, will play the Chicago White Sox for three games starting Tuesday.

Kenta Maeda was supposed to start Sunday against the Tigers. He completed all his pregame preparations, up until he was supposed to hit the field for his stretches.

Maeda instead will pitch Tuesday night in Chicago. J.A. Happ will then likely get Wednesday's game before Michael Pineda finishes the series Thursday.

"I'll just keep it with the same routine that I have been," Maeda said in Japanese through an interpreter. "I played catch, and I did my conditioning [Saturday] so that'll do it for today. But my off day for [Sunday], now that's going to be a practice day as of now, so just hit the field and get my day-before routine going on."

As of Sunday, Luis Arraez wasn't showing any concussion symptoms after a collision at home plate with Texas catcher Jose Trevino last Monday put him on the seven-day injured list. Baldelli said Arraez would likely start swinging Monday.

"We're getting to that point, though, where I think things are going to really start to pick up for him on the field," Baldelli said. "And then we can see what he's capable of."

Arraez said Sunday he feels "like new."

"Now I feel great. But a couple days ago, I felt, like, really bad," he said. "A lot of headaches, dizzy."

In the past several days, Arraez said he has done a lot of computer work, which is how the league conducts some of its concussion-protocol testing. The utility player joked he nearly fell asleep having to stare at the computer for 45 minutes at a time.

The ever-bubbly Venezuelan was all smiles and laughs, talking about how much he missed his teammates and baseball while also making fun of himself for the hand-first slide that barreled him right into Trevino but still enabled him to score.

"I watch that video every time, and my wife says, 'You almost die there?' " Arraez said. But he told her he had to because he had to score. If he hadn't scrambled up and touched the base, the Twins might not have won the game 6-5 over the Rangers.

But Arraez did admit he has been working on his slides, especially how to do them a little safer. But when caught up in a moment of adrenaline, sometimes he forgets his technique.

"I never slide with my hands. I always slide with my feet," Arraez said. "And then I watch a lot of Byron Buxton. He slides so good. And I can't slide like that."