Updated: Twins opener expected to start around 3:45 p.m.

UPDATE at 3:30 p.m.: The game is nexpected to start around 3:45 p.m.

UPDATE AT 2 P.M. CT: The Orioles conducted their traditional pregame ceremony, complete with the players entering via orange carpet from center field, and a ceremonial first pitch thrown by Rick Dempsey. Then the grounds crew took over, pulling the tarp onto the field.

It's not raining at the moment, but the Orioles have chosen to delay the start "due to the threat of inclement weather." No guess yet as to when the 2016 season might begin.

BALTIMORE — The Twins are holding their usual pre-series meetings this morning, going over each Oriole hitter and pitcher. But it's possible they are a day early.

Rain is in the forecast here at Camden Yards today, and weather.com predicts that it will start between 3 and 3:30 p.m. — or exactly when the Twins and Orioles are scheduled to take the field. Given that a sellout crowd is expected, the Orioles will try to avoid declaring the game a rainout and playing tomorrow instead. It's cloudy but pleasant at the moment, with a temperature of 61 degrees.

The forecast for Tuesday, a scheduled off day for this very purpose, is chilly but dry, with temps in the high 40s.

Two years ago today, the Twins were the opposition for Cleveland's home opener, and rain was also in the forecast. But the storm didn't arrive until 4, and the Indians chose not to start the game on time, knowing it would be interrupted, so the teams waited out an hour of sunshine, then an hour of rain, before finally beginning the game. A similar scenario is possible here today, though the rains are expected to continue for 3-4 hours.

1 P.M. CT UPDATE: The forecast has slid a little bit, with light rain expected around 3, and the heavy stuff more likely closer to 5. "We should have played at noon," manager Paul Molitor said.

Instead, it puts the teams in a tricky position, trying to decide whether to start the game and risk a long delay, which would probably mean their starting pitchers would not return. "It's never a good scenario, maybe even moreso on Opening Day, to risk losing your starter," Molitor said of Ervin Santana and Chris Tillman.

And what a buzzkill a rainout would be, because the teams are fired up about starting the season. "Opening Day, there's something about the adrenalin and feeling of kicking off the campaign — you never really lose that," said Molitor, who has been associated with the major league openers since his rookie season of 1978. "It's just a different feeling coming to the park."

Molitor has chosen to use the lineup that he called "my go-to" on Sunday, the one with Joe Mauer batting second and Miguel Sano third, in hopes of getting the second-year slugger an at-bat while the opposing starter is still settling in. Here are the lineups for what the Twins hope is their 56th Opening Day (and what they really hope is their first first-day victory since 2008):

TWINS

Mauer 1B

Sano RF

Plouffe 3B

Rosario LF

Park DH

Suzuki C

Buxton CF

Santana RHP

ORIOLES

Machado 3B

Davis 1B

Trumbo RF

Wieters C

Alvarez DH

Hardy SS

Rickard LF