Guardians-Mets game postponed by rain, split doubleheader Sunday

Updated: May 21, 2023, 01:29 am

NEW YORK -- — Saturday's game between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets was postponed because of rain.

It will be made up as part of a split-admission doubleheader Sunday at Citi Field, with the opener beginning at 1:40 p.m. and the nightcap at 7:10 p.m.

With steady rain falling Saturday morning in New York and a wet forecast all day, the game was called off more than five hours before the scheduled first pitch.

Max Scherzer (3-2, 4.88 ERA) had been slated to start for the Mets against rookie Tanner Bibee (1-1, 3.22). Both were pushed back to the first game Sunday, with Justin Verlander (1-2, 4.76) facing Cleveland ace Shane Bieber (3-2, 3.20) in the series finale Sunday night as originally planned — a marquee matchup of Cy Young Award winners.

The last time Scherzer and Verlander both started as teammates in a doubleheader was with Detroit on Sept. 29, 2010. When they take the mound Sunday for the Mets, it will mark the longest stretch in big league history between a particular pair of pitchers starting for same team on the same day, according to Major League Baseball.

New York won the series opener 10-9 in dramatic fashion Friday night, rallying from a 5-0 deficit to tie it 7-all on Pete Alonso's grand slam in the seventh inning. After falling behind 9-7 in the 10th, the Mets scored three times in the bottom half against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, winning on Francisco Lindor's two-out RBI single against his original team.

Lindor was facing Cleveland for the first time since getting traded to the Mets in January 2021.

It was New York's third consecutive one-run victory since a 6-16 slide. Cleveland has dropped three of four, giving up a total of 25 runs in those three defeats.

Bad weather has wreaked havoc with the Mets' schedule over the past three-plus weeks. Saturday's postponement was the team's fifth this season — four since April 29. The doubleheader Sunday will be New York's third this month, after splitting with Atlanta on May 1 and getting swept in Detroit on May 3.

It was the Guardians' third postponement this season. Cleveland was swept in both its doubleheaders, April 18 in Detroit and April 22 at home against Miami.

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