So we've had to sit and wait since Monday, when the Royals defeated the Angels, until today to get the American League Championship Series started.
And right on cue, it's supposed to rain in Baltimore tonight:
Late Afternoon Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Light northeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tonight Rain, mainly after 10pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Low around 52. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
And thus we might have to wait another day for Game 1 of this series to begin. The rain is supposed to be out of the area by midafternoon Saturday, when Game 2 is supposed to be played, but that might wind up being Game 1 instead. If there's a rainout tonight, they'll likely skip the scheduled off day for this series (Sunday) in order to not push the schedule back. The worst thing they can do is let the game get started, then have a delay -- remember, postseason rules require all games that are started to go the full nine innings once they're official. They'd be better off just postponing it if they think the game will be delayed. (Forecast above is from about 4 p.m. CT, but it's not likely to change much.)
If you're reading this preview at posting time, an hour before the scheduled game time, it means the game has not yet been postponed.
Here's all the info you need for tonight's game.
Royals vs. Orioles, ALCS Game 1. TV: TBS, game time 7 p.m. CT. Starting pitchers: James Shields vs. Chris Tillman. Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, Cal Ripken Jr. and Matt Winer. ESPN Radio announcers: Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton.
Royals lineup:
Escobar SS, Aoki RF, Cain CF, Hosmer 1B, Butler DH, Gordon LF, Perez C, Infante 2B, Moustakas 3B
Orioles lineup:
Markakis RF, De Aza LF, Jones CF, Cruz DH, Pearce 1B, Hardy SS, Flaherty 3B, Hundley C, Schoop 2B
This will be the only thread for today's game. Enjoy, and discuss amongst yourselves.