Cubs, Dodgers postponed; split doubleheader Saturday

Due to the forecast of rain for most of Friday, the scheduled 1:20 p.m. Cubs/Dodgers game this afternoon has been postponed. It will be made up as part of a split doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, May 7.

The afternoon game tomorrow, originally scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT, will be moved up to 12:05 p.m. CT. Then today’s rainout will be made up in a night game at 6:40 p.m. CT. Separate tickets will be needed for both games. Gates will open approximately 90 minutes before each game.

As is usual for postponements like this, if you have a ticket for Friday’s game it will be automatically updated for you in the MLB Ballpark app for Saturday’s 6:40 p.m. game. No exchange is necessary.

Now I’m going to go on a bit of a rant, but first, I owe the Cubs an apology.

Yesterday, I wrote this article asking them to postpone the game a day ahead of time. While I stand by that sentiment — today’s forecast has been known all week! — since this is the only time the Dodgers come to Wrigley this year, the final decision about this postponement goes to Major League Baseball, not the Cubs, though the team is involved in the decision.

Which leads me to the rant. What on Earth are the people in the MLB office thinking? Yes, I am aware there are a lot of moving parts and logistics to consider when making a decision of this type, as I wrote last month. But, y’know, at some point you’ve got to concede that Mother Nature has won and make the right call. If this game had been postponed yesterday, it would have:

• Given both teams a full day off without even having to come to the ballpark. The Dodgers played a night game in Los Angeles Wednesday and arrived in Chicago late Thursday afternoon — so they spent their “off day” traveling.
• Not required gameday staff to travel to Wrigley, some from long distances, only to be sent home before the gates opened. (This has already happened twice this year.)
• Given fans more time to rearrange their schedules to attend a makeup game, or if they couldn’t, to re-sell their tickets.

Waiting till the morning of the game to postpone, instead of paying attention to forecasts that have been known for several days, is inconsiderate to everyone. I’m convinced that the people at the MLB office who make these decisions never, ever actually attend a baseball game in person. They should be forced to sit at Wrigley on a 38-degree day when it’s drizzling throughout the game. Years ago, or even in the 2010s, this wouldn’t have even been a question, the game would have been postponed hours ago, or even Thursday.

Shame on you, MLB. Get a clue, because things like this are driving fans away from your business.

End rant.

The Cubs and Dodgers will thus begin their series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field at 12:05 p.m. CT. I’ll re-run today’s series preview Saturday at 9 a.m. CT.