Rain delays the start of the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels in Dunedin, Fla., on April 11, 2021. The game never started and was called after a two-hour wait.The Associated Press
The game between the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto scheduled for Sunday at the Blue Jays’ temporary home in Florida was postponed because of rain.
The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Aug. 10 at Anaheim, Calif.
This game at the Blue Jays’ spring training site never started and was called after a two-hour wait.
While the Angels plan to have Sunday’s scheduled starter, Alex Cobb, start on Monday night at Kansas City, Toronto is getting a major addition to its rotation with the return of Robbie Ray.
Ray, out with an elbow contusion, will take the mound against the New York Yankees in the first of three series between the AL East contenders.
“He’s looked great in the pens and everything,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s ready to go.”
Tanner Roark, who had been scheduled to pitch Sunday, was moved to the bullpen.
The Yankees scheduled starter is ace Gerrit Cole (1-0).
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was out of the original starting lineup. Manager Joe Maddon said Rendon felt something in his groin making a throw Saturday night and anticipates he won’t play Monday.
“He’s a little bit sore today,” Maddon said. “Let’s see what he looks like tomorrow and work from there. There was no immediate concern that it’s going to be an IL kind of a thing but it could be. I’m just not sure right now,”
The rainout followed the Blue Jays’ 15-1 win over the Angels on Saturday night that ended after 1 a.m. It was delayed 2 hours 38 minutes by rain at the start and featured a strong storm that produced wind gusts of 64 to 72 kilometres an hour. The game lasted 3:21 and ended 12 hours before Sunday’s scheduled first pitch.
Rain started around two hours before the 1:07 EDT start time. The inclement weather included an intense thunderstorm that engulfed TD Ballpark in heavy rain, frequent lightning and wind gusts.
The radar at the time of postponement showed additional bad weather extending well into the nearby Gulf of Mexico.
Owing to COVID-19 protocols in Canada, the Blue Jays are playing their first three homestands through May at their spring training facility.
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (quadriceps) is progressing but has not resumed live batting practice. He will not play in the three-game set with New York. “We have to be patient and careful,” Montoyo said.
Toronto ace Hyun-jin Ryu and Ross Stripling will also start in the series with the Yankees.