BOSTON — Mother Nature threw a wrench into Wednesday’s plans.
The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays originally were scheduled to battle Wednesday in the second game of a three-game series. They’ll instead play two games Thursday as part of a day-night doubleheader, as Wednesday’s contest was postponed due to inclement weather.
Wednesday’s game has been rescheduled for 1:05 p.m. Thursday. Thursday’s originally scheduled game will remain at 7:10 p.m.
A long day of baseball is on tap for Thursday. Before diving in head-first, let’s go over some notes from Wednesday at Fenway Park.
— The Dustin Pedroia bobbleheads that originally were scheduled to be given away Wednesday night now will be given away to fans attending Thursday’s 1:05 p.m. makeup game. Tickets for Wednesday’s game can be used for admission to Thursday’s 1:05 p.m. game.
— Felix Doubront and Chris Archer were scheduled to face off Wednesday. Each will pitch the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Jake Peavy and Cesar Ramos will pitch for the Red Sox and Rays, respectively, in Thursday’s first game.
— Red Sox manager John Farrell said the decision to go with Peavy in Game 1 is due to the right-hander’s track record this season of working deeper into games.
“Not to say (going deep into games is) always a guarantee, but that’s what you go by,” Farrell said. “Knowing you’ve got a guy that can hopefully keep a bullpen from getting overexposed early and look to have guys fresh for Game 2.”
Doubront didn’t make it out of the third inning in two of his five starts.
— Doubront, who is 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA, still figures to get the nod on a consistent basis despite his early season struggles.
“He’s going to keep getting the ball,” Farrell said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we can to have those in-game adjustments happen a little more readily because the work he’s following, the routine he’s following, all that remains to be consistent start to start.”
— The Red Sox and Rays, per Major League Baseball rules, each will be permitted to add a 26th player before Thursday’s second game.
Farrell said Boston likely will add an extra pitcher.
— The Red Sox announced the postponement of Wednesday’s game around 4 p.m. It took a while for the Rays’ Ben Zobrist to absorb the news, though, as he told reporters even after the official announcement was made that nothing was official.
There reportedly was some reluctance on the Rays’ part to have a doubleheader Thursday. Farrell said the Red Sox wanted to have the doubleheader to avoid having a stretch later in the season in which Boston would play 38 games in 38 days.
— The book is officially closed on the Red Sox’s April. How would the Boston skipper assess his team’s first month?
“Moving in the right direction,” Farrell said. “Finishing up the month in a positive way, both in terms of health and more consistent offensive approach. We’ve gone through a number of challenges — both performance-wise, health — that kept us from being full strength for most of the month. While the win-loss record is less than we’d hoped for, we’re moving in the right direction.”
— The Red Sox will honor the 2004 World Series team with a ceremony May 28 at Fenway Park.
