D-backs, Padres schedule Saturday doubleheader due to Hurricane Hilary

Major League Baseball rescheduled Sunday’s Arizona Diamondbacks-San Diego Padres series finale to a doubleheader on Saturday due to the forecast related to Hurricane Hilary.

The start times for the two games at Petco Park will be 12:10 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., and tickets to Sunday’s game will be valid for the first leg of the doubleheader.

MLB also rescheduled Sunday’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels home games to Saturday doubleheaders with the storm bringing a high chance of heavy rain and flooding to Southern California.

The storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane on Friday. Its projected path threatens to make landfall on the Baja California peninsula by Sunday or keep offshore while heading for Southern California.

The Diamondbacks and Padres opened their four-game series on Thursday with a 3-1 Arizona victory. The two NL West foes do not play each other again this season after Saturday.

San Diego’s probable rotation was announced through the weekend with Yu Darvish slotted for Saturday and Michael Wacha on Sunday. Wacha pitched on Tuesday, so the new schedule would leave him a day short of typical rest.

Merrill Kelly was probable for Saturday’s game, while the D-backs had not announced a Sunday starter.

Zach Davies pitched on Tuesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Reno as he works back from a back issue. Manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday that the club had not decided on its pitching plan through the weekend.

Arizona used a bullpen game on Tuesday while down a starting pitcher and got to reset the pen Thursday with Zac Gallen going 6.1 innings, Kyle Nelson recording four outs and rookie Justin Martinez picking up his first save.

Ryne Nelson is the only other starting pitcher on the 40-man roster in Reno aside from Davies, but he threw on Thursday.

Another possibility includes adding a pitcher not currently on the 40-man roster, such as former Padre Nabil Crismatt, who pitched on Sunday.

The D-backs will have a 27th roster spot for the doubleheader.

The two clubs are fighting to stay in the National League Wild Card race with Arizona entering play on Friday one game back of the third spot and four games ahead of San Diego.

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