PITTSBURGH (AP) Sunday’s game between the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates was cancelled more than four hours before its scheduled 1:35 p.m. ET start time because of heavy rain that was expected to continue into the evening.
The game was rescheduled for Oct. 1, the day after the regular season is scheduled to end. It was not immediately clear if the game will be played if it does not impact the postseason race.
The Pirates entered Sunday seven games out of the second NL wild card while the Marlins have already been eliminated.
The Pirates wound up sweeping the shortened two-game series and went 5-0 on a homestand that included three games against the Cincinnati Reds. The Marlins have lost three of four games.
Pittsburgh will play the rest of the season without right fielder Gregory Polanco, who has a bone bruise in his left knee. Polanco leads team with 21 home runs, 83 RBIs and 61 extra-base hits while batting .254 in 130 games.
Polanco was injured Friday night and left the Pirates’ 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins in the sixth inning when he slid awkwardly into second base on a double. He also strained his left shoulder.
In his last 17 games, Polanco hit .348.
”He had made great strides,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. ”I really thought the improvement and the maturity — and that’s the word I’ll continue to use — he showed throughout the season, being an anchor in the lineup, continuing to work on his defense, stealing bases even in the month of September. He was intentional with all his work across the board.”
Pittsburgh has evened its record at 71-71 with their winning streak.
Rebuilding Miami is 56-85 after trading such lineup stalwarts as 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon and Justin Bour. The Marlins need to win six of their last 20 games to avoid what would be the third 100-loss season in the franchise’s 25-year history.
One of the Marlins’ building blocks, rookie center fielder Lewis Brinson, is starting to turn his rookie season around since coming off the disabled list Sept. 1. He has gone 11 for 26 (.423) to raise his average to .206 in 91 games.
Brinson, who missed nearly two months with right hip inflammation, was one of four prospects acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for Yelich in January.
”I want to just kind of be the player that I know that I’m supposed to be, and that I can be,” Brinson said. ”Kind of just trying to finish up strong, have a strong end of the season and help this team win as many games as possible in September.”
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Jeff Brigham (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start Monday night, facing Mets LHP Jason Vargas (5-9, 6.75) in the opener of a four-game series at New York. Brigham gave up three runs in three innings against Toronto in his major league debut Sept. 2.
Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (12-9, 3.15) is scheduled to pitch against Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (1-3, 4.00) in the first game of a three-game series at St. Louis on Monday night. Williams is 6-2 with a 0.66 ERA in his last nine starts, allowing just four runs in 54 2/3 innings.
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