White Sox-Tigers Game Postponed by Rain

Robin Ventura and the Chicago White Sox were trying to figure out a way to stop Miguel Cabrera.

They didn't have to do anything at all on Saturday.

Thanks to a chilly, rainy day, the Tigers-White Sox game was postponed more than two hours before game time. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sept. 21.

A nice break for the White Sox pitchers, who saw Cabrera rip three doubles in Detroit's 5-4 win Friday night.

"He's the best hitter in baseball," Ventura said. "You know you aren't going to stop him, so you just try to keep the ball in the yard when he's pitching. He's the rare guy that, when he hits a single off of you, you just shrug and work with it.

"Unfortunately, he didn't hit many singles at all today," he said. "He never hits many singles."

Cabrera hasn't only been doing that to the White Sox, either. In his last 13 games, he is hitting .479 (23 for 48) with three homers and 14 RBIs.

He hasn't been alone, either. In that same stretch, J.D. Martinez is hitting .347 with nine homers and 19 RBIs.

"Honestly, it just feels like I'm getting maybe one hit a game but it just happens to be a home run," said Martinez, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Friday night. "So it's kind of one of those things right now where I can't explain it."

Martinez got off to a slow start, his batting average dropped below .220 in early May. It led many people to wonder if last year's .315 average and 23 homers were just a fluke.

He ended that talk by hitting .313 in his last 43 games, including 13 homers. He has 19 overall, and is already within four of last season's career high.

"He's put very consistent swings on the ball in the last few weeks," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He went through a stretch early in the season, I think it was in May, where he really scuffled for about 40 at-bats and now we're seeing the complete opposite."

ROTATION JUGGLING

Both teams fiddled with their rotations as the result of the unexpected off-day, especially with each club being off Monday.

John Danks had been scheduled to face Kyle Ryan on Saturday, but neither will pitch on Sunday. Instead both Sunday starters — Jeff Samardzjia and David Price — will stay in their spots in the rotation.

Chicago will use Chris Sale and Carlos Quintana Tuesday and Wednesday in St. Louis, while the Tigers will wait for the results of Justin Verlander's bullpen session earlier Saturday to decide on their rotation for a home series against Pittsburgh.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Matt Albers started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday as he recovers from a broken pinkie on his pitching hand. Albers, who has been sidelined since April 20, threw a scoreless eighth inning in a 3-1 win.

Tigers: C Alex Avila (knee) went 1 for 3 in his first injury rehab game for Triple-A Toledo. Avila said that his legs felt good after catching, but the Tigers still plan to keep him with the Mud Hens for eight days, in order to build up his leg strength.

UP NEXT

The teams finish their abbreviated series on Sunday, with Samardzjia facing Price. Price is 5-5 with a 3.12 career ERA against Chicago, while Samardzjia ended a four-start slump by allowing two runs over seven innings in a June 23 win over the Twins.

HAIR BANTER

After the game's postponement, Cabrera took to Twitter to address Price's online ads for Head and Shoulders shampoo. Price's tweet mentioned that he was "100 (percent) Flake Free," and Cabrera responded "Flakes??? U are bald and have no hair! #conspiracy"

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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