CHICAGO — Major League Baseball moved the Chicago Cubs’ Sunday game against the Boston Red Sox to Friday because of a poor weather forecast. The teams will play a doubleheader Friday night and finish their regular seasons Saturday.
Boston has already clinched a postseason spot. Chicago entered Wednesday evening’s game against the Miami Marlins with a magic number of one.
“They never move games up and especially within a five-day window of a starting rotation,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. “So we can’t have somebody ready to pitch on Saturday. They just moved games up on us. I understand there’s extenuating circumstances, but you just don’t see that happening.”
A rainout normally forces a doubleheader the next day, which gives the starter of the postponed game an extra day of rest. In this case, the Cubs have to move Saturday’s starter up to Friday. That leaves Game 162 unsettled on the mound for Chicago.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga will likely pitch Saturday on short rest if that game is played as scheduled, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported.
The league discussed all of its options for the series. Neither team wants to play Monday, and moving the series to another city is a last resort.
“What I know is happening is we’re going to play three games,” Counsell explained. “So if weather is an issue, then yeah, we’re going to have to figure out a place to play a third game.”
Seeding And Home-Field Advantage Still At Stake For Cubs And Red Sox
Both teams are likely headed to the postseason, which starts Tuesday. Seeding and home-field advantage are still to be determined.
Chicago’s season could now end while its closest competitors still have two games left to play. League rules also do not allow an extra rostered player for September doubleheaders.
“The decision is made always on a balance of everybody’s interest,” Counsell said. “And you get shortchanged in some … or not have the optimal solution.”
Alex Bregman Details Foul Ball To The Face
Counsell is hopeful Alex Bregman can play against the Red Sox, his former team, this weekend. Bregman spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time since a foul ball hit him in the left cheek while he was on deck Sunday.
“It felt like I got hit by a baseball bat to the face,” Bregman said. “The left side of my face has been numb. As soon as the swelling goes down, I’m sure I’ll feel the breaks a little bit more.”
His left eye is blood red, and his cheek is still swollen but getting better. Bregman said he can see fine and will keep working his way back one “step at a time.”
“There’s a lot of fluid in my face over there,” Bregman explained. “If I move, the fluid moves. So if I’m bouncing up and down, my face feels like it’s bouncing up and down.”
Bregman is likely to return as a designated hitter. He still needs to move around and run the bases before he is cleared. He is not sure when that will happen, but he is confident he will be ready for the postseason.
“I think I’m excited how he feels and he’s excited but he still needs to feel some things and he hasn’t run around yet,” Counsell said. “And I think he’s got to do that.”
Bregman is in the first season of a five-year contract worth about $140 million with the Cubs. He spent 2025 with Boston after nine seasons with the Houston Astros.
