Orioles-Yankees postponed again tonight

NEW YORK - The Orioles and Yankees won't play tonight, with the decision to postpone the game due to rain and an unfavorable forecast coming much earlier than last night.

The teams will engage in a day-night doubleheader on Aug. 12 with the opener starting at 1:05 p.m. Game 2 begins at 7:05 p.m.

This is the fifth postponement for the Orioles, who are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Wednesday.

David Hess starts Game 1 and Andrew Cashner gets the ball for Game 2. Hess would have pitched last night and Cashner tonight before the weather intervened.

The opener begins at 3:05 p.m. as part of a single-admission doubleheader.

All of the pitching plans before the announcement were tentative based on the anticipated storms.

Dan Straily was a candidate to stay in turn Wednesday but now is going to start in Cleveland. He wasn't available in the bullpen tonight.

A 26th man will report to the Orioles for the doubleheader and left-hander Josh Rogers has been scratched from tonight's start at Triple-A Norfolk. Luis Ysla is taking his place.

Last night's game was postponed due to unplayable field conditions. The standing water in left became an issue. Tonight's postponement seems to be based more on the forecast, though last night's debacle might have factored into it.

"Last night was a little bit unusual obviously," said manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde said the club showed up today ready to play, as usual, but he conceded that it looked "iffy." The postponement came about 15 minutes later.

The rain has let up but it's in the forecast through midnight at various percentages. Cashner was on the field a few minutes ago in shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt.

"The field looks a lot better," Hyde said before the postponement became official. "It took more water, but the outfield's playing a lot better."

Hyde said he knew that last night's game would be called during the second conference with the umpires and Yankees manager Aaron Boone. They kept walking to left field, where the grounds crew used brooms, leaf blowers, an aerator and a pitch fork in attempts to drain the water that reeked of desperation and futility.

"We started talking about the rain coming again, another band coming through. Then it just didn't make any sense to play," Hyde said.

"I think initially when I walked out there, the field was just not playable. It was really obvious the field was not playable at that point. And when Boonie and the umpires all went out we all agreed that we were going to have to wait this one out, wait to get all this water off the field. It was just standing water everywhere.

"They pushed the game back and then we kind of talked 20 minutes later and we talked about the band coming through. It just didn't make any sense to put the tarp back on, have to dump it in the same spot, have the outfield take more water. I didn't think that was even going to be possible to be able to play, so I think they made the right choice."

Meanwhile, left-hander Richard Bleier has reported to Single-A Frederick and will continue his injury rehab tonight.