Rain Grounds Redbirds

The National Anthem had been sung and pitchers had begun warming up Friday night when the rains hit Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The steady downpour and cold temperatures eventually led to the postponement of the Cardinals series opener with the Milwaukee Brewers. And because rain was expected to last throughout the night, Saturday’s game was pushed back six hours to 7:10 p.m. to allow the field to dry. A make-up date for Friday’s game will be announced at a later date.

The Associated Press photo above shows the Cardinals grounds crew pulling the tarp over the Busch Stadium field as the begins to fall.

A story on the Cardinals’ Web site gives us a quote from Redbirds manager Tony LaRussa and a little weather information for the St. Louis area for Saturday.

"We were watching on the computer, and they had nailed it almost to the minute," manager Tony La Russa said. "And once it got going, it's going 'til the early morning hours. And then that's why we moved the game back [Saturday]. There's a chance it will be around a good part of tomorrow. We should be able to play by tomorrow night. It will be a little uncomfortable."

The current forecast, according to Weather.com, calls for a first-pitch temperature of 42 degrees and a 30 percent chance of rain, with winds of about 15 mph.