Angels, Twins try again after rare Anaheim rainout

The scheduled Wednesday night game between the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins that was postponed because of wet field conditions will be made up Thursday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.

A fast-moving rainstorm passed through Orange County on Wednesday afternoon, and even though the skies had cleared by the scheduled start time of 6:05 p.m., the field was too wet to play. It was the Angels' first home rainout since 1995.

"There's still too much standing water in the outfield," said Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communications. "It's just a matter of playing conditions. Ultimately it's player safety first, then it's playing the game at a major league level."

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of the postponement decision, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "I can't say I concurred, but it's not always the easiest call in situations like this. We probably played a few games this year similar to what we would have been playing in. I think we probably could have played (Wednesday), but it is not my decision to make."

Los Angeles right-hander Matt Harvey, who had been scheduled to start Wednesday, will take the mound Thursday.

Harvey, coming off a victory over Kansas City in his most recent start, is 2-3 with a 6.35 ERA in nine starts this season, both wins coming against the Royals. In his only career start against Minnesota, Harvey got a win after allowing one run and two hits in eight innings while pitching for the New York Mets in 2013.

Harvey will be opposed by left-hander Martin Perez, who also was due to start Wednesday. Perez is off to a fast start this season, going 6-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 10 games (seven starts).

Perez's first three appearances were out of the bullpen, and he went 1-0 with a 7.56 ERA. Since being moved into the rotation, Perez has thrived, going 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA.

Some of the credit for Perez's newfound success can be attributed to the addition of a cutter and increased velocity on his fastball, but he believes it's more than that.

"How I've been pitching a few years ago, I changed everything," Perez said. "I throw a lot of strikes. I (am) starting to attack, trying to hit the glove, and I think my tempo during the game is good, too."

Perez is 4-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 17 career games (13 starts) against the Angels, all while pitching for the Texas Rangers from 2012-18.

The Angels will be without shortstop Andrelton Simmons for the second game in a row, and he won't be back anytime soon. Simmons sustained a Grade 3 sprain to his left ankle on Monday, hitting the first base bag awkwardly as he lunged to beat out a grounder. A Grade 3 sprain typically requires eight to 12 weeks of recovery time, but a more succinct timetable cannot be made until the swelling in the ankle subsides.

He saw a specialist Wednesday and it was determined that surgery will not be necessary.

"From what I heard before, it was actually good," Simmons said of his exam. "It is what it is. It's Grade 3, so it's not the best type of sprain, but it's not a high ankle, no surgery is required. But we've still got to see when the swelling goes down and how we progress from there. I don't know a timeline yet, but I did come out positive from the meeting today."

Unless the Angels make a trade for a starting shortstop, they will mix and match at shortstop with David Fletcher, Zack Cozart and Luis Rengifo.

The Twins have won seven of their past eight games, while the Angels have dropped three in a row and five of seven.

--Field Level Media