Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox Affiliates in Race for Lead in Dubious Statistical Category

Mother Nature has made the spring schedule very difficult for the St. Paul Saints and Portland Sea Dogs this season.

A baseball sits in a puddle on the rain tarps at Fenway Park before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals on April 5, 2025, in Boston. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Triple-A St. Paul Saints and Double-A Portland Sea Dogs are in a race to see which of them can top a statistical category that no team wants to lead: most postponements and cancellations due to weather in the minor leagues.

With two consecutive home rainouts this week, the Saints – the top affiliate of the Minnesota Twins – overtook the Sea Dogs for the No. 1 spot on the list. The Saints now have 13 rainouts, with the Sea Dogs, a Red Sox affiliate, sitting at 12.

As a result of the pair of rainouts, the Saints and the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles affiliate) are scheduled to play two doubleheaders in three days. They are set to play two seven-inning games both Thursday and Saturday, with single games Friday and Sunday before the Saints embark on a trip to Nebraska for six games against the aptly named Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals affiliate).

okay mother nature do your thing https://t.co/mVNtdQf4dr

— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) May 22, 2025

Rain also played havoc with the Twins’ schedule this week as the Cleveland Guardians visited Minneapolis. Their game Monday was suspended and rescheduled for Tuesday, to be followed by a regularly scheduled game, but rain called off the card. The rescheduled game was completed Wednesday, followed by the day’s originally scheduled game.

The Tuesday game with the Guardians was postponed to an indefinite date in the future – a game that could have some bearing on the American League Central or wild-card races.

In Portland, Maine, a doubleheader scheduled between the Sea Dogs and the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies affiliate) for Friday was called off and replaced with one nine-inning game.

Why? Because the doubleheaders would have put the teams over the number of permitted doubleheaders in a seven-day span, according to the Sea Dogs website.

Portland could pull back in front of the race by the end of the weekend, however. A nor’easter is forecast to hug the Eastern seaboard on Thursday into Friday, with rain and gusty wind – and temperatures not to exceed 50 degrees – expected. The Sea Dogs will hope the rain holds off during their 11 a.m. Thursday game and clears out before their 6 p.m. Friday contest.

The parent Red Sox also are in jeopardy of some delays or postponements due to rain. They open a four-game set with the Orioles on Thursday.

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