Diamondbacks, Guardians postponed by rain, wet field. Teams playing doubleheader Wednesday

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Diamondbacks, Guardians postponed by rain, wet field. Teams playing doubleheader Wednesday

2024-08-07 10:44 Last Updated At：10:51

CLEVELAND (AP) — Heavy rain and wet field conditions forced the postponement of Tuesday night's game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians, who will make it up as part of a traditional doubleheader Wednesday.

The first game will start at 1:10 p.m.

With thousands of fans inside Progressive Field, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and GM Mike Chernoff were part of a group that inspected the grass in left field at 7:30 p.m. before the postponement was announced 40 minutes later.

About three hours before the scheduled 6:40 start, violent thunderstorms rolled into the area and a tornado warning was issued, forcing ballpark employees to take shelter in the ballpark's lower level.

A hallway connecting Arizona's dugout and clubhouse flooded with water.

The postponement delayed the debut of Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who was set to make his season debut after being sidelined with a shoulder injury. Rodriquez will now start Wednesday's second game.

Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Arizona in December. He was expected to fill a major void in the club's starting rotation before feeling discomfort in his shoulder during a spring training game in March.

He only expected to miss a few weeks, but wound up having an early setback in rehab and being sidelined for five months.

The rainout also means the AL Central-leading Guardians will play two doubleheaders in three days, further taxing their pitching staff. Cleveland opens a four-game series against second-place Minnesota on Friday with a day-night doubleheader.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno (strained left adductor) was placed on the 10-day injured list after getting hurt while running to first in Monday's game. Moreno returned to Phoenix to be checked by the team's medical staff. Rookie Adrian Del Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his spot.

Guardians: RHP Tanner Bibee (shoulder tightness) threw a bullpen session and then met with pitching coach Carl Willis and head trainer Lonnie Soloff. It hasn't been determined when he'll make his next start.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Ben Lively (10-6, 3.42 ERA) will start the opener with Carlos Carrasco (3-9, 5.53) pitching Game 2 for Cleveland. Arizona will start Brandon Pfaadt (5-6, 3.97) in the opener followed by Rodriguez.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

India and Sri Lanka sign defense and energy deals as Modi's visit strengthens ties

2025-04-05 20:03 Last Updated At：20:10

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated construction work on a solar plant in neighboring Sri Lanka and witnessed the signing of energy and defense agreements seen as efforts to consolidate New Delhi's influence in the debt-stricken island nation.

India has been concerned about China’s increasing presence in Sri Lanka, which is located on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes in what India considers part of its strategic backyard.

Beijing has provided Sri Lanka with billions of dollars in loans for development projects. But Sri Lanka’s economic collapse in 2022 changed the country's priorities and provided an opportunity for India, as New Delhi stepped in with massive financial and material assistance. At the same time, China’s support for restructuring its infrastructure loans is vital for Sri Lanka.

Modi on Saturday held talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the two virtually inaugurated construction work on an Indian-funded 120-megawatt solar power plant, which is being built as a joint venture between the two countries.

Sri Lanka faced a severe power shortage in 2022 after being unable to pay for oil and coal to power its electricity plants. It has also set ambitious goals of reducing its dependence on fossil fuel.

Modi welcomed the agreements on defense cooperation and said both sides agreed to work together on security cooperation in the Indian Ocean through a regional grouping called the Colombo Security Conclave, which also includes Bangladesh, Maldives and Mauritius.

“I am grateful to President Dissanayake for his sensitivity towards India’s interests. We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent,” Modi said.

He said India has a special place for Sri Lanka in its “Neighbourhood First Policy” and has fulfilled its duties as a truly friendly neighbour when Sri Lanka was in difficulty.

Modi was awarded “Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana,” the highest award presented to a foreign leader.

China plans to build a $3.7 billion oil refinery near Hambantota port, which was taken over by Beijing after Sri Lanka failed to pay back the loan to develop the port. It gives China a key foothold in the country directly opposite India’s coastline.

Both India and China have separately agreed on terms with Sri Lanka for restructuring its debt, which would enable the country to come out from bankruptcy and rebuild the tattered economy.

While the agreements were being signed, hundreds of protesters gathered opposite the capital Colombo’s main rail station, claiming the agreements were a betrayal of the country to Indian domination.

Frontline Socialist Party, a radical splinter party of Dissanayake’s People’s Liberation Front, accused the president of backing down from his original stand on India. The leader of the party, Kumar Gunaratnam, said India had never been a genuine friend of Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake’s party took up arms against a 1987 peace agreement between India and Sri Lanka but has since moderated its policy on its giant neighbor.

India, which has its own sizable Tamil population, intervened in 1987 and signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to resolve Sri Lanka's civil conflict. Some Tamil armed groups accepted the deal, the Tamil Tigers, the largest group, rejected it and continued to fight for separation. Government troops crushed the Tamil Tigers in 2009, and since then the government has faced international pressure to resolve the power-sharing issue through talks.

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Associated Press photographer Eranga Jayawardena contributed to this report.