Red Sox, Angels rained out; will play doubleheader Monday

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ANAHEIM -- Leave it to the Red Sox to help make history -- without even taking the field.

The Red Sox saw the third game of their four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim postponed because of rain, making it the first Angels home game to be rained out in 20 years.

The last rainout at Angel Stadium took place June 16, 1995.

The Sox and Angels will play a separate-admission doubleheader Monday, with games at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time. That will represent the first doubleheader because of rain here since Aug. 5, 1988 when the Angels and Chicago White Sox played two games in one day.

''We helped them fix the drought,'' said David Ortiz. "We brought the rain. Everywhere we go, we bring the rain. I'm not surprised.''

After skies darkened mid-afternoon, the tarp was placed on the infield. Rain fell steadily for more than an hour before tapering off.

By that time, however, the rain from Saturday and throughout Sunday afternoon had soaked the field, which doesn't feature good drainage.

With a smaller-than-usual grounds crew here, they enlisted stadium ushers and clubhouse attendants to squeegee the excess water pooling in the outfield.

In the end, it was to no avail.

"Based on the conditions the way they were,'' said John Farrell, "with so much standing water even (Saturday) night and no drainage in the outfield, honestly, I don't think playing was ever a likely situation.''

The Sox plan to go with the same pitching plans for Monday, with Eduardo Rodriguez -- Sunday's scheduled starter -- going in the afternoon game and knuckleballer Steven Wright going in the night game, as he was scheduled to do.

The Angels, too, will stay on schedule with two lefties: Hector Santiago in the afternoon and Andrew Heaney Monday night.

Despite the long day set for Monday, it won't affect the Red Sox' travel schedule: the Sox had always planned to fly to Houston on Tuesday morning -- rather than the customary departure of immediately after the completion of the last game of the series.

The plan is an experiment of sorts, with the Sox traveling across two time zones and figuring that players will be more rested sleeping in southern California Monday night, then traveling directly to Houston and the ballpark, rather than arriving in Houston at daybreak and due at the ballpark eight hours later.

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