Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:15 pm, but it can be moved up. “There have been conversations with the league for days about what this will look like as we get closer.” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said before his team hosted the Guardians. “They’re planning a doubleheader on Friday, which I guess makes sense if the weather looks good that day. And beyond that, I don’t know yet because I don’t think anyone knows specifically what the forecast will be like.” — to another city if necessary. If the forecast is such that they feel they have no chance of playing all three, they can pull that lever. “It’s uncertain,” Tracy said. “Does it look like there will be a good lane to play a game at some point on one of those days? I don’t think we’ll know the answer for a couple of days.” MLB and the teams wanted to be proactive with these changes to avoid a potential scheduling nightmare, including, in the worst case, making up one or two games on Monday, the day between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. postseason,” Tracy said. “That would be ideal.” The results of the games probably won’t matter to the Red Sox, who have clinched a playoff spot and are all but assured of the No. 5 seed in the American League. Barring a highly unlikely change in the standings, they must open the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees in New York on Tuesday. For the Cubs, however, the final series is destined to be significant. They entered Wednesday in a tie three-way with the Padres and Phillies for the three wild card spots in the National League. The final games will most likely determine the seeding, including the winner of the main wild card, which will host the first round, the Red Sox are prepared to use mainly pitchers who will not have a significant factor in their plans for the first round of the playoffs. Sandoval are lined up to take their regular at-bats in the rotation, for example. Relievers Brayan Bello and Raymond Burgos should be fully rested. Jedixson Paez and others may be called up to start or relieve. “I don’t want to say it’s a big challenge,” Tracy said of making pitching plans. “We’ll have pitchers lined up to pitch, but things change as to what day and things of that nature.” call up an extra player for the doubleheader. That rule applies only through August 31. Active rosters have already increased from 26 to 28. You can contact Tim Healey at timothy.healey@globe.com.
