Marlins Series Opener in Chicago Against Cubs Officially Postponed due to Weather

The Miami Marlins will still get four games in against the Chicago Cubs with a Saturday doubleheader

A tarp covers the Wrigley Field infield / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight's Miami Marlins game against the Chicago Cubs from iconic Wrigley Field has officially been postponed due to weather in the area, per a press release from MLB.

The contest will be made up this Saturday as part of a split doubleheader. The make-up is scheduled for the same start time as tonight, 7:40 PM ET, with the originally scheduled game scheduled start of 2:20 ET happening as planned.

For Miami, they now get the evening off in a city that's known for great dining, although with the spectre of continued "inclement weather" throughout the day, room service may be in the cards.

And so now it'll be four games in three days for the Marlins. Coming with that are several strategic decisions, including what to do with the rotation and who to use on Saturday for the two games.

For the rotation, the conversation surrounds A.J. Puk. Originally slated for a start on Monday against the San Francisco Giants, he was pushed back to Thursday after dealing with a bout of the flu, which swept through the Miami clubhouse last week. Shortsotp Tim Anderson missed almost the entire weekend from it, only checking into the game late on Sunday as an injury replacement when Vidal Bruján was unable to continue due to his knee injury. Catcher Christian Bethancourt went on the IL with his "illness", believed to be the same flu that felled Anderson, and was replaced on the active roster by Jhonny Pereda, who made his MLB debut during the series.

Puk last pitched on April 9th; if he's pushed back to Friday, he'll have nine days between starts. That seems most likely at this point, given the need to get him some work, but with his results in the three outings so far this season - 0-3 record and a 5.91 ERA - he could get skipped in the rotation entirely.

Miami could skip Puk thanks to the doubleheader on Saturday, as MLB rules allow for an additional "27th man" to be designated for that day's set of games. Calling a pitcher up from AAA Jacksonville to start one of the two games, whether it's recently demoted Max Meyer or another option, could allow Miami to skip Puk's turn in the rotation or use him in long relief over the weekend.