MLB: The Guardians vs Rays playoff game is postponed until Saturday due to rain

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays was postponed to Saturday following heavy rains that hit Cleveland on Friday night.

A waterlogged field forced the decision

Storms drenched Progressive Field, where officials initially announced a delay to the scheduled 8:08 p.m. start time. However, as the rain continued, the grounds crew was unable to prepare the field for the game.

A small group of fans watched as workers attempted to remove the water that had pooled on the warning track and drained the water from the tarp covering the infield before replacing it.

About an hour after the scheduled start time, and with no new start time in sight, MLB announced that the game would be played on Saturday, with Game 5 following in Cleveland on Sunday.

The Guardians are looking to close out the series at home

The Guardians hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and have the opportunity to eliminate the top-seeded Rays on their home turf.

However, the series is now on a tight schedule, as the teams will travel back to Florida for Games 6 and 7, if necessary, on Monday and Tuesday.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he wasn't frustrated by the late decision to postpone the game, which raises the possibility of the teams playing four games in four days.

"I'm not frustrated at all," Cash said. "I have no reason to be. I think we handled everything accordingly, just as we would during the regular season."

Cash confirmed that Nick Martinez, who was scheduled to start on the mound Friday, would remain the starting pitcher on Saturday.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said it was "a long day to wait for a game that didn't happen," but added, "This is baseball. This is Cleveland. We're more than used to these kinds of delays."

Vogt will also stick with the scheduled starter Shawn Armstrong on the mound for Game 4.