Update: 11:53 a.m. Saturday
A statement from the President of Brewers Baseball Operations and General Manager David Sterns says “Lorenzo Cain has informed us that he will not participate for the remainder of the 2020 season. We fully support Lorenzo’s decision, and will miss his talents on the field and leadership in the clubhouse.”
Update: 9:51 a.m. Saturday
More reported coronavirus cases involving the Milwaukee Brewers’ opponent have led to a game being halted for the second straight day.
WTMJ has confirmed that the Brewers-Cardinals game, originally set for 6:10 p.m. Saturday, has been postponed.
According to reports including those of MLB.com’s Jon Heyman, four more positive tests have happened within the St. Louis traveling party.
Count is 1 more Cardinals player positive and 3 staff members. Now they have 3 total players positive. @Ken_Rosenthal and @ByRobertMurray we’re on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 1, 2020
Update: 2:35 p.m. Friday
Sunday’s doubleheader will be seven innings for each game, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com citing an MLB news release.
Official. If played, Sunday’s doubleheader at Miller Park will be a pair of seven-inning games. pic.twitter.com/mXKYS9klzC
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 31, 2020
Update: 12:39 p.m.
“Our goal is to play baseball this year,” said Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio after the postponement of today’s home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals due to two St. Louis players testing positive for COVID-19.
“I am extremely comfortable that we have, from a league level down to a team level, very robust practices in place to do what’s smart.”
Attanasio is also viewing the difference in their strategy to play baseball amid the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the NBA’s plan, and notes how other sports leagues are pay attention to what baseball is doing.
“The NBA has the benefit of working in a bubble. Fewer teams than we do,” said Attanasio.
“The NFL is watching us closely. They know they’ve got next.”
Update: 12:11 p.m.
The principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers says that the team is focused on making sure they complete the 2020 season.
“We are all committed to finishing the season. The question is how best to ensure…proceed so we can see the season through,” said Mark Attanasio on Friday in a previously-scheduled news conference after the announcement of the postponement of today’s Brewers-Cardinals game due to two St. Louis players contracting COVID-19.
“We have a lot of really smart people working on this, a number of commmitted players who want to play through this, but everyone wants to play through safely.”
Tens of thousands of tests across baseball have led to about 100 positive tests entering Friday, according to Attanasio.
“There have been tens of thousands of tests, and we may be pushing 99 positive tests out of 32,000. That number is going up. Giving how contagious COVID-19, we’d expect it to go up,” he said.
The Brewers are helping the Cardinals with their testing protocols to get their arms around whether there are more people infected with COVID-19, according to Attanasio.
“We quickly set up Medical College of Wisconsin…and others so they are being tested at their team hotel now.”
Update: 11:45 a.m.
The Cardinals say two players tested positive Wednesday.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 31, 2020
Update: 10:37 a.m.
Friday’s game will be rescheduled as a doubleheader on Sunday, and MLB says they will play Saturday.
A statement from MLB below:
“Today’s scheduled game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park has been rescheduled as part of a traditional doubleheader on Sunday, August 2nd at 1:10 p.m. (CT). The rescheduling as a result of two positive COVID-19 tests in the Cardinals’ organization is consistent with protocols to allow enough time for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted. Saturday’s game between the Clubs will remain as scheduled for 6:10 p.m. (CT). Major League Baseball will continue to provide updates as appropriate.”
The Brewers’ statement:
“We are supportive of Major League Baseball’s decision to postpone today’s game and look forward to playing our home opener as soon as conditions safely allow. The health and safety of our players and employees are, and will continue to be, our top priorities.” David Stearns, President – Baseball Operations and General Manager.
Update: 9:48 a.m.
Journal Sentinel beat writer and Brewers 360 contributor Tom Haudricourt speaks with dramatic perspective to our Scott Warras.
“There’s an old saying in baseball, you take it one game at a time, day to day. Never more true than this season,” said Haudricourt.
He explains how perhaps these positive tests are happening because teams are traveling instead of playing in a controlled “bubble,” similar to the NBA where there have been no positive tests in two weeks.
“Travel is where the devil comes into the details,” he said. “As long as teams are on the road, they are subject to conditions they can’t control.”
As TMJ4 News’ Lance Allan shows, the scene still looks like an Opening Day game at Miller Park, even after all the news broke.
That’s @Brewers manager Craig Counsell on field surveying what would have been the home opener and Opening Day 2020 for the #Brewers pic.twitter.com/pBqJTXstzP
— Lance Allan (@lanceallan) July 31, 2020
Update: 9:34 a.m.
“It’s only going to get worse in one respect, and it might be a good thing,” ESPN baseball writer Jesse Rogers tells WTMJ’s Scott Warras.
“The learning experience baseball went through with the Marlins and Phillies…the big problem is the incubation period. One guy (testing positive) could lead to two, three, four, five.”
Test results come within 12 hours, but MLB is currently only mandating tests every other day.
“The more you test, the more you alleviate fears and can isolate,” said Rogers. “The even every-other-day thing creates a vacuum.”
Update: 9:18 a.m.
WTMJ Brewers Extra Innings host Matt Pauley explained the rationale behind the postponement, but the challenge MLB will continue to have after the Brewers and Cardinals became the seventh and eighth teams to have postponements due to coronavirus.
“Better safe than sorry. Health and safety should be the number one thing,” Matt said. “The thing that is going to most compromise this baseball season is the incubation of the coronavirus.”
Update: 9:12 a.m.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Derrick Goold reports that the Cardinals will not be heading to Miller Park and will remain at their hotel.
#Cardinals are remaining in their hotel room, have no plans going to ballpark today. They have been instructed into self-isolation, per source. Confirms @JonHeyman report #Brewers game vs #stlcards ppd got today. News soon @stltoday
— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) July 31, 2020
Original story
WTMJ has confirmed that the Milwaukee Brewers home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals has been postponed.
The reason is due to two positive coronavirus tests within the Cardinals’ organization.
The teams were scheduled to play Friday at 1:10 p.m. at a fan-less Miller Park to help curb the spread of COVID-19. They still could play Friday and Saturday, WTMJ confirms.
The teams could still play Saturday and Sunday if all Cardinals players test negative beforehand, WTMJ has learned.
Games involving several NL East and AL East teams were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and some staff members of the Philadelphia Phillies tested positive for coronavirus.
MLB has chosen to use each team hosting games at their own stadium instead of going into a “bubble,” as the NBA has done.
The Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to re-start their 2019-20 campaign in Orlando in the NBA’s bubble, which has had no positive COVID-19 tests for the last two weeks.
