The Los Angeles Angels secured a 10-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday, and were fully prepared to head back into action on Saturday night. Then, just about one hour before first pitch, it was announced that multiple positive COVID-19 tests would force a postponement of Saturday’s game.
About 45 minutes later, Sunday’s game also faced the same fate, as it was clear the Twins situation was not going to be under control in time. Thus, the remainder of the series will remain in limbo for an undisclosed period of time as the Angels hold a 1-0 lead.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was honest about the situation and what the next steps are for his team, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic:
“None of this has gone to plan,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It can happen. This is the reality that we live in, the unfortunate reality that we live in, but we’re going to go forward. We’re not going to go backwards. We’re not going to dwell. We need to know what the next step is, and, that way, we can go attack it and do the best that we can… We have to just be as aware as we possibly can going forward and react as well and as thoughtfully and quickly as we can when things do happen. So, again, it’s very hard to know anything when you’re dealing with a virus. I think what we have to do is just take care of what we can handle and then go from there.””
In 2020, the Angels did not have a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the West region stayed relatively clean throughout the season. This means that early into 2021, the Angels are seeing their first ever pandemic related postponement in this series against the Twins.
Given that the two teams played their game on Friday, the Angels may also have some concerns over COVID hitting their roster. Their next game is Monday night, when they begin a three-game set against the Texas Rangers. If they are cleared, they should be able to play that series without issue and continue on with their schedule.
Joe Maddon not concerned that Twins positive COVID tests will affect Angels
Before either game was postponed, Angels manager Joe Maddon spoke about potential positive tests within the Twins organization. He sounded unfazed about the possibility, saying that it shouldn’t affect the Angels in a significant way, even if games do get postponed.
