Thursday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles just moved up five hours, and rain in the forecast is the reason why.
The Orioles announced Wednesday that first pitch at Oriole Park at Camden Yards will now come at 1:35 p.m. ET instead of the originally scheduled 6:35 p.m., with a soggy forecast forcing the earlier window and leaving fans to sort out new plans on short notice.
Baltimore’s front office isn’t alone in flagging trouble. Multiple independent weather trackers covering the Camden Yards area are pointing to the same afternoon storm risk, explaining the decision to move the game from the evening to the early afternoon rather than risk a rainout later in the evening.
“Tomorrow’s game versus the Cubs has been moved to 1:35 p.m. due to forecasted inclement weather,” the Orioles announced in a Wednesday night post. Gates will open at 1 p.m., 35 minutes ahead of the new start time.
Why the Cubs vs. Orioles Game Time Changed
Baltimore made the call after checking in with Major League Baseball, shifting Thursday’s matchup from a night game to a day game to dodge a wave of storms expected to roll through the region. Forecasters are tracking showers and thunderstorms with an 80 percent chance of precipitation Thursday, according to the National Weather Service‘s Baltimore forecast. The high temperature is expected to reach 88 degrees, with a low near 73 overnight and a quarter to half an inch of rain possible wherever storms hit. The worst of the weather activity is projected for the afternoon and early evening hours, precisely the window the original 6:35 p.m. first pitch would have occupied. Additional local trackers, including Baltimore station WBAL‘s weather desk, are calling for a similar pattern of showers and thunderstorms rolling through the city on Thursday.
Moving the game earlier gives the Orioles a better shot at getting nine innings in before the skies open up. Storms are expected to build mainly after 3 p.m., meaning even the new 1:35 p.m. start isn’t a guarantee of dry baseball through the final out.
Fans holding tickets for the original 6:35 p.m. slot do not need to do anything — except show up five hours earlier. Those tickets remain valid for the new 1:35 p.m. start, the team confirmed. Ticket holders who can’t make the earlier time can find options through the Orioles’ ballpark weather page, which the team pointed fans toward in a follow-up post.
Starting Pitchers Set for the Earlier First Pitch
The pitching matchup isn’t changing along with the clock. David Peterson is lined up to start for the Cubs, opposite Trevor Rogers for the Orioles, according to ESPN‘s probable pitchers listing for the series. Both are left-handers, setting up a lefty-on-lefty afternoon at Camden Yards.
Peterson has been part of Chicago’s rotation mix since being traded from the Mets on June 25, while Rogers will be starting his 17th game of the season for the Orioles. Both clubs are proceeding as if it’s a normal turn through the rotation, just five hours earlier than planned.
Both starters could still see their outings compressed if Thursday’s storms arrive ahead of schedule.
Some outlets and schedule aggregators may still list the old 6:35 p.m. time while their systems catch up, but the Orioles’ own announcement is the one that governs Thursday’s plans. Camden Yards gates open at 1 p.m., with the first pitch now set for 1:35 p.m. and both rotations intact heading into an afternoon that could still turn wet before it’s over.
Why Is the Cubs-Orioles Game Time Changing Thursday? New Start Time