This Time, the Marlins Get Stopped by Hurricane Georges

It took a hurricane to stop the losing for the Florida Marlins--at least temporarily.

Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed because of Hurricane Georges and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Saturday.

Florida, which has a four-game losing streak, and Philadelphia are to conclude the season with a four-game series. If the Phillies sweep, the Marlins would finish with 111 losses, the most in the major leagues since the 1965 New York Mets.

Georges was forecast to hit the Florida Keys today, with the effects of the storm expected to be felt in Miami and beyond. If tonight’s game is also postponed, the teams will try to play back-to-back doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.

“Our plan is to play our remaining four games of the season, but with the safety of our fans and employees in mind,” club president Don Smiley said.

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Cal Ripken’s plan was simple. Play 161 games, sit out the season finale at Fenway Park on Sunday and avoid a winter of speculation about when he would miss a game for the first time since May 29, 1982.

But with Baltimore out of playoff contention, he changed his mind. He ended his major league record consecutive games streak at 2,632 in the Orioles’ final home game last Sunday against the New York Yankees.

Ripken had hoped to play all 162 games this season. That would have meant the Orioles still would have a shot at a wild-card berth on the final day of the regular season.

Instead, it was the Red Sox who had the chance to clinch with a win Thursday night.

“I was hoping very secretly that these last four games would be the deciding games for the wild-card spot and that issues of the streak wouldn’t even come into play,” Ripken said.

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Omar Daal has been replaced as Arizona’s starting pitcher for Sunday’s season finale against San Diego because lately he has been showing signs of a tired arm.

“He’s pretty much gassed,” Diamondbacks’ pitching coach Mark Connor said.

Andy Benes (14-13) will start in place of Daal. Benes would set a record for most victories by an expansion team’s pitcher if he gets the victory.