Start time for Friday's game between Guardians-Reds moved up

The start time of Friday night's matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds has been changed, according to an announcement from the Reds' social media team.

Originally slated to start at 6:40 P.M., the game will begin an hour and a half earlier at 5:10 P.M. due to weather in the area. This should provide both teams with more than enough time to get the required 5 innings in to make the game official, as long as the game is played at a normal pace.

Friday night's matchup between the two ballclubs is the first of three games set to be played at Great American Ball Park down in Cincinnati. This is part of the first Rivalry Weekend taking place across Major League Baseball over the next few days, and the rivalry here goes beyond just two teams playing in the same state for The Ohio Cup.

The three-game set taking place in Cincinnati will be the first time the Cleveland Guardians will face their former manager and current Reds manager, Terry Francona, since he stepped down from the position following the 2023 season. Francona is Cleveland's winningest manager in franchise history, finishing with a 921-757 record in 11 seasons managing the Guardians. Cleveland made the postseason six times with Francona at the helm, including a trip to the World Series in 2016. Starting last season, Stephen Vogt took over for Francona, leading the Guardians to a 92-69 en route to an ALCS appearance.

Cleveland is at a very crucial juncture in this season at the moment, and they must capitalize on the opportunity they have in front of them. The Guardians are 25-18 on the year and have won six of their last 10 games, while Cincinnati has a 21-24 record and has lost seven of 10. These are two teams clearly heading in opposite directions, and the Guardians need to at least win two of three games in Cincinnati. Not just to help their cause in retaining posession of The Ohio Cup but to keep up with the surprising Detroit Tigers in the American League Central division. A series win over the Reds would definitely help them in their quest to not let Detroit run away with the division in what is only the second month of the season.