The Blue Jays’ weather delay just made this White Sox series a lot bigger

The postponement was announced Wednesday, not after a long wait at the ballpark Thursday. That timing told you the forecast was the story, with the White Sox pushing the game back because of expected bad weather over Rate Field.

MLB's official notice called it a forecast of inclement weather and moved the home opener to Friday at 1:10 p.m. CT. That is an unusual move this far ahead of first pitch, but the weather risk was strong enough that both clubs adjusted early.

That part matters because this was not a club looking to duck a date. Toronto needed to get back on the field after a 2-1 extra-innings loss to Colorado that cost it the series on Wednesday.

The Blue Jays are 4-2, which is still a clean opening week, but that Rockies loss changed the tone. Kevin Gausman gave them 6.0 strong innings and they still walked away with a missed chance to keep momentum rolling.

So the weather delay does 2 things at once. It gives Toronto a breather after a frustrating finish, and it makes this White Sox series feel more like a needed response than just the next stop on the schedule.

This is where the matchup gets interesting for Toronto. Chicago enters the set at 1-5 with a minus-31 run differential, so this is the kind of opponent a contender is supposed to handle with no excuses.

If the Blue Jays are serious about staying on the Yankees' heels in the AL East, these are the games that need to turn into wins, not coin flips. Toronto sits 1.0 game back entering Friday, and letting a struggling club hang around would be a bad look early.

There is also a strong baseball angle right at the front of the series. Cease is still lined up to face his former team in Game 1, with Sean Burke scheduled for Chicago. That is a real bounce-back spot for Toronto after the offense stalled out against Colorado.

The White Sox are not exactly hiding their own need for a reset. Manager Will Venable said the extra day was a good thing after a road trip that produced only 1 win in 6 games.

That makes this set dangerous in one sense and simple in another. Chicago is desperate, but Toronto is deeper, more proven, and coming off a season that ended in the World Series.

The weather is the headline today because it took the game off the board before anyone threw a pitch. The bigger story starts Friday, when the Blue Jays need to treat this White Sox series like the bounce-back opening they just got handed.