Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A critical home series between two playoff-contending teams faces immediate weather challenges this weekend.
- The first game was scheduled for Friday afternoon but a storm system will force a preemptive delay before the first pitch.
- The forecast shows more rain threats later in the weekend, which could complicate efforts to complete all three games on schedule.
The Chicago Cubs are riding high after a dramatic, come-from-behind walk-off win over the Athletics on Thursday night, but Mother Nature is doing her best to cool off their momentum ahead of a critical home series against the San Francisco Giants. Game one of that three-game set was scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon, but the Cubs have already announced that a rain delay will push that first-pitch time back a bit.
Cubs-Giants start time: Game set to begin at 2:20 p.m. CT
UPDATE: The Cubs have announced that Friday's game will begin at 2:20 p.m. CT
The Cubs/Giants game is now scheduled to start at 2:20 CT.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 5, 2026
As for whether we might see another rain delay later on in the afternoon, well, fingers crossed.
A storm system is set to move through the Chicagoland area at around 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT, which will force the tarp to be put on the field — and eventually taken off. All of that takes a bit of time, obviously, which could account for the preemptive delay.
The good news is that the system isn't a particularly big one, and should move through Chicago pretty quickly. The bad news is that it's far from the only time rain will threaten Wrigley Field this weekend.
Wrigley Field forecast: How much more rain is expected?
Judging by the current radar, there should be a window to at least begin Friday's game not too long after the original start time. But there's more bad weather expected in Chicago this evening, which could force another delay if the game doesn't move quickly enough. Here are the current, hour-by-hour precipitation chances, courtesy of Accuweather.
Hour | Chance of precipitation |
|---|---|
1 p.m. CT | 68% |
2 p.m. CT | 60% |
3 p.m. CT | 49% |
4 p.m. CT | 49% |
5 p.m. CT | 49% |
The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is a bit clearer, although having to fit in a doubleheader on either Saturday or Sunday would be less than ideal to say the least. We should be able to fit nine innings in over the course of Friday, even if it moves more in fits and starts than either team would like.
We'll have more on this story shortly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google