The Cleveland Guardians postponed their series opener Friday with the Boston Red Sox. The American League teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday after inclement weather prevented Friday's matchup. The small break gives Alex Bregman and Jose Ramirez another day to prepare for a clash between Major League Baseball's elite third basemen.

The two teams will play a split day-night doubleheader on Saturday. The first game will be at 1 p.m. EDT, and the nightcap will be at 6 p.m. EDT. The Guardians will start Ben Lively in the first game against Red Sox starter Tanner Houck. Cleveland will call up left-hander Doug Nikhazy to make his MLB in the nightcap opposite Boston's Walker Buehler.

This series won't decide the pecking order in any division. However both teams are comparable in the standings, and Boston is looking to prove that they belong amongst the best in the AL. Cleveland, on the other hand, is neck-and-neck with the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the AL Central, giving them all the more reason to play hard.

While both teams match up well with each other, they are opposites when it comes to their strategy. On one hand, Cleveland has built their team from the inside, cultivating their draft picks into one of the best rosters in MLB. Conversely, Boston has brought in bigger names via free agency to improve their roster around Rafael Devers.

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Regardless of how each team has gotten to where they are, both are successful. If the standings remain similar throughout the course of the year, this could be one of the key matchups to decide playoff seeding in the AL.

Each team enters the series riding their own momentum. Both the Red Sox and Guardians are winners of six of their last 10, but Cleveland is coming off a series win against the New York Yankees, the defending AL champions.

While Bregman and Ramirez are preparing to leave their marks, the pitching could decide things. Boston's arms have been better to start the year, and Brayan Bello will make his 2025 debut on Sunday.

The Red Sox and Guardians have Friday off. However, both teams will go to war in their Saturday doubleheader to determine the pecking order in the AL.