Hurricane Ike postpones Cubs' Friday, Saturday games in Houston

ST. LOUIS - The Cubs will not fly to Houston after Thursday night's game because of the danger posed by Hurricane Ike. Instead, the team is expected to charter a flight home to Chicago and await word on this weekend's scheduled series at Minute Maid Park.

The Houston Astros announced Thursday that Friday's and Saturday's games with the Cubs have been postponed because of the potential impact of Hurricane Ike on the Houston area. The announcement was made by Astros President of Business Operations Pam Gardner.

The Cubs and Astros were supposed to open a three-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. and then play Saturday at 6:05 and Sunday at 1:05.

Originally, the Astros had talked of moving Friday's game to 1:05 p.m., but that plan apparently was scrapped as Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas Gulf Coast.

The Cubs will await word on the next move. If the storm moves through Saturday, it's possible the two teams could play a doubleheader Sunday at Minute Maid Park and a single game Monday.

Neutral sites, such as St. Louis, Milwaukee and Atlanta also have been discussed, but nothing has been firmed up. Word is the Astros don't want to come to St. Louis and use Busch Stadium because the Cubs already are in town, and that would give them an advantage over the Astros, who would have to travel from Houston. Cubs fans also could turn Busch Stadium into a home-field atmosphere as well.