What you need to know before Game 2 of the World Series

CLEVELAND — The ground is wet here and that could be a problem before Game 2 of the World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on Wednesday night.

Major League Baseball was proactive in announcing midway through Game 1 that Wednesday’s game had been moved up an hour, to 7:08 p.m. ET, in hopes of getting enough dry time to play the game.

The hour-by-hour forecast calls for Cleveland to be wet between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET, but just clouds from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The question is whether the forecast holds up and, if rain does hit in the 9 p.m. hour, will it be sprinkles or enough to wash out the game?

In the postseason, MLB doesn’t allow games to end early because of weather. They have to play the entire thing, even if that means suspending the game and picking up again Thursday, which is a scheduled travel day as the series shifts to Chicago.

HOW WILL BAUER’S FINGER HOLD UP?
Trevor Bauer is on the mound for the Indians in Game 2, the same Trevor Bauer who didn’t last an inning in his ALCS start before his injured pinky started bleeding. He was forced to leave the game and the Indians’ bullpen did an amazing job to get the win.

On Tuesday, Bauer said he felt good and was on pace for Game 2, just like any other start.

“I threw a sim game [Monday],” Bauer said. “I threw about 20 pitches. Threw it with max intent, just like in a game, as close to game intensity as I could possibly get to. There’s no pain, no blood. I was able to execute all my pitches to a high level, and I’m really encouraged by it. I feel like I’m on a regular preparation for my start.”

But there’s this: When asked if he was any more confident about his injured pinky than his last start, he gave an answer that might worry Indians fans.

“Honestly, no,” Bauer said. “Going into Toronto, the doctors told me they were confident it would be okay. I was confident it would be fine. It hadn’t bled the two days before that at all. So I feel confident every time I take the mound. I wouldn’t take the mound if I didn’t feel confident I’d be able to pitch and help the team.”

Likewise, Indians manager Terry Francona said he’s confident in Bauer, but he was last time too.

“I was confident last week, and I said that I didn’t think the finger was going to get in the way, and I’m going to say the same thing again this week,” Francona said. “And if it doesn’t work, I’m going to make the doctor come up here and talk to you guys.”

STARTING LINEUPS

The Cubs have Jason Heyward on the bench again for Game 2, starting Jorge Soler in right field instead. Manager Joe Maddon said before Game 1 that he hoped to get the offense going and use Heyward as a defensive replacement. That appears to be the strategy for Game 2 as well. Kyle Schwarber is DHing again too.

Cleveland has changed up their lineup slightly for Game 2. Brandon Guyer is on the bench since there’s a righty on the mound, and instead Tyler Naquin is hitting in the bottom of the lineup. Naquin has a .301 average against righties in 2016, so they hope he’ll be able to do some damage against Arrieta. Coco Crisp is also making his first start of this World Series, and Carlos Santana has been moved up to the leadoff position.

GAME 2 DETAILS:
• Game 2 airs on Fox at 7 p.m. ET. The MLB on FOX pregame show begins at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, and jumps over to the Fox at 6:30 p.m. ET.

• Indians great Carlos Baerga will throw out the first pitch and country duo Locash will sing the national anthem.

GOOD READING
Other stuff you should read before Game 2:
• Meet the Indians fan who created “Party at Napoli’s”
• The Klubot smiled after it was at its robotic best in Game 1
• The key at-bat from Game 1 of the World Series
• The Indians’ unlikely star of Game 1
• The Cubs were so bad that the Cleveland Police are worried
• ‘Major League’ vs. ‘Rookie of the Year’: this year’s Indians and Cubs pick sides
• How Fox Sports is changing what you think about Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz