Next games: Saturday, May 17 at Boston
Brewers Gameday with the Jockey Pregame Show at 2:20 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Newsradio 620 WTMJ

BOSTON (AP) -- Terry Francona's return to managing had to wait another day when Friday night's series opener between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers was postponed by rain.

Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-0) and Milwaukee's Jeff Suppan (2-3), who were scheduled to start Friday night, will pitch in the opener. Saturday's originally scheduled starters, Boston's Tim Wakefield (3-2) and Milwaukee's Dave Bush (1-4), were pushed back to the night game.

The postponement was the first of the year for both teams, and came after a delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes.

The teams have met in interleague play in only one series with the Red Sox taking two of three games in June 2003.

They last faced each other in Boston on Sept. 7, 1997, when Milwaukee was still in the American League. The Red Sox won 11-2 with six homers, four off starter Jeff D'Amico. John Valentin hit two homers and Troy O'Leary had a grand slam.

Manny Ramirez's pursuit of his 500th homer -- he needs two -- was put off for a day by the rain. He hit his 498th Monday at Minnesota.

Boston right fielder J.D. Drew, who missed one game with a sprained left wrist, and shortstop Julio Lugo, who missed five with a mild concussion, were in Friday's lineup.

"Lugo was cleared (Thursday) so he's all set to go," Francona said. "J.D. talked to the trainers and said he felt good."

Because of television commitments on other games this weekend, there were indications the teams could not reschedule the postponement as part of a doubleheader this weekend. But they found a way to do that.

"I'd rather do that than come back in August, to be honest with you," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "Instead of coming in here on an off day and playing a game, I'd rather just go ahead and play it."

Had Friday's game started after a rain delay, he said, he would have started Mark DiFelice instead of Suppan. DiFelice was called up Thursday from Triple-A Nashville when reliever David Riske went on the disabled list.

Yost wasn't worried about putting a strain on his pitching staff with three games in two days.

"I've got an off day Monday," he said. "I'm OK with that. Three days in a row is what kills me. That's not going to be the case anyway."

Notes: Former AL Cy Young award winner Bartolo Colon could make his Red Sox debut on Tuesday night against Kansas City. Boston hasn't announced a starter for that game. Colon, signed to a minor league contract during spring training, allowed one hit in six scoreless innings for Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday night. ... Milwaukee OF Gabe Kapler returned to Boston where he played from 2003-2006. "I'm probably more appreciative for that relationship with the city of Boston than any other relationship I've developed in baseball," he said. "It's really important to me. Just walking up and down the streets, people say nice things."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)