The start of the White Sox’ scheduled home game against the Seattle Mariners Wednesday night is being delayed by rain.

The game, slated to begin at 6:10 p.m., has been rescheduled for a 6:55 p.m. start.

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel is scheduled to pitch for the Sox against Mariners lefty Robbie Ray, who won the AL Cy Young award with the Blue Jays last season.

The Sox defeated the Mariners 3-2 in their home opener Tuesday, improving to 3-1 after they lost their season opener to the Tigers Friday.

The Mariners and Sox are scheduled to complete the series Thursday at 1:10 p.m. A rainout Wednesday night would force the teams to play a doubleheader Thursday. The Mariners are not scheduled to play the Sox in Chicago after this series.

The Mariners play their home opener Friday night in Seattle.

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Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) on Wednesday blamed “commie, lefty loons” for accusing him of violating the city’s ethics ordinance by posting a picture of himself on Facebook dressed in firefighter’s gear in front of a city fire engine.

Sposato is one of three former Chicago firefighters currently serving in the City Council. He said the photo was taken while he was still an active firefighter and has been posted on his Facebook page since 2014 and featured in his campaign materials since his first election in 2015.

“That was like my main photo of me. I don’t see anything wrong with it. I can’t have a picture of me in front of my fire truck? It makes zero sense to me. Once a firefighter, always a firefighter. It’s almost like, once a Marine, always a Marine,” Sposato said.

Earlier this week, the Chicago Board of Ethics found probable cause to believe that Sposato’s use of the photo taken on city property wearing a city-issued gear violated that portion of the city’s ethics ordinance governing the use of social media by alderpersons and citywide elected officials.

Those 2019 rules require city officials to separate their political and personal accounts and promotional materials from materials and social media accounts used to promote city actions.

The goal is to clearly distinguish and separate “non-city business” from actions and activities “sponsored or endorsed by the city.”

If Sposato is found guilty of the violation, it could trigger fines of up to $5,000 for each violation.

But, the alderperson is hoping it doesn’t come to that. If he’s told the photo is a violation of the city’s ethics ordinance, he’ll take it down even though he strongly disagrees.

“If they say there’s something wrong with it, then alright. I’m not gonna fight ’em on it. I’ll just take it down.”

Sposato said the photo has been “up since at least 2014.” Why is it becoming an issue now?

“There’s this group of commie, lefty loons that are against [Jim] Gardiner, [Anthony] Napolitano and me. Everything we do, they file complaints against us fairly regularly,” Sposato said of his fellow former firefighters in the Council.

“Now, they’re complaining about a picture on my page, and it’s actually a page I haven’t even used in six weeks because, when I post on my open pages, it gives these goofs a chance to say stuff. So the last six weeks, I’ve only been posting on my personal page.”

Sposato said he does not believe the “violation” is serious enough to warrant a fine.

“The bottom line is, if they say, ‘Hey, you can’t do that. You need to take it down,’ I’ll take it down plain and simple. I’m not gonna argue or fight about it. I’ll just say, ‘What can I do? Is there something there that needs to be blacked out? Is the fact that the truck says Chicago Fire Department an issue? Is it wearing my fire coat?’ It’s an old picture I used for campaign stuff. It’s a little baffling to me.”

Last week, Sposato blamed a monuments commission “stacked” with, as he put it, “27 lefties and only three righties,” including himself, for recommending that three statutes of Christopher Columbus be permanently sidelined and that the Balbo Monument in Burnham Park be removed.

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The Blackhawks’ drafting was poor throughout the second half of Stan Bowman’s general manager tenure.

But the 2020 draft class might end up being a positive exception. The Hawks’ first three picks that year –forward Lukas Reichel at 17th, goaltender Drew Commesso at 46th and forward Landon Slaggert at 79th –all look like possible steals. They’re arguably the best two forwards and best goalie in their pipeline.

And the Hawks’ fourth pick of 2020 –defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, taken two spots after Slaggert at 81st overall –has also boosted his stock significantly over the past two years.

On a University of Minnesota-Duluth team that advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2021 and to within one win of the Frozen Four this spring, Kaiser has been immediately trusted as a top-pairing defenseman.

His well-rounded game, which makes it difficult to label him as either an offensive or defensive defenseman like most of the Hawks’ other prospects, hints at legitimate NHL top-four upside.

He tallied 10 points in 28 games as a freshman while logging more than 25 minutes per game. He upped his production to 19 points in 34 games as a sophomore this past season, including 11 points in his last 14 games.

“My shot was a big thing, going into this year, that I wanted to improve on,” Kaiser said Wednesday. “[I worked on] taking better shots, being more accurate, making better decisions when I shoot. I definitely improved on that, but it can still get better. Making better decisions in the offensive zone was another big thing.”

In fact, faster and smarter decision-making in all areas was a top priority for him, because that’s something that basically comes only through experience.

“Another thing that helped me was looking before I got the puck,” he said. “In the ‘D’-zone, I’m always looking, scanning, trying to know where everybody is. As soon as [the puck] crosses the red line going into the ‘O’-zone, you get focused in on just the puck and you don’t see much else. So [by] scanning before I get the puck, you’re able to make better decisions when you have more information.”

Kaiser was part of the U.S. team at the World Junior Championships in December whose run ended after just one game due to a COVID outbreak. He then missed two weeks of the college season in February with a torn MCL, an injury which continued to nag him for weeks after he returned –“It would hurt pretty bad,” he admitted.

Through those stops and starts, however, he sought to remedy a frequent knock on him in scouting reports: that could be too impatient and overaggressive in the defensive zone.

“[I was] making sure I’m always responsible in front,” he said. “Freshman year, I was pretty aggressive. If I saw a guy, I was going [to him]. This year was a little bit more [about] assessing the threat. If he’s in the corner and there’s a guy out front, knowing that the guy in the corner probably isn’t going to score and my guy is in front of the net, [I’d] wait a little bit.”

Kaiser will return to Minnesota-Duluth for his junior year in 2022-23. In the meantime, he plans to work with Minnesota-based skills coach Scott Bjugstad to further improve his shot and to add another 10 pounds or so of muscle to his six-foot frame, with 190 to 195 pounds being his current target weight.

Realistically, Kaiser remains two or three years away from NHL readiness, and he’ll need to beat out a huge crowd of fellow Hawks defensive prospects to eventually make it there.

But as new Hawks GM Kyle Davidson initiates the rebuild, growing optimism about the 2020 draft class — from Reichel and Commesso down to Kaiser — will hopefully aid the process.

Note:The Blackhawks announced Wednesday a two-year contract extension with an $800,000 salary cap hit for forward Reese Johnson, who was going to be a restricted free agent this summer.

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White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn is moving around without a limp at Guaranteed Rate Field and he played play catch Wednesday, eight days after having surgery on his right knee.

The All-Star who suffered a torn tendon during his last spring training game, is probably about seven weeks away from pitching for the Sox again, but he likes how the knee feels already.

“It’s moving along more quickly than the training staff would like, but right on my pace,” Lynn said.

General manager Rick Hahn had said Lynn would begin throwing two weeks after surgery and off a mound four weeks after, so throwing eight days after is encouraging.

“I’m ahead of schedule,” Lynn said. “But we’ll see how that goes because there’s still a lot of work left to do. We’ve got some time till I get on the mound. Everything’s good right now. We just need to make sure we stay on that pace.”

The important step is throwing off a mound.

“That’s going to tell us everything we need to know,” Lynn said. “Anything you do, stress-wise, on flat ground is not near as much as it is on the mound. So we’ll see, when it comes to that time, how we feel. And then after that, it’s building that pitch count.”

Lucas Giolito (lower abdominal strain) threw on flat ground before it rained Wednesday and “said he didn’t really feel it,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Some positive progress. Survive and thrive, man.”

New catcher McGuire ‘more than a stopgap’

Coach Jerry Narron likes what he sees from the Sox’ new second catcher, Reese McGuire, who has caught two of the team’s first four games.

“He throws real well, he has real quick feet behind the plate for a big guy, he’s athletic,” said Narron, who works with Sox catchers. “Calls a real good game and works with the pitchers well.”

McGuire threw out nine of 29 base stealers (31 percent) with the Blue Jays and did not commit an error behind the plate in 523 innings last season.

The Sox traded Zack Collins to the Jays for McGuire during the last week of spring training.

Narron said he was somewhat surprised early in camp to hear McGuire might be available.

“We started digging on him a bit. His numbers defensively were really, really good,” Narron said.

“He can definitely be more than a stopgap guy. He has a chance to be here for a while. I’m looking forward to seeing him get a chance to play. With Yas here, we’ll see how much playing time he gets. He’s got a chance to be really good.”

McGuire, 27, will not be a free agent until 2026.

Former Sox hurler Joe Horlen dies

Joe Horlen, a mainstay of White Sox starting rotations for most of the 1960s, has died. He was 84.

Horlen posted a career 3.11 earned run average with 1,065 strikeouts over 2,002 innings and led American League pitchers with a 2.32 ERA from 1964-68. He went 19-7 with a 2.06 ERA in 1967, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting behind Jim Longborg of the Red Sox.

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PITTSBURGH – Eight days. That’s how long it had been since Cubs reliever Michael Rucker had faced batters. But in the Cubs’ 6-2 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday, he threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

“It’s also something that I’ve also done in Triple-A, had kind of a long time in between outings, so it’s not something that I’m unfamiliar with,” Rucker said after the Cubs’ 6-2 loss to the Pirates. “So, leaning on that experience and just trying to stay ready is what helped me be able to stay fresh and in sync and in a groove for today.”

The Cubs bullpen’s performance Wednesday, as Rucker, Rowan Wick and Scott Effross combined to throw 4 1/3 shutout frames, couldn’t salvage the game. But Rucker’s multi-inning outing helped keep the rest of the bullpen fresh. And the Cubs will likely need extra arms in Colorado.

“Those are all really encouraging signs to see young guys that can have long layoffs, not make excuses, step on the mound, get big outs,” acting manager Andy Green said after the game. “And the next time, he’ll find himself in probably a bigger situation because he does things like that.”

In Colorado, the Cubs are facing more than just hitter-friendly elevation. They have a start to fill Saturday.

Right-hander Alec Mills (low back strain) will not start against the Rockies, Cubs manager David Ross announced Wednesday. Mills, began the season on the 10-day injured list, threw 77 pitches on Sunday and a bullpen on Tuesday, but he’s been “under the weather,” according to Ross. The Cubs have taken a cautious approach to Mills’ recovery since his back tightness cropped up late in spring training.

As for Saturday’s starter, “We’re still working though who that’ll be,” Ross said.

Ross sidelined

Wednesday morning, Green walked through the clubhouse in an Obvious Shirts t-shirt that displayed his title: “BENCH COACH.” But by the second inning, he was serving as manager for the second game in a row.

“[Ross] was under the weather from the get-go today, from the time he woke up until right about now” Green said. “So, hopefully he feels a lot better tomorrow. He’s just battling what feels like a little flu bug to him right now.”

On Tuesday, Ross served an automatic one-game suspension, after the league determined pitcher Keegan Thompson intentionally hit Brewers outfielder Andrew McCutchen over the weekend. Thompson is appealing his own three-game suspension.

Contreras cannon

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras remained stoic when asked about his first home run of the season on Wednesday – “It doesn’t matter right now, we just lost.” But he did crack a smile when his fourth-inning back-pick came up.

The play ended the inning, as Contreras fired down to second base to catch Brewers designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach off the base. Contreras and Vogelbach played together coming up through the Cubs’ farm system.

“I told him the next at bat, ‘You should know better. That was a huge lead,'” Contreras said. “We all smiled, but he should be mad about it.”

CUBS AT ROCKIES

Thursday: Justin Steele (1-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Kyle Freeland (0-1, 12.27), 7:40 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM.

Friday: Marcus Stroman (0-0, 1.80) vs. RHP German Marquez (0-0, 1.29), 7:40 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM.

Saturday: TBD vs. Antonio Senzatela (0-0, 2.70), 7:10 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM.

Sunday: Drew Smyly (1-0, 0.00) vs. Austin Gomber (0-0, 5.79), 2:10 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM.

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A woman died after her unattended cooking caught fire Tuesday morning in her Lincoln Park apartment, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Smoke alarms went off in the hallway outside her third-story studio apartment, at 2322 N. Commonwealth Ave., but there was no working alarm in her unit that could’ve alerted her that smoke was filing her apartment, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said.

She was identified Wednesday as 55-year-old Susan Hurber, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy ruled her death an accident due to an inhalation injury from a kitchen fire.

Firefighters responded to a blaze around 6:50 a.m. and quickly found her unconscious and started CPR, Langford said. Paramedics brought her to Saint Joseph Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The fire was contained to the studio apartment and there was no word of other displacements, Langford said. There was a lot of smoke but little fire, and the blaze was extinguished quickly, he said.

A preliminary investigation found that the cause of the fire was “unattended cooking,” Langford said.

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Can the Bulls beat the defending NBA champion Bucks in a seven-game series? Let me answer that question with a question: What kind of question is that?

Of course they can beat the Bucks! Where is your faith? Where is your belief in the power of possibility? What’s that? It’s been missing since the Bulls’ 50th straight loss to Milwaukee? Listen, pal, why don’t you plop down in the middle seat between doom and gloom and fly out of town?

Or, you can follow my buoyant lead. When you eat from the plate of brownies I’ve apparently just sampled from, the question becomes how the Bulls will pull off an upset and win this first-round series, which starts Saturday.

Now, I’m very much aware that their regular-season record against the Bucks this season was 0-4 and is what might be called “cause for concern.” So, too, is the Bulls’ record this season against any team that might be called “you know, good.” And, OK, if you choose to bob in a giant vat of negativity, it’s true that when Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the floor the last 13 times the two teams played, the team not named the Bulls won 13 times.

From where, then, does my optimism flow? First of all, it’s not optimism. It’s self-preservation. I can’t sit through another rerun of the Bucks stomping on the Bulls in 4/4 time. There is nothing worse than knowing what’s going to happen before it happens, especially when it involves a loop of Antetokounmpo dunking at will.

As my imaginary life coach, Gunther (no umlaut), says, if I can envision a positive outcome from this series, perhaps a positive outcome will indeed emerge triumphant. It’s all I’ve got, folks. It’s either that or locking myself in a dark room for the rest of my days, with meals being passed through to me via a slot in the door. My soul cries out: No! I want to live, dammit!

So how can the Bulls beat the Bucks? Let me make a case for hope.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer gets confused – The way I visualize it, Coach Bud gets hit in the head by a rogue basketball during shootaround before Game 1, and, concussed, mistakes Thanasis Antetokounmpo for younger brother and Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo the rest of the series. Mistakes Thanasis’ 3.6 points per game and $1.7 million salary for Giannis’ 29.9 points per game and $39.3 million salary. Giannis ends up getting 10 minutes a night in the series and almost becomes a nonfactor. I do worry that, despite the mistaken identities, we’re going to find out that it’s actually the Bucks uniforms, not the players in those uniforms, that bewilder the Bulls.

The playoffs really are a new season – Why, yes, I am going where every coach and every player has gone for motivation since the beginning of time: Forget that problematic regular season. It’s do-over time. Pay no attention to the Bulls’ 1-14 record against the Eastern Conference’s top four teams this season. For reasons that completely escape me right now, the Bulls will become new men. Nikola Vucevic’s defense in the paint suddenly will look like it’s ringed with barbed wire, replacing the Cheez Whiz deterrence of the past. A faith healer lays hands on Lonzo Ball, whose season was supposed to be over because of a setback during his recovery from a knee injury. He comes back and gives the Bulls a huge lift. Unfortunate side effect: The faith healer also helps stage dad LaVar Ball find his voice.

The Bulls’ Big Three gets with the program – This involves DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Vucevic pooling their talents and turning into one very large, very powerful force. DeRozan was excellent this season, LaVine was very good when he was healthy and Vucevic was the double-double machine he has been most of his career. But, together this season, they weren’t good enough against good teams. This is the moment they decide they’re better than the Greek Freak, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. No, really. I’m not kidding. What’s so funny?

DeRozan goes Italian Stallion on the Bucks – Remember when Rocky Balboa switched from southpaw to right-handed to confuse Apollo Creed in “Rocky II?” This is kind of like that. This is where DeRozan, who averaged fewer than two three-point attempts per game this season, ditches his famed and feared midrange game and turns into Steph Curry. The Bucks will be shocked and ill-prepared, and quite likely will forfeit the series. Crazy? So crazy it just might work.

Grayson Allen gets the entire Bucks teams suspended – Milwaukee’s congenital irritant and serial tripper finally goes too far. He clotheslines Coby White, puts laxatives in the Bulls’ Gatorade container, makes sure Billy Donovan gets an electric shock every time his marker hits his clipboard and lets slip he’s been visiting veterinarian sites for how to neuter Benny the Bull. With NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspending Milwaukee’s roster for the rest of the playoffs because of Allen’s transgressions, the Bulls appear to be on their way to the second round.

Prediction – Bucks in four anyway.

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