Marlins not sure about weekend series venue

Like most of the rest of South Florida, the Miami Marlins did not escape Hurricane Irma completely unscathed.

Marlins Park’s retractable roof suffered minor damage, with a small portion of the rubber and plastic membrane on the stadium’s west side ripping off. The Marlins said that represents approximately 6 percent of the entire roof membrane, which weatherproofs the structure, and will be replaced immediately following the end of the season.

The ballpark did not suffer any flooding or water damage.

“Based on our initial assessment today, the building performed extremely well considering the intensity of the hurricane,” team president David Samson said in a statement. “We wish a safe and speedy recovery to our whole community and stand ready to help in any way our local government partners would like.”

With most of Miami-Dade County lacking power Monday, the Marlins did not say whether their series this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers will be played in Miami as scheduled.

Among the factors that will determine whether the series happens at Marlins Park, according to a source — whether the county’s curfew is lifted, availability of the police and fire departments to work the games and the status of the street lights in the neighborhood.

In advance of the storm last week, the Marlins tied down the roof with 56 large steel anchors, among other ballpark preparations. That included leaving the three-panel roof ajar in three spots.

In Jupiter, meanwhile, Roger Dean Stadium made it through the storm without significant issue. But given Irma’s aftermath throughout the state, the Marlins decided to cancel their instructional league, which was supposed to start in mid-September and run for several weeks.

Instructional league is a like a fall version of spring training, with many minor leaguers, particularly those in the lower levels, working out at their team’s spring facility and participating in de facto scrimmages.

Instead, the Marlins will have a “lengthy mini-camp” prior to spring training 2018, said Marc DelPiano, the Marlins’ vice president of player development. The would-be instructional league roster will participate in the mini-camp.