Braves have reportedly postponed rescheduling of games against Mets as Hurricane Helene threatens schedule

Since Wednesday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets have been in a holding pattern for the second and third games of their important three-game series at Truist Park. Hurricane Helene approaches the region Heavy rain and wind are expected for Wednesday and Thursday, when the two games are scheduled to take place.

MLB has not yet announced any changes to the schedule, such as moving Thursday night's game to the afternoon or even moving the games to a neutral site, which MLB has done in similar situations in the past. The league could have moved Thursday's game to Monday, which was a day off for both teams. Wednesday's game And Thursday's game could have been moved up to Monday as part of a doubleheader, but it's too late for that now.

According to the New York Post, the Braves were reluctant to postpone any games in this series because they expected large crowds at Truist Park. Here are the details:

Spokespeople for MLB, the Braves and the Mets declined to comment on how this situation came to this point or what will happen next.

But background discussions with personnel involved suggested that the Braves were generally expecting a high attendance for the three games (40,103 attended the series opener on Tuesday, which Atlanta won 5-1, at Truist Park) and did not want to forego the tickets or deal with the logistics of relocating personnel such as security personnel, concessionaires, etc. to other dates or start times.

MLB can override any weather-related decision, and the league has declined to do so in this case. Ultimately, the blame for any weather issues during these important Wednesday and Thursday games rests with MLB. The league has the final say.

If Wednesday and Thursday's games can't be played because of rain, the Braves and Mets may have to play a doubleheader next Monday, the off day between the end of the regular season and the start of the Wild Card Series. Those games would likely have postseason implications, be it seeding or a playoff spot in general, and would have to be played. If they are meaningless, they could be canceled, although that is unlikely.

That could become a travel nightmare, especially since it's possible that one or both teams will have to travel to the West Coast for the Wild Card Series. The Mets, for example, have to travel from Atlanta (this week's series) to Milwaukee (for their final regular season series this weekend) to Atlanta (for a make-up game) and the West Coast (for the Wild Card Series) all within a week.

Additionally, the weather could affect more than just the Braves vs. Mets games this week. The Mets have to travel to Milwaukee this weekend for a series with the Brewers. The storm could affect their trip from Atlanta. The Braves don't have to travel after the Mets series; they host the Kansas City Royals this weekend, but the Royals have to travel to Atlanta, which could pose similar problems.

The Braves enter Wednesday half a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild-card spot. The Mets are half a game ahead of Arizona and one game ahead of Atlanta. It goes without saying that Wednesday and Thursday's games are of utmost importance in the wild-card race.