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Rest of Braves-Mets series postponed, doubleheader scheduled for Monday

ExploreSchool and event closures in the Atlanta metropolitan area due to Helene

“I've never seen anything like this,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “It just fits in perfectly with what this year has brought.”

MLB has been talking to the Braves and Mets about the weather in recent days. It was hoped there would be a window for a full game on Wednesday night, but the weather forecast worsened. The oft-cited alternatives – moving one of the games to last Monday, when both clubs had a day off, or moving the series to a neutral site – would have required the players' consent.

The Commissioner's Office can decide if there are circumstances under which the doubleheader would not take place, and the games are expected to be played only if necessary.

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A doubleheader on Monday would have made the most sense for the teams, although it is not ideal. Here are a few points to consider:

  • A series on neutral ground always seemed illogical to the Braves. They were their home games. Why move them? Plus, flying the teams somewhere else would create logistical challenges. That's never been the case. (Snitker said: “I mean, yeah, I think that all sounds good, but putting it all together is a little more complicated than we think. But I've never heard that.”)
  • Could the teams have played a doubleheader on Tuesday? Possibly. But doubleheaders are often split, and both the Braves and Mets need every win. That wouldn't have been a good scenario to start the series. And they would have had to play on Monday anyway.
  • In theory, MLB could have moved the series opener to Monday, but the Mets, who played on Sunday Night Baseball, might not have approved that. And the teams would have had to adjust their pitching.
  • Perhaps the Braves could have moved up the start of Wednesday's game. But rain began to fall in the area shortly after noon. And MLB only wants clubs to start a game if they let the starter go five innings for the game to become official. The league prefers that clubs not fire a starter if they can't realistically get to an official game. (“No, hell no,” Snitker said Wednesday afternoon of the idea of ​​playing at 10 or 11 a.m. Wednesday morning.)

In an alternate universe, the Mets and Braves would only have to make up one game. On April 10, the Mets-Braves game at Truist Park was postponed due to inclement weather. Rather than schedule the make-up game on a common off day during the season, the Mets chose to tack this game onto this series, which was originally a two-game series.

Monday's doubleheader is an important aspect of the National League wild-card race. The Braves, Mets and Diamondbacks — each of whom is just one game apart — are competing for two wild-card spots. If Arizona is eliminated over the weekend, it will be the commissioner's decision whether the Braves and Mets still play their doubleheader to determine seeding. So the Braves and Mets could potentially play just one game on Monday instead of a doubleheader; it depends on whether the games are important to the postseason race.

The three teams are likely competing for fifth and sixth spots and have an outside chance at the top wild card if San Diego — which secured a postseason berth on Tuesday — falters in the coming days. The Braves beat the Mets on Tuesday to move within one game of New York and a half game of Arizona. It now looks like those clubs won't know their fate until Monday night. Of note: The Braves and Mets both have the head-to-head win against the Diamondbacks. The winner of the Braves-Mets series has the head-to-head win between those clubs.

The two teams that advance will open a best-of-three wild-card series the next day (October 1). For the Braves or Mets, that could mean a cross-country flight to San Diego or Los Angeles after the doubleheader as the No. 5 seed. The No. 6 seed will likely travel to Milwaukee, which has already won the NL Central and is currently several games behind the top two seeds (the Phillies and Dodgers).

From a pitching and travel perspective, these circumstances are obviously not ideal for the Braves and Mets.

“It's going to be different, that's for sure,” Snitker said. “I think we'll have to evaluate the situation overall going forward, as far as how it impacts the playoffs. We'll have to be flexible with the whole thing. We've just talked about how we line up our pitchers and things like that, and go from there.”

Braves ace and Cy Young favorite Chris Sale should start Wednesday. But he may not necessarily pitch Friday when the Braves open a three-game series against the Royals at Truist Park, Snitker said. “That's what we're talking about now, how we're going to approach the weekend,” Snitker said Wednesday afternoon. Starting Sale obviously gives the Braves the best chance to win, and they would likely want him for one of the doubleheaders against New York (which would rule him out as an option for the wild-card series should the Braves advance). Reynaldo Lopez, who is scheduled to return from the injured list, won't be able to handle a larger workload but should be factored into the team's plans.

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The Royals could have secured an American League wild card by the time they get to Atlanta if they win their next two games. That could help the Braves as Kansas City may be slowing down a bit. But the Royals are currently battling with the Tigers, Twins and Mariners for two open wild card spots. The Mets face the Brewers this weekend in Milwaukee, while the Diamondbacks finish a series against San Francisco on Wednesday night before hosting the Padres for three games this weekend.

FanGraphs' postseason odds favor the Mets and Braves to secure the final two spots. That gives the Mets a 77.6% chance of qualifying, followed by the Braves at 69.1% and the Diamondbacks at 53.2%. The Braves, who have topped the NL East End for six years, are fighting for their seventh consecutive postseason appearance. This would be the Braves' first wild-card berth since 2012.

Yes, the Mets have to travel from Milwaukee back to Atlanta. That won't be fun. But the doubleheaders aren't good news for the Braves either.

Atlanta beat New York in its series opener on Tuesday and used Sale on Tuesday. The new agreement gives Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor more time to recover. It also leaves the Braves without two night games, which had expected big crowds for Wednesday and Thursday's games.

The Braves felt like they were starting Wednesday with some momentum.

“I really liked where we were,” Snitker said. “When we left here yesterday, I said, 'We finally got the right people going, we've got some momentum, the flow is going pretty well.' I thought, man – I wanted to keep it up all weekend.”

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