Braves Blamed for Potential Scheduling Nightmare With Mets: Report

The New York Post's Joel Sherman reported Wednesday the Atlanta Braves turned out requests from the New York Mets to move any of this week's games because of Hurricane Helene.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With the Atlanta Braves just half a game out of the final National League wild card spot, there should be plenty of drama for the team's final five games of the season. That's especially true with the New York Mets in town.

Hurricane Helene, though, is adding even more unnecessary drama. Poor weather in northern Georgia this week could cause the Braves and Mets to play a double header on Monday, the day prior to the postseason starting, to determine their playoff fate.

According to The New York Post's Joel Sherman, the Braves are to blame for that.

"For reasons of business, logistics and perhaps gamesmanship, the Braves did not want to shift start times, days or locations for their series against the Mets despite forecasts that make it iffy to play Wednesday night and even less likely to play a three-game series finale Thursday night," wrote Sherman.

"MLB could have overridden any desire of either team and forced different logistics for the games and did not."

This week, the MLB moved Tuesday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers, so there's very recent precedence for the league switching start times because of weather. But the league only moved Tuesday's Rays-Tigers matchup up five and a half hours from 6:40 pm to 1:10 pm ET.

The Rays and Tigers are also not division rivals or competing for the same wild card spot, like the Braves and Mets.

So, according to Sherman, the Mets' request to move their games this week fell on deaf ears in the Braves organization.

"The two teams had a common off-day Monday. The weather was such that a doubleheader could have been played Tuesday," Sherman wrote. "The Mets pitched the idea of moving up the start time Wednesday before the forecast worsened. In the most drastic move, the series could have been relocated to an empty park not under threat of the storm, such as in Texas."

Sherman speculated that the Braves' reason for not agreeing to any time changes is their pitching staff. Prior to the series, the Braves set up their pitching rotation so Cy Young front runner Chris Sale would receive extra rest before Wednesday's game. Spencer Schwellenbach pitched Tuesday while Max Fried is scheduled for Thursday.

Had the Braves and Mets played Monday instead of Thursday or a double header on Tuesday, the Braves would have needed to pitch their starters on shorter rest.

Obviously, moving the game to a different location was likely a non-starter for the Braves.

All parties involved are still hopeful the games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday can take place. Because if not, the league only has one built-in make up day on Monday.

If two games need to be played, the two teams will probably meet in Atlanta on Monday for a double header.

Admittedly, that is an advantage for the Braves. They are home through the weekend, so they don't have to worry about traveling in a storm. The Mets do. They might have to fly to Milwaukee in a hurricane and then back to Atlanta before needing to fly to another city for a playoff game on Tuesday.

However, a double header Monday won't really favor the Braves pitching staff. Should the games on Wednesday and Thursday be rained out, then Sale will presumably start Friday and Fried on Saturday.

Both starters would then not be available for Monday's double header.

Drama indeed.