Padres News: Friars Thursday Game Likely Delayed Due to Horrible Air Quality from Canadian Fires

Not the best start to the morning!

The San Diego Padres arrived bright and early for the final game of their current series against the Pittsburgh Pirates as they looked to avoid a sweep with first pitch originally being scheduled for 9:35 am PT. Last night's game was full of drama and chaos as the Friars lost their fourth straight game in a row and a certain call from the umpire led to team manager Bob Melvin getting ejected once again.

However, it looks like yet another roadblock has hit the team and this one is out of their control. Fires from Canada have led to the air in Pittsburgh being heavily affected by smoke and the stadium not being exactly the safest to play in. We noticed this the past two games but it appears that the Thursday start time will indeed be the one affected by the air quality.

The San Diego-Union Tribune's Kevin Acee was the first to report this news.

It appears today’s Padres-Pirates game will not begin on time.
The air here is horrible due to smoke from Canadian fires.

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) June 29, 2023

"It appears today’s Padres-Pirates game will not begin on time. The air here is horrible due to smoke from Canadian fires."

Hopefully this just gives the Friars more time to prepare for a big game. They are in the midst of one of their worst stretches of the season and with the All-Star break and trade deadline coming up soon... they will need to turn things around soon.

Star Manny Machado spoke on their recent struggles and admitted their confidence is too high at times.

“I think we just have confident players who believe in their craft,” Machado said. “And sometimes that kind of haunts you a little bit at times. It haunts me as a player as well. You get a little bit too comfortable and you think it’s gonna come easy. And it doesn’t come that easy.”

(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)