Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves will not start on time because of inclement weather moving through the Atlanta area. The Braves announced the news on their Twitter account less than two hours before the first pitch was supposed to be thrown, at 4:35 p.m. ET.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson addressed the forecast in his pregame media availability session, sharing that he’d already been involved in one meeting on the matter, and would be part of another around 4 p.m. ET. Thomson noted that no involved party wants to start the game only to have it interrupted by more rain.
“I think the general consensus is that we will not start a game unless we feel like we can finish it,” he told reporters. “We’re not looking for delays. I don’t think anybody is — the Braves, us, Major League Baseball. If there’s a window there, we’ll go.”
It’s unclear if a window will be found on Wednesday. Accuweather’s forecast model, for one, has the chance of rain at or above 50 percent for the area the rest of the night.
If the Phillies, Braves, and MLB decide they cannot get the game in on Wednesday night, then they’ll have to push it back until sometime Thursday, alongside the American League Division Series. The Phillies and Braves would then have to fly to Philadelphia ahead of Friday afternoon’s Game 3 without a scheduled travel day in between.
The Phillies and Braves may not be the only teams inconvenienced by rain this week, either. Game 2 between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians is scheduled for Thursday night but may need to be moved to Friday based on the latest forecasts.
