re: The ATL Thread 9/24: This is Our Postseason Edition

Based on current forecast, there's no way they're playing tonight or tomorrow. I also don't think a doubleheader Monday is a good solution because of how badly it would frick both pitching staffs going into a three game playoff series Tuesday.

It's the option no one wants to take, but I think it would be worth flying both teams down to Miami, play a game there tomorrow, and then have the last game on Monday if it's still needed.

It’s crazy but if Arizona loses out, they are 87-75. If I’m correct that Arizona loses tiebreakers to both the Mets and Braves, the Braves would only need 1 against the Royals to clinch and make Monday unnecessary (unless MLB makes them fight it out for the 5 and 6 seeds with the Mets)

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As Helene continues to strengthen, the Braves were reportedly more determined to protect their ticket sales for the well-drawing series, and did not want to work through the logistics of moving the games. While the league could have overruled the home team, officials reportedly opted not to. That was a massive unforced error on MLB's part. Now the Braves and Mets are facing a potential scheduling nightmare ahead of the postseason.

The Mets, for example, may have to travel from Atlanta (this week's series) to Milwaukee (for this weekend's series) to Atlanta (for Monday's doubleheader) to the West Coast (for the Wild Card Series) in the span of six days. Also, a doubleheader Monday could wreck both pitching staffs, and one of these two teams is assured a postseason berth. They'll have to go into the Wild Card Series with a taxed bullpen, potentially. This was all avoidable had MLB overruled the Braves and rescheduled the games sooner.

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Nice melt.

This genius does know that MLB is in charge of all schedule issues. They are in charge, not the Braves

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I kind of wish the Braves had just played the games elsewhere, 

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That would have required MLB to actually be proactive. That's like asking an illiterate person to read War and Peace.

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there is a possibility they don't even play any games on Monday? Depending upon if necessary?

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I can't foresee any realistic scenario where that could happen. Even if the Braves or D-backs lose out beforehand and solidify the final two wild card spots, there will still be wild card positioning in play.

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If I’m correct that Arizona loses tiebreakers to both the Mets and Braves,

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yessir you are correct -

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/09/25/mlb-playoff-tiebreakers-2024-postseason-tie-scenarios/75378252007/

Padres > Dodgers & Brewers
Braves > Arizona & currently NYM
Mets > Arizona & Padres

Arizona could fall out of the 3rd WC with a loss tonight while Atlanta sits idle - win% favors Braves .548 to .547 if that were to occur -

I can't math a way to not have at least 1 game played on Monday between Atlanta & NYM .... Arizona will want every chance to back into the final WC if they do lose out -

Braves could move above the heap by getting to 89 wins by Sunday night - but depending on the chaos that could happen in the NYM/MIL series along with SD/AZ ...the full 162 for NYM/AZ fight might drag the Braves into having to play the DH - at least the first game -

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Ok... what should the contingency plan been?

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I'm assuming you read past that sentence? I already alluded to it, but didn't think it was necessary to articulate further, as I assumed it would be self evident to everyone. What would any contingency plan involving this scenario look like? I can think of only one, and it is not particularly complicated.

You map out, before the season, a list of alternate sites that you know will be available in the last week of the season like this, and designate a stadium in multiple regions for each series where it can be moved to in order to avoid weather postponements. This way, those stadiums, and all their workers, will be on call and prepared to organize quickly if they are needed, rather than it being a last minute decision heaped upon them.

This could easily include minor league stadiums. If they can organize a game inside of a race track, for funsies, then it shouldn't be an issue to have a game wherever it's necessary to get games in, so that we don't destroy teams like the Mets and Braves on a Monday, playing a double header one day before potentially starting a playoff series.

It's not like we've never seen games get moved to another site without much advance notice, before. But if you have actual contingency plans set in stone in advance, it's not complicated. So it all comes down to money, and a lack of urgency. Teams don't want to lose money, and MLB puts too much trust in things just working themselves out, to be proactive in the way I've suggested (which I'm sure is not an idea that no one has ever proposed to them). You can blame MLB, you can blame the individual teams. I don't care who you want to blame or defend. The bottom line is that there is no good reason for this to even be an issue. We, at the very least, could have moved Wednesday's game up earlier in the day to attempt to get that game in. Again, whoever you want to blame, I don't care, but the game didn't get moved up and I personally blame everyone who could have done something about that and refused to do so.

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How are the royals games not going to be delayed as well

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Helene is supposed to be over Ft.Campbell by Friday evening. The weather for the weekend is looking gorgeous.

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How are the royals games not going to be delayed as well… this is going to be a shite show to end the season

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The rain chances are low starting at about 10:AM on Friday, on through the rest of the weekend. That shouldn't be an issue if that holds.

But a Monday doubleheader is just a terrible alternative to what could have been done to avoid these current postponements. The Mets (supposedly) didn't want to play the makeup game that was added to this series, earlier in the year, and the Braves (supposedly) rejected the idea of moving the start of this series up a day, when both teams were off Monday, and then playing a doubleheader on Tuesday. And, of course, the Braves and MLB could have moved the series to an empty stadium somewhere, but screwing both teams over in a much worse way than that was apparently the choice that was made.

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Sometimes shite happens and there isn't anything thing that we can do about it.

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Except that there were several things that could have been done about it; none of which were chosen. So that kind of renders your point invalid. But thank you for chiming in, as per usual, with your condescension.