The good news is MLB was proactive and moved up the start of Game 3 of the ALCS to 1:00pm this afternoon, where Griffin Jax will toe the rubber for the Rays against Gavin Williams and the Guardians.
The bad news is the system moving into Cleveland tonight will also have a backend to it tomorrow, and with potential precipitation enhancement off Lake Erie, it’s very possible Friday’s game gets washed out. Here’s a simulation of the HRRR model for tomorrow:
This is not a guaranteed postponement situation, but given the field will be messy even if they do play, and the series has a built in off day on Sunday (where it’s supposed to be gorgeous), it might make sense for MLB to realign things with Games 4 and 5 on Saturday and Sunday in Cleveland, and then continue with already scheduled Games 6 and 7 back at the Trop on Monday and Tuesday if the series goes the distance.
There’s a world where MLB may just choose to power through precipitation and play in less than ideal conditions, but either way, it should be one of those borderline calls.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the board, the Brewers and Dodgers may also not be playing a game tomorrow night, but for an entirely different reason. The Brewers have a 3-0 series lead and could send the Dodgers home with a win in Game 4 of the NLCS this evening.
If this occurs, it would be a nightmare for not just LA (so much to unpack there!), but also for the MLB owners, who desperately want to implement a salary cap this offseason. A Brewers win not only guarantees an all small market World Series, but would also leave an all small market ALCS to play out for (potentially) several more days. Imagine an ALCS that goes the full seven followed by a World series that also goes the full seven. That would leave MLB with 11 consecutive games of all small market teams in national windows to close the season, and given the way these teams play, it would probably be a good brand of baseball even if it wouldn’t include high ratings or sexier franchises.
In other words, the sport itself might be about to send the exact opposite message the owners want to present in the offseason, and I can’t help but giggle trying to imagine the scramble that must be going on behind closed doors right now.
Use this thread to discuss all the playoff action throughout the day as well as any other big picture items on your mind. As always, be good to one another! (For all the reasons listed above, this could be the last day with more than one MLB game for a long, long time. Savor it!)
