NEW YORK – The Braves and Mets were rained out – again.
The forecast was so ominous that Sunday’s game was postponed almost four hours before first pitch. That’s two rainouts in two days for the two National League East rivals who headed into this weekend excited to face one another.
They will play a single-admission doubleheader on Monday. It will begin at 1:10 p.m., with the second game to begin approximately 30 minutes after the first contest ends. Braves fans can watch both games on Bally Sports South and Southeast.
Spencer Strider – originally scheduled to start Saturday – will start the first game of Monday’s doubleheader. Charlie Morton, initially slated for Sunday, will pitch the second game.
That would seemingly line up Bryce Elder to start Tuesday’s series opener in Miami. If the Braves stay in their current order, Kyle Wright would pitch on Wednesday and Max Fried would go on Thursday.
That brings us to Friday.
With Strider and Morton pitching on Monday, the Braves will need a fresh arm for the series opener versus Baltimore because no one will be on regular rest.
The Braves have options.
Michael Soroka, who started for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, would be on regular rest if the Braves wanted him to start on Friday versus the Orioles at Truist Park. Through three starts for Gwinnett before Sunday, Soroka had a 1.32 ERA over 13 2/3 innings.
But Soroka on Sunday allowed eight runs – seven earned – on 10 hits over three innings. He struck out one batter and hit two. Of those 10 hits, only one (a double) was an extra-base knock.
Soroka was scheduled to start last Tuesday, but the Braves pushed back his start in an effort to manage his workload as he pitches a full season for the first time since the injuries began in 2020. They’re trying to keep him fresh for later in the season.
The two other prominent options are the pitchers who debuted earlier this season. Left-hander Dylan Dodd is scheduled to pitch for Gwinnett on Thursday, while lefty Jared Shuster is lined up to pitch on Friday. Either of them could conceivably start versus Baltimore.
Both started the season in the big-league rotation, but neither stuck. Through three Triple-A starts, Dodd has a 4.91 ERA over 14-2/3 innings. Shuster has a 3.36 ERA through 13 innings across three starts for Gwinnett.
But first, the Braves must get to Friday. They have five games between now and then, beginning with Monday’s doubleheader. On Monday, right-hander Denyi Reyes will start the first game for the Mets, and righty Tylor Megill will pitch the second.
Saturday’s postponed game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in August, when the Braves are in New York for the second and final time this season. It would’ve been difficult to play five games, with two doubleheaders, over three days.
Luckily, the Braves were here for four days. And the schedule is a bit odd, with a series finale on a Monday – something you don’t often see.
More good news: Monday’s forecast seems promising, and it looks like the teams will be able to play both games. If so, they will have completed three of four games, which seems like a win considering it’s been raining for most of the weekend here.
Iglesias getting closer to returning
Raisel Iglesias threw another scoreless inning for Gwinnett on Sunday in his second rehab appearance. His first came on Thursday.
It appears he’s nearing a return. On Friday, Braves manager Brian Snitker said he didn’t know how many rehab appearances Iglesias would need before coming off the injured list.
And here’s a baseball oddity ...
Iglesias on Thursday: One scoreless inning, one strikeout, 12 pitches, eight strikes.
Iglesias on Sunday: One scoreless inning, one strikeout, 12 pitches, eight strikes.
Joe Jiménez back in bullpen
Joe Jiménez and his wife, Lorena, welcomed a baby girl, Victoria, on Wednesday. Jiménez was on the paternity list through Friday.
Before Saturday’s game was postponed, the Braves took Jiménez off the paternity list. They cleared a roster spot for him by optioning lefty Danny Young to Triple A following Friday night’s win at Citi Field.
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