Poor weather in Philadelphia has caused Monday night’s Game 3 between the Astros and the Phillies to be postponed. As a result, the entire series will be impacted, and it puts MLB in a position it would rather not be in on Thursday night.
It will have to compete for audience attention with an NFL game.
As intriguing as that storyline is, the extra day off will also impact the rotation of both the Astros and the Phillies. Both teams could benefit from this rest, but it appears that the Phillies will be the bigger beneficiaries, at least out of the chute.
Indeed, the postponement of World Series Game 3 will have a wide-ranging impact. Here’s what to know about the game’s cancellation and how it will impact the NFL, MLB and each of the two World Series teams.
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Why was Astros vs. Phillies Game 3 postponed?
Game 3 of the 2022 World Series was postponed one day by rain in Philadelphia. MLB met several times in the lead-up to the contest to discuss whether the weather would clear up ahead of the 8:03 p.m. ET scheduled first pitch but ultimately didn’t feel it would be possible to play the game.
As a result of the postponement, the entire World Series schedule has been pushed back by a day. That means Game 3 will be played on Tuesday at 8:03 p.m. ET.
Why MLB wanted to avoid postponing World Series Game 3
It wasn’t ideal for MLB to postpone Game 3 of the World Series. Why? Because it will have to compete with a “Thursday Night Football” game in what will either be a pivotal or decisive Game 5.
It just so happened that “Thursday Night Football” for Week 9 of the season features a matchup between the Eagles and the Texans. Coincidentally, those teams represent Philadelphia and Houston, the same as the Phillies and Astros. As such, the World Series stands to lose Texans and Eagles diehards to that game, as well as casual World Series viewers who prefer football to baseball.
The one good thing for MLB is that World Series Game 5 is set to be played in Philadelphia while the Texans vs. Eagles game will be played in Houston. Those events being held in the same city could have created logistical issues for the venues hosting each event.
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How World Series Game 3 postponement affects Astros and Phillies pitching rotations
The pitching of both the Astros and the Phillies should get a boost by the postponement. The extra day of rest means that their bullpens will get an extra day of rest and recovery while their top starters will also get extra rest.
That extra rest could cause some shake-ups in each rotation. The Astros aren’t changing their plans as far as Game 3 is concerned. They are going to roll with Lance McCullers Jr. as their starter, as was their initial plan.
However, Dusty Baker revealed that Justin Verlander would be “a candidate to start” in Game 4 thanks to the extra day of rest. Houston could still keep the 38-year-old out to keep him fresh for Game 5, but the possibility exists that he will pitch.
And if Verlander does pitch in Game 4, it’s possible he could be available if the series reaches a Game 7. Below is a look at the Astros’ current rotation, as projected by MLB.com.
Game 3: Lance McCullers Jr. Game 4: Cristian Javier Game 5: Justin Verlander Game 6: Framber Valdez Game 7: TBD
As for the Phillies, they had initially planned on starting Noah Syndergaard as an opener in a bullpen game during Game 3. The extra day of rest, however, could allow manager Rob Thompson to go back to Ranger Suarez, who was originally expected to be the Game 3 starter but had his start pushed back a day after making a relief appearance in Game 1.
After that, the Phillies will turn back to their ace, Aaron Nola, who started in Game 1, before turning the ball over to either Syndergaard or Kyle Gibson. Below is a look at their projected rotation, per MLB.com.
Game 3: Ranger Suarez Game 4: Aaron Nola Game 5: Noah Syndergaard or Kyle Gibson Game 6: Zach Wheeler Game 7: TBD
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