As the MLB regular season nears an end, the AL and NL wild-card races are emerging as the biggest storylines to follow. Both could be impacted by Hurricane Helene.
While it's the Florida panhandle that is expected to receive the brunt of Helene, a double shot of unrelated storms followed by rain from the hurricane could wreak havoc on Truist Park in Atlanta just as the Braves are trying to surge into the postseason.
With matchups against two other wild-card contenders, including a critical series against the Mets, the Braves have a scheduling mess on their hands.
Here are the latest weather updates as Hurricane Helene moves toward the southeast United States.
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Latest news, updates on Hurricane Helene's impact on MLB playoff standings, schedule
The final two games of the series between the Mets and Braves were postponed Wednesday afternoon, with a doubleheader planned for Monday. The doubleheader will only be played if necessary, but it's likely that one or both games will be necessary for at least one team.
Hurricane Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 storm Thursday then weakened to a Category 1 as it moved into Georgia. Still, the rains from the storm put Thursday's scheduled game between the Mets and Braves at serious risk. But MLB couldn't simply arrange a doubleheader on Wednesday because unrelated storms are passing through Atlanta throughout the day.
Rain from Hurricane Helene isn't expected to taper off until the middle of the day Friday, so the next order of business will be making sure the Braves can start their series against the Royals later that night.
Hurricane Helene path tracker
Hurricane strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall Thursday night in Florida. The projected path, from the National Weather Service, can be found here.
Here is what the storm looked like on satellite images as of early Wednesday morning. The map also shows a line of clouds moving toward Atlanta — those are the storms expected to hit the area on Wednesday, before Helene arrives closer to the weekend.
This was what we didn't want to see this AM. Storm is getting much stronger. And wider. Current satellite. https://t.co/Hk3pbO7x8H pic.twitter.com/GI9CSoKc4A
— Mike's Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) September 25, 2024
Helene is expected to weaken considerably before reaching Atlanta, but it's the storm's massive footprint of rain that could cause major scheduling problems for the final week of the Braves' season.
MORE: Updated Mets playoff picture
Braves-Mets playoff picture
National League wild-card standings
- WC1: Padres, 91-68 (.572), +3.0 GB
- WC2: Mets, 87-70 (.554), —
- WC3: Diamondbacks, 88-71 (.553), —
- —
- Braves, 86-71 (.548), 1.0 GB
Any hope of the series between the Braves and Mets losing meaning was erased on Tuesday when Atlanta managed a 5-1 win over New York. The victory pulled the Braves (86-71) within a game of the Mets (87-70) and a half-game of the Diamondbacks (87-71) in the NL wild-card picture as the three teams compete for two spots.
Given two of those three teams still have two games to play against one another, there is likely no getting around having to play out the series — even if it has to be after Sunday's slate finishes up.
Braves schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 27 | vs. Royals | 7:20 p.m. |
| Sept. 28 | vs. Royals | 7:20 p.m. |
| Sept. 29 | vs. Royals | 3:20 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | vs. Mets | 1:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | vs. Mets | 40 minutes after Game 1 |
The Braves will now move on to face the Royals, who are also fighting for a wild-card spot in the American League. Kansas City has some cushion with a two-game lead, while Atlanta must keep up the pace with Arizona and New York.
Fortunately, rain is currently expected to move out of the area by the middle of the day on Friday. Intense rain Wednesday and Thursday could cause flooding in the area and impact field conditions Friday regardless of how well Truist Park prepares for the storm, but the outlook for the Braves-Royals series is much better than Atlanta's now-postponed series with the Mets.
MORE: Updated Braves playoff picture
Mets schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 27 | at Brewers | 8:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 28 | at Brewers | 7:15 p.m. |
| Sept. 29 | at Brewers | 3:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | at Braves | 1:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | at Braves | 40 minutes after Game 1 |
The Mets will now head to Milwaukee and they will be glad to see an indoor stadium with no risk of postponements. The Brewers have already clinched the NL Central and may not have a chance of earning a bye by the time the weekend series arrives, so it could be a soft landing spot for the Mets as Milwaukee prepares for the postseason.
At this point, the burning question surrounds the stakes of the Mets' return trip to Atlanta for Monday's game(s).
