Hurricane Ian could disrupt pivotal Mets-Braves series

It's been thought for at least a month, if not longer, that the upcoming series between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves held at Atlanta's Truist Park from Friday through Sunday could ultimately determine which of the two teams wins the National League East title. The first-place Mets began Monday holding a slim one-and-a-half game lead over the second-place Braves in the division race, but something other than the standings and bigger than baseball is both literally and figuratively hovering over the three-game tilt. 

As mentioned by Newsday's Tim Healey and Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball, what has become Hurricane Ian is on track to impact the Atlanta region on at least Friday. Healey said MLB officials are monitoring the situation at the start of the midweek, and he added the league could ultimately relocate the series if safety becomes a concern before Friday's matchup. 

Finkelstein notes that the Braves are scheduled to play at the Miami Marlins from Oct. 3-5 and that the storm should have moved on from South Florida by Friday. LoanDepot Park, home of the Marlins, has a retractable roof that would protect all involved from the rain set to hit Miami due to Hurricane Ian. 

"You’re always dealing with unknowns," Mets ace Max Scherzer said about potentially not knowing where the series against the Braves will occur. "This is baseball. You got to deal with a hurricane.

"You’re constantly dealing with things constantly moving and changing. You try to have a routine as best you can, but there’s so many things that alter your routine and alter what goes on. You have to be adaptable to that. You can’t just be 'I have to do X, Y, Z or otherwise I can’t pitch.' Sometimes you have to do X and Y and say, 'That’s good enough.' We’ll see how next weekend unfolds." 

The Mets are off Monday and host the Marlins on Tuesday and Wednesday before they are off again on Thursday. Meanwhile, Atlanta begins a three-game series at the Washington Nationals on Monday night.