Rain threatens Cubs-Red Sox finale

The Cubs finish their season in Boston this weekend, but heavy rain is forecast for Saturday and Sunday. With playoff seeding on the line, MLB is monitoring the situation closely.

Three NL teams separated by one game

The Cubs, Padres, and Phillies are bunched together in the NL Wild Card race heading into Tuesday. Bad weather could scramble their final positioning.

MLB has moved series before for weather

In 2017, MLB moved a Rays-Yankees series from Tampa to New York ahead of Hurricane Irma. The league prefers to reschedule rather than cancel games when playoff seeding is at stake.

Friday doubleheader is one option

MLB could move the series to a Friday doubleheader, which has better weather. This would keep the regular season on schedule without forcing a Monday makeup that would eliminate rest days.

“"It sounds like lovely weather is ahead," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer quipped.”

Monday makeup would cost rest day

If games are pushed to Monday, the Cubs and Red Sox would lose their only off-day before the Wild Card Series begins. Both teams want to avoid this scenario.

“"I think playing Monday is obviously not a positive for anyone," Hoyer said.”

Cubs hold tiebreaker advantages

The Cubs beat the Phillies 6-1 and won five of six against the Padres, giving them head-to-head tiebreakers over both teams. This could matter if the series gets rained out.

Red Sox seeding still not locked

While the Red Sox are likely to finish as the number five seed in the AL, it's not mathematically certain yet. They trail the Yankees by five and a half games but lead the third spot by four.

Everyone monitoring forecast closely

MLB, the Cubs, and Red Sox are in constant communication about the weather. Decisions will be made in the coming days as forecasts become more certain.

“"I know there's conversations already going on between front offices and MLB."”