NEW YORK (AP) — The game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves was postponed due to a forecast of rain on Friday night.
The decision was made more than two hours before the first pitch with up to two inches of rain expected. No makeup date was announced.
The scheduled starters for Friday — the Mets’ Taijuan Walker (3-1, 2.05 ERA) and the Braves’ Ian Anderson (4-1, 2.82 ERA) — were pushed back to Saturday. Rain is in the forecast throughout the weekend.
The series is the first three Braves’ visits to New York.
The Mets have played a league-low 44 games and they already are scheduled to play doubleheaders against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies in June as well as a single nine-inning makeup against the Nationals.
Mets Manager Luis Rojas said he believed the focus will be making up Friday’s game during the July 26-29 series between the teams at Citi Field.
Rojas wasn’t sure if the Mets would pitch David Peterson or Jacob deGrom on Sunday. Peterson was scheduled to start Saturday. DeGrom would go if Rojas decides to use the ace on his usual five days rest.
Rojas also said first baseman Pete Alonso (right hand sprain) is progressing well. The manager said he initially thought Alonso, one of 17 Mets on the injured list, would need a rehab assignment. However, he added that the 2019 Rookie of the Year winner “…looks a lot better than what I expected.”
With Walker still officially on the injured list due to right side tightness, the Mets will have to make a roster move before Saturday’s game.
The Braves on Friday placed outfielder Marcell Ozuna on the injured list and recalled Johan Camargo from Triple-A Gwinnett. Ozuna is expected to miss six weeks after fracturing the middle and ring fingers on his left hand sliding into third base Wednesday night.
The postponement was the second in three days for the Mets, who swept a doubleheader from the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. The Braves got a second straight day off after completing a two-game series in Boston Wednesday with a 9-5 loss.
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