Major League Baseball determined the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets could play through the haze caused by the wildfires on Thursday night.
Mother Nature may make the decision for everyone Saturday afternoon, when heavy thunderstorms are in the forecast around the time the Phillies are slated to host the Mets in the second game of the three-game series between the National League East rivals.
If the game is played, All-Star Jesus Luzardo (8-4, 3.51 ERA) is slated to start for the Phillies against fellow left-hander Sean Manaea (2-4, 4.56).
The Mets and Phillies were off Friday after opening the post-break schedule Thursday, when Francisco Alvarez hit two homers to help New York to a 4-1 win.
The first pitch Thursday was moved up an hour to 6:10 p.m. ET because of the smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting across the northeast United States. The air quality index (AQI) was listed as unhealthy throughout the game, but a MLB spokesperson told Newsday that “…(t)here’s not an AQI that automatically triggers postponement.”
The standalone second-half opener was broadcast on ESPN.
“Not the greatest idea, I guess, to come out here and play in this type of weather,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said during an in-game interview with ESPN. “But we’re doing it.”
Alvarez, the Mets’ catcher, said it was difficult to catch and see. Starting pitcher Christian Scott, who earned the win with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, said it “…felt like I was breathing some metal out there.”
Another potential concern for the last-place Mets was eased after the game, when interim manager Andy Green said All-Star left fielder Juan Soto should be fine after exiting in the eighth due to a sore left calf. Soto missed more than two weeks in April with a strained left calf.
“Just given that he played the All-Star Game, came through a lot of activity the last few days, it made sense just to get him off his feet,” Green said. “I think our expectation is he’s playing this weekend.”
The loss continued an inconsistent stretch for the Phillies, who are 8-8 since June 27, a span in which they’ve neither won nor lost more than two straight games. Philadelphia entered Friday as the second wild card in the National League, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Miami Marlins.
“The weather was a bit different tonight but it played no part in the final result,” Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh said. “We just didn’t play as good as we should have.”
Luzardo and Manaea each earned the win in their most recent starts on July 9.
Luzardo allowed two hits and struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings as the Phillies edged the Cincinnati Reds 1-0. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star Game appearance Tuesday, when he tossed a perfect fourth inning for the National League in a 4-0 loss to the American League.
Manaea also went seven innings July 9, giving up three runs (two earned) as the Mets beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3.
Against the Mets, Luzardo is 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 12 career starts. Manaea is 2-3 with a 5.05 ERA in nine games (seven starts) against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
