A looming nor’easter threatens to derail Chicago’s final push for postseason seeding, forcing potential doubleheaders and travel nightmares just hours before the high-stakes Wild Card round begins.
The Chicago Cubs have six games remaining to complete the regular season.
The Cubs will kick off a three-game series against the Miami Marlins beginning on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. They will then head to the East Coast to take on the Boston Red Sox at the iconic Fenway Park beginning on Friday.
However, the Cubs could be burned this weekend.
Boston is expected to get some bad weather over the weekend. A nor'easter could hit that area while the Cubs are in town. A nor’easter is a powerful storm that is known for having strong winds and could last multiple days.
This potential bad weather will obviously affect this Cubs versus Red Sox series. Things could get dicey if Major League Baseball has to postpone some games with the regular season set to end on Sunday.
Although this projected storm is set to take over Boston this weekend, Cubs insider Bruce Levine reported that the league “does not appear ready to change the venue.” This three-game series in Boston is expected to take place as scheduled.
That might not be best for either the Red Sox or the Cubs. If the Cubs are still fighting for seeding in the National League Wild Card race, these games will have to be played one way or another. That means these two teams could play a doubleheader if there’s a window or play on Monday afternoon.
Both of those scenarios, though, don’t benefit either team.
Playing a doubleheader just a few days before both teams will play in the Wild Card Round might not be a smart thing. If they are forced to play a doubleheader on Sunday, that’s just two days before Game 1 of the Wild Card Round.
The same goes for playing in Boston on Monday. The Cubs would be in Boston until late afternoon and then would have to take a flight to Chicago, San Diego, or Philadelphia. That’s not what any team wants to do almost 24 hours before a playoff game.
The best course of action for Major League Baseball would be to move this three-game series. Move it away from Boston, with the expected weather set to hit the area all weekend. Both teams would benefit from that.
The Cubs will likely still be fighting for seeding this weekend, so winning these games is pivotal. As for the Red Sox, they aren’t playing for anything this weekend. They are 5 ½ games behind the New York Yankees for the top Wild Card spot and four games up on the White Sox for the second Wild Card spot.
If MLB doesn’t move this series, the Cubs could be at a disadvantage.
