Rain Disrupts Giants vs. Braves Game

In Atlanta, over 20 groundskeepers worked tirelessly for more than an hour, spreading dry grass onto the saturated infield, pitcher’s mound, and home plate. After a lengthy wait, they finally rolled out the tarp.

This effort, however, meant that the Giants’ game against the Braves was paused after just an inning and a half, with the delay lasting about three times as long.

Play will resume in the bottom of the second inning on Wednesday as part of a doubleheader. The first game is set to kick off at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, while the second game is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

Manager Tony Vitello expressed that having to use Adrian Houser for only one inning was “not ideal.” Likewise, Grant Holmes for the Braves managed only two innings.

Vitello noted, “It’s been a tough situation not just due to the rain. They have been gearing up to pitch all day, and it’s been hard to cope with the conditions.”

Both teams are permitted to add a 27th player to their roster for the second game. Although nothing is locked in, reliever Matt Gage appears to be a strong candidate as he is traveling and eligible to come off the injured list. Robbie Ray is expected to start the first game.

Vitello mentioned that there was no prior conversation about the delays, and the unexpected late start led to the loss of both teams’ starting pitchers.

In two innings, the Giants had seven players on base against Holmes, who seemed to struggle under the conditions. In the first inning, Houser allowed two runs to score.

Holmes struggled, issuing three walks and allowing four hits in the rain. He even requested a towel twice. Additionally, Braves outfielder Michael Harris II is out due to lower back strain. Vitello pointed out that the area around home plate ended up being particularly affected by standing water.

“It’s starting to feel a little soupy,” Vitello remarked.

Even with the extended stoppage, the game wasn’t officially postponed as no tarps were deployed on the field.

Reflecting on the situation, Vitello said, “Looking back, I think everyone wanted to try something different at the start. But no one expected rain, at least not according to what we all saw.”

During the long delay, the lively crowd turned into just a few patrons in ponchos, as there was no announcement from the Braves about the situation.

After about an hour and a half, Vitello and Walt Weiss came out to meet with the referees for about ten minutes. Vitello shared, “We were there for a while because we wanted to avoid making any hasty decisions. I may not have had much to say, but they had a lot of experience. They mentioned this was one of the tougher situations to navigate.”

The teams were scheduled to resume play around 10 p.m. local time unless something changed. Unfortunately, as more rain fell during the second round, it became clear the field couldn’t take any more, leading to the match being called off at 9:50 p.m.

“We thought we might go out and play if conditions allowed,” Vitello commented. “But it started to rain again, making that impossible.”

Both teams are eager to complete both games on Wednesday since the most significant rainfall of the week is not anticipated until Thursday. Thunderstorms are expected to start around 11 a.m. and potentially last until Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

The series between the Giants and Braves is expected to wrap up on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. local time, though a postponed game could delay their travel to Miami.

Looking ahead, the Braves will head to San Francisco next weekend, but both teams have only two off days left this season—August 13 and September 17—making it tricky to rearrange their schedules in Atlanta.