After a frustrating loss on Saturday where the offense failed to show up, the Atlanta Braves would love to send the Nationals home with a series loss as retribution. However, this Washington team is not one to be trifled with, as their offense is among the better ones in all of baseball this year. The Braves are probably still favored in the rubber match on Sunday, but the weather coming into the east is going to be causing some problems.
The Braves sending Martin Perez to the mound isn't ideal against a Nationals lineup that take advantage of mistakes, but Atlanta had to feel good knowing that Washington was sending Foster Griffin to the mound, considering that he has given up 14 runs combined over his last two starts combined. Unfortunately, taking advantage of this potential mismatch may have to wait, as we are headed for a potential rain delay.
They haven't put the tarp on the field. But the starting pitchers haven't started warming up yet. Looks like the start of the game will be delayed. With rain likely to arrive between 4:30-5, neither team would want to burn their starter
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 24, 2026
However, the plot does thicken a bit. After initially thinking that there would be a real rain delay, the reports on the ground are now that we could see this game get started relatively quickly. Assuming the forecast holds, we could start a 4:30ish PM EST, although exactly how long the weather will hold off beyond that is extremely debatable.
Due to inclement weather in the area, the start time of today’s game will be approximately 4:30pm ET.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 24, 2026
Braves vs. Nationals Weather, 5/24/26: When will this game actually start?
There was some understandable concern before the game that this game might get postponed altogether. However, the forecast does improve starting a few hours after the original game start time. With the Braves having an off day tomorrow and neither team wanting to schedule a doubleheader down the road or potentially lose a day off, that we have a delay, instead of a postponement, seems to indicate that there is at least some hope. That said, we could be waiting a while.
We will keep this post updated with any and all information that is made available regarding the delay as well as any estimated start times. Unfortunately, it may not be a short wait for this game to get going if the forecast is accurate, but everyone seems to be incentivized to try and get this game in. Exactly when that will happen is the real question at this point.
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