Storms Throw MLB Schedule Into Disarray Ahead of Playoffs: ‘Everything Is Up in the Air’

A powerful Nor'easter forecast for this weekend has forced scheduling changes for key games ahead of the MLB playoffs.

The Chicago Cubs were supposed to play the Boston Red Sox in their last games of the regular season on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, per a Friday, September 25 report by USA Today . But due to weather concerns, there will now be a doubleheaders on Friday, while Saturday's game could be moved to Florida's Tropicana Field because the Tampa Bay Rays will be finishing up the regular season in Philadelphia .

"Everything is up in the air," Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on September 24, per the outlet. "Can we get out of Boston if we have to leave? There's a lot of uncertainty. We're prepared for the uncertainty. We know that plans are going to change this weekend."

Both the Cubs and the Red Sox have clinched wild-card spots in the playoffs.

Counsell has been concerned about how the changes could affect his team.

"They never move games up and especially within a five-day window of a starting rotation," he told reporters on September 23, per ESPN . "So we can't have somebody ready to pitch on Saturday. They just moved games up on us. I understand there's extenuating circumstances, but you just don't see that happening."

Boston manager Chad Tracy was optimistic.

"I'm planning on being ready to play those two games tomorrow," he told reporters on Thursday, per USA Today . "We should be able to get that in, even if the second game there might be like a little bit of drizzle."

Meanwhile, their longtime rivals are also scrambling. The New York Yankees , who also clinched a wild-card spot in the playoffs, will play in a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, but their final regular season game on Sunday may get rained out as well, per The Athletic .

The Wild Card series kicks off on Tuesday, September 29.