For the Phils and Padres playoff series, no wind or rain Friday and Saturday, but Sunday is a wild card
A storm brewing off the Southeast coast might complicate the playoff schedule.
It might not be ideal for the players, who will be dealing with about 40 degrees of separation, and a Sunday storm may be a wild card, but the weather for Games 3 and 4 of the Phillies-San Diego series Friday and Saturday nights should be about as good as it gets in South Philly in October.
Friday is another red-sweater situation, said Matt Brudy, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, as temperatures fall toward 50 before the game ends.
That would be quite a contrast to the low 90s readings during Wednesday’s game in San Diego, equivalent to an abrupt change of seasons. All this, and jet lag, too.
But it will be bone dry, which would favor the pitchers — moisture gives air more buoyancy. And Brudy said “the winds won’t be a concern at all,” since they will be almost nonexistent.
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Saturday night should be similar, although several degrees warmer after a splendid day in which temperatures could approach 70 degrees.
But deep into October in the Northeast, nature doesn’t always show its love for “the summer game.” And the run of weather luck could run out on Sunday.
A storm system off the Southeast coast drawing moisture from the warm waters of the Gulf Stream is forecast to send creeping toward Philly, arriving any time Sunday, said Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
“There’s definitely a plume of that tropical moisture that’s going to come northward,” he said.
He said the highest likelihood would be late in the afternoon; the game is scheduled to start at 2:37. The weather service lists the rain probability at 62% from 2 to 7 p.m.
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As of Friday morning, however, Sunday’s weather appeared to about as up in the air as the outcome of the series as computer models were hedging on where to place their bets. The weather service noted that the American model keeps Citizens Bank Park totally dry, while the European has rain everywhere.
Rain could cause complications since Major League Baseball has scheduled no travel day, with a Game 6, if necessary, set for San Diego on Monday.
If the teams do play on Sunday, it might be wise to take the under. It will be dreary and chilly, with temperatures in the 60s and the wind blowing in.