The Atlanta Braves need to start stacking wins, and they need to do it now. Atlanta is just 4-6 in its last 10 games, and just lost four of five games against the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — the two teams it's looking up at in the NL East right now. A team many thought would be a World Series contender this season now enters play on Tuesday 11 games back in the division and 7.5 games back of the third and final NL Wild Card spot. With the MLB trade deadline just weeks away, the Braves have to get hot in a hurry, starting with a home series against the Los Angeles Angels.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature is trying her best to scuttle those plans. Inclement weather has battered the East Coast on Tuesday, leading to several postponements around the league. And Atlanta didn't manage to escape unscathed, either: Tuesday night's series opener at Truist Park is set to start in a rain delay, as the tarp remains on the field.
The tarp has been placed on the field with Grant Holmes already throwing in the bullpen. Similar situation to Friday, when Elder warmed up completely and then sat through a two-plus hour delay before trying to pitch.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 1, 2025
The Braves had the tarp on the field more than an hour before the scheduled first-pitch time of 7:15 p.m. ET, hoping to keep things as dry as possible in an effort to get this game in at some point. Just how realistic is that? Follow along for live updates on the conditions at Truist Park as well as what the forecast holds in store for the rest of the night.
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Braves vs. Angels rain delay updates
UPDATE: Tuesday's delay will be a brief one, with new first pitch time scheduled for 7:25 p.m. ET.
7:25 first pitch
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 1, 2025
Three of the other four teams in the NL East — the Mets, Phillies and Washington Nationals — have already had home games postponed on Tuesday, if you'd like to get a sense of what the weather is like in this part of the country right now. It appears that the Braves are going to at least try to play this game tonight, though, rather than kicking things to a doubleheader on Wednesday. Given that this is the series opener, Atlanta could have easily opted for the latter if the forecast they were getting made it seem like baseball wasn't likely.
And it seems like that was the right decision, as Tuesday's delay looks like it could be a brief one.
The sun is back out. Start of the game will likely be delayed, but it might be a short one. They are getting the water off the tarp. https://t.co/C7s5p3usFG
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 1, 2025
What's the forecast at Truist Park on Tuesday, July 1?
A look at the weather report shows exactly why. While there is a storm system passing through Cobb County just ahead of first-pitch time, it's a relatively small one, and it should blow through before 8 p.m. ET or so. And while there is another system behind it, that one doesn't seem likely to arrive until later in the evening — creating a decent-sized window to get a game in. If we wind up going to extras or something, though, weather could again become an issue.
The National Weather Service forecast says that thunderstorms are "likely" this evening, but going from a 70-percent chance to a 40-percent chance as the evening progresses. Fingers crossed.