Braves postponement is blessing in disguise with massive series vs. NL East rival on deck

Not only have the Atlanta Braves been decimated by injuries, but even Mother Nature appears to be against them, as another game has been postponed due to rain. Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds was postponed, and a doubleheader was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, but they're only going to get one of those games in, with the other scheduled for September.

It's always disappointing to see a game rained out. Fans who had tickets to the game now have to figure out if they can go to the make-up game and figure out new plans for the evening, while fans who planned to watch on TV will be bored for the night.

In this case, though, an argument can be made that the Braves benefitted by having this game postponed for one specific reason. Their starter for Game 2 was supposed to be Chris Sale, arguably their best pitcher right now. Instead of having him pitch against the Reds, he'll now pitch the opener of what suddenly appears to be a crucial four-game series against the New York Mets on Thursday.

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Braves catch rare break with timely rainout

The NL East was expected to be a two-horse race featuring the Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, but only the Phillies have lived up to their end of the bargain. With Atlanta losing four of their first five games since the All-Star break, they're now 54-46 on the season. They're 9.0 games back of the first-place Phillies, and perhaps more importantly, are only 2.0 games ahead of the surging Mets.

The Mets were seen as an afterthought entering this season and played like one for the first couple of months, but are now four games over .500 and in sole possession of the third Wild Card spot in the NL.

Atlanta is about to travel to Queens to face the Mets for what could be four crucial games starting on Thursday. The Mets, with as well as they've been playing and with Kodai Senga's looming return, figured to have the momentum, but with Sale starting on Thursday, the momentum can easily shift Atlanta's way.

Sale has looked like his old self, posting a 2.70 ERA in 18 starts and 110 innings of work. He leads the league with a 2.21 FIP, has been striking out the world, is limiting walks, and has held the opposition to a .202 batting average. Simply put, he has pitched like a Cy Young candidate.

He has not pitched against the Mets this season but in three starts against New York in his career, he has a 2.81 ERA. The Mets will have a tall task ahead of them, and the Braves can attempt to put some distance between themselves and New York on the back of their ace.