Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein said Wednesday that Major League Baseball has not made a final determination about a potential Thursday makeup game against the Milwaukee Brewers, but that he hopes for a “common sense solution” to the issue.
In a radio interview on 670 the Score’s “Bernstein and McKnight Show,” Epstein said that the league is waiting for more information on the weather forecast for the D.C. area, as Hurricane Florence bears down on the East Coast.
“I know MLB would not send us into a situation with any danger or risk,” he said. “And then I cannot imagine that they would send us into a situation where there’s a chance of rain given what we experienced in Washington last weekend and given the situation that would create 30 straight days with a game scheduled in the middle of a pennant race, which is just about unprecedented.”
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The Cubs, who had a game rained out against the Nationals last week, were preparing to finish off a stretch of 23 games in 23 days on Thursday, but instead their game against Washington was moved to that open date.
As a result, the Cubs only have one more scheduled off day this season, and they are facing the possibility of having 30 straight days with a scheduled game.
The Cubs had hoped for MLB to move the game to Oct. 1, the Monday after the conclusion of the regular season, but the league is hesitant to do so, as it could conflict with potential wild card or divisional tiebreaking games.
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Epstein was asked whether the Cubs would proactively keep the team in Chicago, risking forfeiture of the game and possible penalties from the league, but said that the conversation has not yet been had.
“There would be a conversation with our players before we determine what to do,” he said. “Right now, we’re in a wait-and-see mode hoping for a common sense solution.”
The Cubs are scheduled to take on the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field in a game with massive divisional implications. The team will then head to Washington for a makeup game, slated for 3:05 p.m. Central time Thursday, before flying back to Chicago for a Friday game against the Cincinnati Reds.
After that three-game series, the Cubs will head to Arizona for a three-game series against the Diamondbacks before flying back to Chicago for an off-day next Thursday, their final one of the regular season.
