It seems like everything is stacked against the Philadelphia Phillies lately. Not only have they seen their cushion in the NL Wild Card race evaporate thanks to a stretch of poor play, but their remaining schedule might have been the hardest in baseball and the Diamondbacks got hot at the same time. What should have been a weekend that was little more than a formality has quickly turned into must-win games that have the Phillies trying some unusual solutions to their slide. Making matters worse is that even the weather seems to be working against them.
The savage weather system battering the northeast this weekend has already caused havoc at the end of the season, with both the Cubs/Red Sox series as well as the Orioles/Yankees series being impacted. Unfortunately, you can add the Phillies matchup against Tampa to that list, as we are officially in a rain delay.
**UPDATE: 7:24 PM EST**
As expected, the initially delay didn't end up being too bad. Both teams are heavily incentivized to make this situation work, but we will see if the weather plays a role in the game itself. As of this moment, the Rays and Phillies will get started at 7:50 PM EST assuming the forecast doesn't change.
Tonight’s first pitch is now scheduled for 7:50 pm https://t.co/AEQxmhNi2t
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 26, 2026
Phillies vs. Rays Rain Delay, 9/26/26: When will the game start?
Odds are good that the starters, including Aaron Nola, didn't progress too far in their warmups, so we don't have to worry too much about pitchers getting burned from the start. There is a chance of rain in the Philadelphia area pretty much all evening long, but there does seem to be a likely window to play in after about an hours. However, we could have a mess on our hands if this delay goes long, because the odds of rain go back up later in the evening. In short, things could get weird and the wind is going to make this game interesting either way.
We will keep this post updated as more information becomes available about this rain delay, including any announced estimated start times. For now, you can probably sit back and catch up on the latest Luis Arraez injury news, because we could be in store for an hour-plus long delay here.
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