HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 28: The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics postponed their game to make a strong statement in support of the fight for racial equality at Minute Maid Park on August 28, 2020 in Houston, Texas. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
The MLB schedule is tough in 2020 for several teams.
The 2020 MLB season has featured several notable cancellations due to COVID-19. The Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals had the most severe outbreaks and both teams are still catching up in terms of playing a full 60 games.
The Oakland Athletics will join that group after the postponement of this week’s series against the Seattle Mariners. The regular season ends Sep. 27.
MLB teams getting used to doubleheaders
The A’s have a 22-12 record that has the team sitting atop the American League West division. But this latest set of canceled games makes it six postponed games out of the last possible eight. The schedule is now a brutal one.
There is a five-game series against the Houston Astros next week and a doubleheader against the Mariners on what was supposed to be a day off. The season ends for the A’s with a four-game series over the course of three days.
This is a similar situation to what the 14-13 Cardinals are facing. They have four five-game series left on the schedule and two separate doubleheaders against American League Central opponents. Both the Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies are also sitting at just 31 games played entering Wednesday.
Making up games with doubleheaders is the right move. However, what happens if a series is canceled later this month? MLB needs to have some sort of contingency plan where winning percentage or some other metric is used to determine the final standings.
Believing that there will be zero positive COVID-19 tests from here on out may be naive after the way certain players have ignored the protocols. There are also concerns about teams playing so many games in a short window of time before an expanded postseason.
All fans can do is just hope for the best at this point. It is up to the teams to be smart if they want to finish the season.