Braves and Mets Play Day-Night Doubleheader at Citi Field on July 29

The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets are scheduled for a day-night doubleheader at Citi Field in Queens on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 the direct result of Tuesday night's game being called off because heavy rain was in the forecast, according to the Associated Press. Game 1 starts at 1:10 p.m. ET; Game 2, which serves as the official makeup of the July 28 postponed game, follows at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Tuesday's Postponement: What Shifted Heading into Wednesday

Tuesday's 7:10 p.m. ET game at Citi Field never started. The postponement was called because heavy rain was expected to move through the area, and the rescheduled game is now the nightcap of Wednesday's twin bill. According to the MLB Probable Pitchers page, the evening game is officially labelled the makeup of the July 28 postponed contest.

The rainout also produced a starter change for Game 1. Several preview pages had listed Grant Holmes as the Braves' opening-game pitcher. The official MLB Starting Lineups page confirmed that AJ Smith-Shawver, not Grant Holmes, was Atlanta's Game 1 starter. Fans relying on early previews need to account for that change.

Game 1 Starters: Smith-Shawver vs. Manaea

AJ Smith-Shawver takes the ball for Atlanta at 1:10 p.m. ET. He is a right-handed pitcher in the Braves' rotation who has faced different levels of competition in 2026, and his assignment was confirmed by both the MLB Starting Lineups and Probable Pitchers pages ahead of first pitch.

Sean Manaea starts for New York. The left-hander has been one of the more dependable pitchers in the Mets' rotation this season he carries a sub-3.00 ERA into the start and previously faced the Dodgers at Citi Field just five days ago, a matchup covered in detail in our Sasaki vs. Manaea pitching breakdown from July 24. Wednesday's start gives him his second home outing in less than a week, this time against the NL East's division leader.

Game 2 lineups were listed as TBD on the official MLB page at the time of publication. Batting orders for the nightcap will be confirmed closer to the 7:10 p.m. ET start.

Game 2: Sale vs. Scott

The nightcap pairs Chris Sale for Atlanta against Christian Scott for New York. MLB's official Game 2 preview page lists Sale at 11-6 with a 2.19 ERA. Scott, a young pitcher, enters at 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA and has been competitive against NL lineups in his outings this season.

Sale's 2.19 ERA at this point of the season reflects consistent, high-leverage work across a full rotation turn. Against a Mets lineup trying to regain form, it is a daunting assignment on paper though New York showed what it can do offensively as recently as Monday night.

How to Watch the Mets-Braves Doubleheader

Both games are available on SNY for viewers in the New York market. Atlanta-area viewers can follow the action on BravesVision. The MLB Probable Pitchers page also lists Gray TV as a broadcast feed for the 7:10 p.m. ET nightcap. MLB.TV carries both games for subscribers outside local blackout zones, and the service is also available through platforms including DIRECTV and FuboTV, where applicable.

The Division Gap: Atlanta Leads by 17.5 Games

Atlanta entered Wednesday at 62-44, leading the NL East. New York came in at 45-62, sitting last in the same division 17.5 games back in the standings. That separation frames every at-bat on Wednesday: the Braves are protecting a division lead; the Mets are playing for individual performance and second-half momentum.

Monday's game, completed on July 27, produced one of New York's better offensive showings of the season. The Mets beat Atlanta 14-3 at Citi Field, per reporting on the game. Francisco Lindor hit two home runs, added a triple, and drove in six runs. New York's lineup produced 19 hits in total, and the team scored 11 unanswered runs after the game was tied 3-3.

Huascar Brazobán opened that game for New York, then handed it to Zac Thornton, who allowed three runs over 6.1 innings before the bullpen closed it out.

Rainouts and Rotation Shifts Across the Schedule

Rain-pushed doubleheaders have disrupted rotation planning across both leagues through July. When Boston and Baltimore played a day-night twin bill at Fenway on July 22 after a Tuesday rainout, both clubs had to shuffle their pitching accordingly. The same week at Yankee Stadium, Max Fried's activation from the injured list was timed around a Pirates doubleheader triggered by another postponement. The Mets and Braves now absorb the same kind of scheduling disruption.

For New York, carrying Manaea in Game 1 and Scott in Game 2 is a workable distribution across a two-game day. Atlanta answers the nightcap with Sale, whose numbers rank among the better ERA marks in the National League at this stage of the season.

What to Watch For

The Mets' ability to carry Monday's offensive output against different pitching is the central question Wednesday. Manaea against Smith-Shawver opens the day, and that result shapes the tone heading into the night.

The official MLB Gameday page for Game 2 will carry the most current batting orders and pitching updates as first pitch approaches.