The latest World Series ever? What rainout means for Phillies, Astros heading into Game 3

PHILADELPHIA — It was a break nobody asked for and one that shouldn't greatly impact this 118th World Series. Yet the smattering of rain that made Citizens Bank Park a miserable, and plausibly unplayable setting for Game 3 on Monday night will certainly leave an imprint on the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.

They will try again Tuesday, and Games 3, 4 and 5 should come off without delay, always a worry in a city where the last World Series clincher, in 2008, was delayed more than 48 hours before the Phillies could finish off the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here's what to know as this Fall Classic staggers into November, where the majority of this battle will be contested:

Night Ranger

Beyond aces Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, no Phillies pitcher is as highly regarded as left-hander Ranger Suarez, whose ability and willingness to start, put out mid-game fires or close out a game – as he did in Game 5 of the NLCS – makes him particularly valuable.

So Monday's rainout that pushed him from a Game 4 assignment to Game 3 is a nice break for the Phillies, moving their great competitor into a crucial swing game - and also aligning him for a potential Game 7 assignment.

Few would relish the assignment more than Suarez, whose unflappable demeanor and ever-present smile makes him a respected figure in Philly's clubhouse.

"Not everyone gets to go to the playoffs. Not everyone gets to go to the World Series," he says before Game 1. "At this moment, believe me when I tell you, I am enjoying every second of it. I feel blessed.

"I feel lucky to be here."

Rest up, lads

The rainout could have had a huge effect on pitching matchups, what with the aces in Games 1-2 able to move up a day for their second starts. Philadelphia opted to do so with Game 1 starter Aaron Nola, who will start Game 4 instead of Game 5 (and ostensibly have some availability on short rest in a Game 7).

But poor performances from veterans Justin Verlander (Game 1) and Zack Wheeler (Game 2) compelled their managers to allow them the extra day of rest the rainout granted.

Wheeler was jumped in Game 2 by the Astros, who pummeled him for three consecutive doubles to start the game. Wheeler's fastball velocity was down 2-3 mph from the norm, this after posting a 1.78 ERA in his first four playoff starts.

"It's late in the season, velocity's dropped a little bit, he's fatigued. I just feel like he needs more time," manager Rob Thomson said Monday. Wheeler will start a potential Game 6 back in Houston.

Verlander was hit hard in the fourth and fifth innings of Game 1, coughing up a 5-0 lead. But pushing him back to Game 5 is as much about who the Astros do have available - Cristian Javier, who was perhaps their best overall pitcher this season.

"Well, the equation was Javier's been really good, No. 1," manager Dusty Baker says of Javier, who shut out the New York Yankees over 5 ⅓ innings of his last start. " And No. 2, we feel that that extra day off would probably be to (Verlander's) benefit."

In case of emergency, break glass

The rainout may force unexpected characters into this Series - most notably right-hander Kyle Gibson, who could start Game 5 if Noah Syndergaard is needed in relief before then.

That scenario would suggest things aren't going well for the Phillies. Gibson posted a 5.05 ERA in the regular season and was bypassed in the wild card and NLDS rounds before pitching 1 ⅓ mop-up innings in the NLCS.

Yet an extra day of rest will certainly help relievers Jose Alvarado - who has appeared in nine of Philadelphia's 13 playoff games and Seranthony Dominguez and Zack Eflin, who have appeared in seven of them. It will also back the Phillies' sketchiest game – the Syndergaard-Gibson game – up against an off day before Game 6.

"So we can empty our bullpen, so to speak," says Thomson, "and then we have a day off and everybody should be ready to go the next day."

A long November

If this feels like a never-ending season, well, you're not imagining it! The Game 3 rainout was coupled with the fact Major League Baseball decided to retain the off day between Games 5 and 6, rather than have both teams play five consecutive days to decide the championship.

Quite a few ripple effects: Game 5 on Thursday – originally scheduled as an off day – will push the World Series up against an NFL game, after all. And it's the undefeated Eagles, no less, who may carve into the Phillies' viewership in Philadelphia. (Less of a concern in Houston, where the Texans are more a rumor than an institution).

That will also push a Game 7 to Sunday evening -– pitting MLB against Sunday Night Football on NBC, the top-rated program more than a decade running. And a Series game would land on Sunday, after all, after trying to duck the day for the first time since the Fall Classic has been on television.

The Nov. 6 finale – or a Game 6 clincher on Nov. 5  – would also be the latest a World Series has ever concluded, surpassing the 2001 seven-gamer delayed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

This time, a lockout, an additional wild card round and, finally, that rain, compelled to push this one so far back. But look on the bright side: Just 100 days would remain until pitchers and catchers report for 2023 spring training.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Series reset: Game 3 pivotal for Phillies, Astros after rainout