Phillies vs. Padres weather forecast: NLCS Game 5 expected to start on time; rain possible in afternoon

There's some rain in the forecast for the Philadelphia area on Sunday afternoon

On Sunday, the host Philadelphia Phillies, up 3-1 over the San Diego Padres in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, hope to have an opportunity to clinch the eighth pennant in franchise history. "Hope" is the operative word for the Sunday because there's a chance of rain in the forecast for the Philadelphia area.

MLB met with both sides on Sunday morning to discuss the current forecast and possible scenarios, and for now Game 4 is scheduled to start on time at 2:37 p.m. ET:

Update from MLB:

“We’re expecting light, playable rain throughout the afternoon. Planning to start on time. We will update with any changes.” pic.twitter.com/JjIh6Omw0E

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) October 23, 2022

Not surprisingly, Phillies manager Rob Thomson seems to favor starting the game only if it's likely they'll be able to finish it without a delay: 

Rob Thomson said he’s pretty confident Game 5 will not start unless there is a 3-4 hour window to play. Phillies don’t want to lose Zack Wheeler. Padres don’t want to lose Yu Darvish.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) October 23, 2022

Again, according to MLB's estimations the rain will be "playable" so barring a change in forecast both aces should be able to get their full starts in without weather-related interruption. 

According to CBS Philadelphia "sprinkles" are possible in the vicinity of Citizens Bank Park, but the more substantial bands of rain are likely to stay south of the ballpark for the early and middle innings. Things could potentially get dicier later in Game 5 on Sunday starting at around 5:00 p.m. local time. Per CBS Philly: "A few showers are possible within the city of Philadelphia; downpours are likely at the shore."

Here's a look at Sunday's hourly forecast in Philadelphia. CBS Philly

That said, according to at least one current forecast the best chance of rain within the city will occur during a window that starts around 10:00 p.m. ET, and that would provide plenty of window to complete Game 5. 

Any possible postponement is complicated by the fact that the NLCS has no more scheduled off days, even for the cross-country trip preceding Monday's scheduled Game 6 in San Diego. There are two off days on the schedule between a potential NLCS Game 7 on Oct. 25 and Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 28. Obviously, though, every effort will be made to play Sunday's Game 5 as scheduled, and at this writing the forecast seems to be mostly agreeable to that end.