According to the forecast, two games of the Mets against the Braves will be canceled; doubleheader on Monday.

ATLANTA – The final two games of a crucial series between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were postponed Wednesday due to heavy rains in advance of Hurricane Helene.

Now a wildcard race that was supposed to be held on the last day of the regular season could require an extra day.

And a doubleheader at that.

The regular season was supposed to end on Sunday, but the Mets are now scheduled to return to Atlanta on Monday to play two games, 40 minutes apart, that could determine who advances to the playoffs.

New York plays three games in Milwaukee against the NL Central champion Brewers starting Friday, while the Braves have a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, a playoff contender in the AL.

“We’ve got to move on to the next series now,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re facing another really good team in Milwaukee and we’ve got to go out there and not only win a series, but go out there and take care of our business. That’s the only thing we can do: control the things we control.”

The Mets (87-70) entered the wild-card race with a half-game lead over Arizona, while the Braves (86-71) were a full game behind. Two of those teams will make the playoffs, which begin Tuesday with the best-of-three wild-card round.

“I hope the Royals can make it here,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, given the grim forecast for the next two days as the remnants of the hurricane move through Georgia. “I hope we don’t screw up their series.”

The Diamondbacks played against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Arizona has Thursday off before a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres to close out the regular season.

The Braves beat the Mets 5-1 in the opening game of the series against their NL East rivals on Tuesday night.

Both teams had Monday off, but there was no indication that the teams or MLB were considering moving up the start of the series. Additionally, the opportunity to play the game on Wednesday was missed before heavy rains swept through the area in the afternoon.

Mendoza said he had only begun discussions with MLB shortly before the decision to postpone both games was made at 5:11 p.m. EDT, about two hours before first pitch on Wednesday.

“Look, my job is to manage a team,” he said. “We knew the weather was bad, but you can’t predict it. We came here (on Tuesday), lost a game and were ready to play today when we just got a call.”

With the last two games in Atlanta postponed, the Mets may face a particularly strenuous travel schedule next week.

It’s not out of the question that they’ll fly back to Atlanta for the doubleheader on Monday and then rush to catch another flight – either back to Milwaukee or the West Coast – for the start of the wild-card series on Tuesday if they make the playoffs.

On the other hand, they got a few unplanned days off before the finish line.

“I mean, it could be beneficial,” Mendoza said. “A couple of guys will need an extra day or two and your bullpen will be a little fresher.”

There’s a chance the doubleheader won’t be necessary if the playoff battle is decided by Sunday, but Mendoza wasn’t sure if there’s a contingency plan.

“I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself,” he said. “Now we just have to focus on the next series.”