### Diamondbacks' Owner Ken Kendrick Criticizes MLB Scheduling Decisions

Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick has openly expressed his frustration with Major League Baseball over the scheduling issues that seemingly impacted his team's postseason chances. In an interview with "Arizona Sports' Burns & Gambo," Kendrick criticized the league's decision-making process concerning a crucial doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.

Earlier this week, the Braves and Mets played a doubleheader on Monday where the outcome of the first game determined a playoff berth. This setup, according to Kendrick, discouraged full effort in the second game. Kendrick argued that the situation, which concluded the regular season with two games yet to be played on Monday, should have been resolved ahead of time.

"I'm disappointed that MLB didn't take a more aggressive posture to insist on those games being played earlier," Kendrick emphasized. He noted that both teams were free last Monday and could have played the doubleheader then, avoiding the complications that followed.

The pivotal doubleheader was a result of games canceled due to Hurricane Helene, which brought severe rainfall as anticipated. The Braves won the first game 5-1 on Tuesday, but the subsequent games were postponed by the storm. Monday's doubleheader, which saw the Mets shut out 3-0 in the second game, determined the final playoff slots.

The Mets advanced to the wild-card round to face the Milwaukee Brewers, while the Braves are set to take on the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks, who made it to the World Series last season, concluded their season with 89 wins and 73 losses. Their late-season slump included a notable 10-9 defeat to the Brewers on September 22, where they squandered an 8-0 lead.

For Kendrick, the poorly handled scheduling was a disheartening end to a season that once held so much promise for the Diamondbacks.