Game 3 of the NLCS is set to begin in St. Louis at 3 p.m. CT Wednesday afternoon.

That's a simple declarative statement. Here's a statement that's a bit more ominous: That's just about the time thunderstorms could roll through the St. Louis area:

This Afternoon: Occasional showers and thunderstorms. High near 72. South wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

The "occasional" part is the worst news, because that means possible delays, with dry hours in between. But Major League Baseball isn't going to want to start a game, then have it delayed or possibly suspended, and force the teams to lose the services of Kyle Lohse and Matt Cain for Game 3.

At 12:45 p.m. CT, the St. Louis-area radar looked like this:

That's not encouraging, especially if the storms are moving southward. There are more to the west, just out of the range of this picture. Don't be surprised if this afternoon's game begins under a rain delay.