Major League Baseball has postponed Wednesday’s scheduled Game 4 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Astros with the forecast calling for heavy rain in the New York area.

The Yankees will not get a chance to even the series until Thursday after Houston grabbed a 2-1 lead behind co-ace Gerrit Cole in a 4-1 victory Tuesday night in Game 3 at the Stadium. Game 4 will now begin at 8:08 p.m. Thursday, with Game 5 pushed to Friday, with first pitch at 7:08 p.m.

Only tickets for ALCS Game 4 (labeled as “ALCS home game #2” in New York) can be used for Thursday’s 8:08 p.m. start, with Game 5 tickets (ALCS home game #3) used for Friday’s Game 5.

A postponement would enable the Yankees to start Masahiro Tanaka on regular rest in Game 4, rather than employ an opener, likely Chad Green, as manager Aaron Boone had planned. It also would mean losing Friday’s scheduled off-day, which could affect the Yankees’ reliance on their bullpen for the remainder of the series.

Tanaka hurled six innings of shutout ball in the Yankees’ 7-0 win Saturday night in Game 1 in Houston. His career postseason ERA of 1.32 is third all-time in the team’s postseason history (minimum 30 innings), behind only Mariano Rivera (0.70) and Monte Pearson (1.01).

The Astros likely would turn back to Zack Greinke, whom the Yankees tagged for three runs (and two homers) over six innings in the series opener.