Cubs-Nationals postponed; will play doubleheader on Saturday
WASHINGTON - The game between the Cubs and Washington Nationals was postponed Friday night after two rain delays totaling more than four hours. It was scoreless in the top of the second inning when it was called.
The teams will play a doubleheader today starting at 2:05 p.m.
A thunderstorm delayed the start of the game 81 minutes, but the rain had stopped when play began.
Heavy rain and lightning returned with two outs and nobody on in the top of the second inning.
The rain eventually stopped as midnight approached, but the game was called after a wait of 2 hours, 55 minutes.
The rain spoiled the return of Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross, who was making his first major league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2017. The 25-year-old Ross, whose fastball reached 97 mph, allowed a hit, hit a batter and had a strikeout.
Jon Lester tossed a scoreless first inning for the Cubs, giving up a hit.
Cole Hamels (4-0, 1.00 with Cubs) and Nats Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.28) were scheduled to duel for the second time in a month tonight. Both are still set to start Game 1 of the doubleheader today
Neither got a decision on Aug. 12 when David Bote's grand slam off Ryan Madson in the bottom of the ninth won it for Cubs. Hamels is 16-9 with a 2.63 ERA in 36 career starts versus Washington, while Scherzer is 3-1, 2.45 in seven starts against the Cubs.
Earlier in the day, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was hopeful the teams would get the game in.
"We want to play. We don't want rainouts," Maddon said. "It's supposed to rain here for three days. We can plow through.
"We've done that already this year so many times."
"We'd rather plow through this than a doubleheader and a makeup game. We're going through 23 in a row, so we need to play this," he said.
For about an hour Friday afternoon, Kris Bryant was the Cubs' starting center fielder.
That lasted until Ben Zobrist was scratched from his start in right field because of a stiff neck, and Bryant was reassigned to right.
But fall clearly is in the air for the Cubs as they put the first week of September behind them and start looking at how best to build a playoff lineup with Daniel Murphy at second base and Javy Baez on the left side of the infield.
"This was the perfect night to try it with," said manager Joe Maddon, whose mad-scientist hat is strapped firmly in place for the final weeks of the season.
Bryant, whose only start in center came in his seventh career game in 2015, will get his day in center this month if Maddon can make it happen, as the manager starts playing with all the possible postseason pictures he can create with his roster full of puzzle pieces.
"You can start writing down the possibilities," said Maddon, who approached the willing Bryant with the center field possibility almost as soon as Bryant returned from the disabled list last weekend.
"There's so many different looks right now if everybody's healthy," said Maddon, who still likes Albert Almora Jr. in center against left-handers.
Maddon stressed the manipulation of his outfield alignment has nothing to do with right-fielder Jason Heyward's hamstring injury, but the often tricky nature of such injuries make Heyward's timeline anything but certain.
Heyward, who felt the right hamstring "pop" as he dove for a ball in center on Aug. 30, is not with the team in Washington. Maddon seemed sure Heyward will be back at a productive level by playoff time and expects to have a firmer idea of his progress by midweek.
Meanwhile, the recently acquired Murphy is not leaving his post at second base or the leadoff spot anytime soon, which means the Cubs have to keep third base or short available every day for MVP candidate Baez. And if Addison Russell - or in the Friday's case David Bote - Bryant becomes an outfielder.
"I'm ready for it," Bryant said.