The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals were unable to begin their weekend set as planned on Friday because rainy weather forced the series opener to be postponed to Saturday. They are now slated for a split doubleheader, with make-up contest beginning at 11:05 a.m. PT.
First pitch in Saturday’s originally scheduled game is now set for 5:05 p.m. PT. It was a third time this week a game at Nationals Park was impacted because of rainy weather.
Whether the Dodgers and Nationals will get through the two games without issue is hardly a certainty. The forecast calls for stretches of rain for much of the day.
As more inclement weather looms, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts nonetheless is confident three games will be played at Nationals Park over the next two days, even if delays are involved, per Ben Standig on MLB.com:
“Pretty confident,” Roberts said of getting both games in Saturday. “Whether we have to delay a little bit the first game and make a long day even longer potentially, I think we’re confident we’ll get all three in this weekend.”
As it stands, the Dodgers and Nationals are due to conclude their series at 10:35 a.m. PT on Sunday. The early start makes the possibility of a doubleheader more feasible, but that still is not a desired scenario for the Dodgers.
They are due back in Los Angeles on Monday for the start of a series with the Colorado Rockies and 10-game homestand.
Should it come to it, Los Angeles and Washington have a mutual off day June 4. The Dodgers face the Rockies at Coors Field on June 3 and travel to PNC Park to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a series that begins June 5.
While June 4 works in theory, that also is the first day of the 2018 MLB Draft.
