WASHINGTON -- Before Friday night's contest, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was optimistic his team would be able to play despite an ominous forecast.
"We want to play," he said between thunderclaps at Nationals Park. "We don't want rainouts. This is supposed to linger for a couple or three days. We'd rather plow through. The doubleheader and the makeup game is not really desirable right now."
Maddon's wishes didn't come to fruition, because, after two lengthy delays totaling more than four hours, the game was postponed. The teams will play a single-admission doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2:05 p.m. CT. Game 2 will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Friday night's game was delayed by 1 hour, 21 minutes at the onset. The teams attempted to play through a small window, but rain began in the second inning. With two outs in the top of the second and Cubs starter Jonathan Lester coming to the plate in a deluge, home-plate umpire Mike Winters waved both teams off the field.
Around 10 p.m. CT, Maddon emerged from the clubhouse to discuss the situation with the umpires. A few minutes later, Nationals manager Dave Martinez joined the meeting. But 45 minutes later, the postponement was announced, ironically, shortly after it had finally stopped raining.
Veteran left-hander Jaime Garcia will start Game 1 against Nats right-hander Max Scherzer, while Cole Hamels will start Game 2 for Chicago.