Cubs, Nationals postponed; doubleheader Saturday

Friday night’s Cubs/Nationals game started over an hour late due to rain, and they played one inning and part of a second and then it poured again.

Nearly three hours after that, the game was finally postponed:

You know, I’ve written about rain delays at Wrigley Field that I thought were poorly handled, but this one was about the worst I’ve ever seen, and I wasn’t even sitting in it. This game should never have been started; the “window” to play lasted less than an hour. I don’t know what Nationals management or MLB — the latter supposedly in charge of this game since it’s the last series between the teams this year — were thinking in trying to get this game in.

They could have called it off before it even started, which would have been better for everyone: Players, fans, stadium employees, media, broadcasters. Yes, I understand this is an important game for the Cubs, at least, in a pennant race, but to do this? Now the Cubs have likely lost Jon Lester for a start, though he threw only 14 pitches and possibly could come back Saturday.

As noted in the Nats tweet above, this will be a single-admission doubleheader beginning at 2:05 p.m. CT. I’ll have more to say about the way the weather situation was handled Saturday morning at 8 a.m. CT, and a game preview for both games of the doubleheader will post at noon CT.

The Cardinals lost to the Tigers Friday evening, thanks to a walkoff homer by our old friend Jeimer Candelario, so they trail by 5½ games. The Brewers beat the Giants, so they currently trail the Cubs by four games.

More in the morning.