A long anticipated potential rematch between Giants’ reliever Hunter Strickland and Nationals’ outfielder Bryce Harper will have to wait. At least until Saturday.
After a two-hour, 43-minute rain delay on Friday evening in Washington, D.C., the Nationals called off the first game of a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants.
For much of the day, it appeared as though the game would begin on time, but about 25 minutes before the scheduled first pitch at 7:05 ET, the Nationals brought their tarp onto the field and never officially listed a new start time for the contest.
After Friday’s game was officially postponed, the Nationals did not immediately announce an official date and time for the game to be rescheduled. With San Francisco heading to Miami on Monday, and with both teams running out of open dates, the teams don’t have much flexibility, so a Saturday or Sunday double-header is likely.
Update: According to multiple reports, the Nationals have announced a split double header for Sunday, with the first game taking beginning at 10:05 PT and the second game starting at 4:05 PT
Friday’s game was expected to be the third start of the season for Giants’ rookie Chris Stratton, who has encountered challenging circumstances in each of his first two starts. Stratton made his debut as a starter in July when Johnny Cueto was scratched with an ear infection about 20 minutes before first pitch, and made his second start after the Giants’ pregame ceremony honoring the 1997 club on Saturday evening ran long.