Malfunctioning lights at Nationals Park cause suspension of game with Dodgers

WASHINGTON — Almost four hours passed between the first pitch and the time the game was suspended for the night. In that time, the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers played five innings.

"Unforeseen circumstances," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "You never know with baseball."

Friday night was a case study to that effect.

The Dodgers led the Nationals, 2-1, with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning when four blocks of lights went out above the field. The game was delayed an hour and 22 minutes before picking back up—but only for nine minutes. Then, the lights went back out, causing another 40-minute delay.

The teams played 12 more minutes of baseball — during which Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar hit a two-run home run to give Washington a 3-2 lead — before the lights turned out once more, and the game was suspended at 10:42 p.m.

"After the second (delay), we knew we weren't going to (resume play) again (a third time)," Williams said. "You end up spending pitchers, and guys sit around way too long. The fact that it happened three times, we just don't know exactly why. So they're troubleshooting it now, and hopefully they have it by tomorrow so there's no more issue."

Though the requisite five innings had been completed, the teams will resume play Saturday at 2:05 p.m. in the top of the sixth, before playing the second game of their three-game series at 4:05.

Only one game after the All-Star break, both teams have to adjust their pitching to the situation. The Nationals pulled right-hander Jordan Zimmermann after the first delay, when he had pitched four innings and allowed three hits, two runs and a walk, striking out three and throwing 63 pitches.

During the first delay, Zimmermann alternated playing catch to stay loose and sitting down, treating 15 minutes as an inning. After he had simulated seven innings and weathered an hour delay, he couldn't reenter the game.

"It wasn't a question, once we got to the hour point," Williams said. "He's constantly down there throwing to try to keep loose, but at that point, he just sat too long."

Washington replaced him with long reliever Tanner Roark, who pitched a 1-2-3 fifth on seven pitches. Williams said depending on how he felt, he could continue Saturday.

Dodgers starter Mike Bolsinger threw 66 pitches over four innings. He got the last two outs of the fourth after the first delay but didn't continue after the second. Chin-Hui Tsao relieved him, giving up the home run to Escobar in a 19-pitch fifth inning.

That forces both teams to lean heavily on their bullpens for at least 13 innings of baseball on Saturday. The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and the Nationals' Doug Fister are slated to start the 4:05 game.

Though only one segment of the lights went out, the teams agreed it was too dark to continue.

"It's not what the players are used to," Williams said. "Guys throw way too hard to have somebody not be able to see a baseball. You're taking people's lives in your hands at that point."

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