Dodgers rally from three runs down but lose in extra innings – Press Enterprise

WASHINGTON – Any place with as many delays as Nationals Park this weekend should come under scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Agency.

Two days into this series, the Dodgers and Washington Nationals have spent a total of six hours and 23 minutes playing baseball – and five hours, 44 minutes waiting out rain delays each night. More rain is expected Sunday.

Enough water has fallen on Nationals Park over the past two days that the grass’ growth might be detectable by the human eye. Fans hunkered down in stairwells Saturday or jammed into the Budweiser Brew House in center field, one of the few covered areas in the park proper. The afternoon game became a night game while time seemed to stand still in the stadium.

The fans who did stay were vocally Dodger supporters – but so scattered that a loud “thump” could be heard throughout the park when Nationals centerfielder Jacob Young crashed into the wall to catch Will Smith’s sixth-inning drive.

If fans had waited around through the four-hour, 10-minute rain delay hoping for a repeat of Friday night’s rain-delay offer of a 40-percent discount on chicken tenders and hot dogs, they were instead rewarded with extra innings. The Dodgers came back from three runs down to extend the game, but lost 7-6 in the 11th on a run-scoring wild pitch.

Six and a half hours after the original scheduled start time, the Dodgers went into the ninth inning down, 5-4, after Max Muncy’s two-run homer in the eighth.

With one out, James Outman worked an 11-pitch walk, fouling off five consecutive full-count pitches before getting ball four. Kolten Wong followed and fell behind 0-and-2 – then lashed a single through the right side of the infield to tie the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers escaped a bases-loaded situation when Smith made an outstanding pick of Kike’ Hernandez’s throw in the dirt, saving the force play for the second out of the inning.

In the top of the 10th, Hernandez was down 0-and-2 with two outs when he dropped a single into right field, driving in the go-ahead run. But the Nationals tied it immediately when Keibert Ruiz led off the bottom of the 10th with an RBI single, cashing in the free runner for the first run charged to Ryan Brasier since August 6 (11 1/3 scoreless innings ago).

The Dodgers couldn’t cash in the free runner in the top of the 11th and were nearly out of danger in the bottom of the inning thanks in part to a five-man infield. But Gus Varland’s wild pitch to Carter Kieboom brought in the winning run as midnight neared.

The delayed start was a particular challenge for Dodgers rookie right-hander Bobby Miller and he was up to it. He completed seven innings for the second consecutive start and struck out a career-high eight batters. But the Nationals got to him for multiple runs in two innings.

The highlight of Miller’s night was the second through fourth innings when he retired nine of 10 Nationals batters, six on strikeouts. Miller threw 18 curveballs in the first four innings and got the Nats to either take it for a strike or swing and miss a combined 10 times.

In the fifth inning, though, Ildemaro Vargas worked Miller for a walk, seeming to unsettle him by stepping out late before one pitch and calling a timeout. Vargas stole second, went to third on a wild throw by Smith and scored on a single by Luis Garcia.

Two batters later, Abrams bunted for a hit and Miller hit Thomas with a changeup to load the bases with one out. Dominic Smith cashed in a run on a sacrifice fly before Miller could escape.

Sent out for the seventh after throwing 81 pitches through the first six, Miller retired the first two batters but walked Abrams then gave up a two-run home run to Thomas that put the Nationals up 5-2.