Miami Marlins bothered by Nationals' decision to postpone game
Just ten minutes after the scheduled first pitch, Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals was postponed due to inclement weather. The Marlins are questioning the decision because of the way the skies cleared an hour after the announcement.
By Scott Gelman May 30, 2014, 9:15am EDT
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Playing all of their games at Marlins Park with its retractable roof, the Miami Marlins no longer concern themselves with the timing and conflicts that come with rain delays. But on Tuesday night at Nationals Park, the game was canceled just ten minutes after the scheduled start time.
Miami, notably Manager Mike Redmond, was bothered by the quick decision because of the fact that the weather in the nation's capital cleared up about an hour after the game was canceled.
By 8:15 p.m., the grounds crew was taking the tarp off the field. Late last season, the Nationals made the Marlins wait more than three hours before the game was finally called.
"I think it seemed early to call it," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Wednesday. "But that's their call and there's not a whole lot we can do about it, just be ready to play [Wednesday]."
According to MLB rules, the home team has the power to delay the start of the game and postpone or reschedule it due to inclement weather. Once the game starts, the umpires have the power to delay it or postpone the game.
Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/2014/05/marlins-not-happy-nationals-were-quick-to-pull-the-plug-on-tuesdays-rain-out.html#storylink=cpy
During their time at Sun Life Stadium, the Marlins frequently did everything possible to avoid postponing a game. Because it was a quick three game series with an off day on Thursday, the influence of the rainout was minimal. Henderson Alvarez made the start for the Marlins on Wednesday night, but the Nationals did skip a spot in their rotation, with Jordan Zimmermann, instead of Blake Treinen, facing Miami on Wednesday.
The game will be made up as part of a day-night double header on September 26. Miami ends the season in D.C. on the September 28.
#Nats #Marlins rainout makeup 9/26 at 1:05 as part of day-night doubleheader. Use tix for that game or exchange for other of equal value.
— Mark Zuckerman (@ZuckermanCSN) May 29, 2014
While Redmond's comments were likely in response to the quick decision, the Nationals gained an advantage by rescheduling the contest. Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper are both currently on the disabled list, but could be healthy by the end of the season.
Washington is three games out of first place heading into a series with the Rangers which begins on Friday. The Marlins are tied with Atlanta and host the Braves in a weekend series, but the standings may not look the same come September, making Miami's discontent understandable.