WASHINGTON -- By the time Danny Espinosa hit his two-run homer in the eighth inning, there were only a couple of hundred fans left in the ballpark, almost all of them congregated behind the two dugouts. A couple of times there was an ad hoc chant-off between the ones in red down the first base line and those in blue on the other side. "You can hear every word at that point," Espinosa said. "Its like a back-field spring training game." Anthony Rendon hit a two-run homer in the first inning Monday night, and -- thanks to an odd-moving storm that produced an interminable rain delay -- Espinosa and the Washington Nationals didnt finish off the Los Angeles Dodgers until some six hours later on Tuesday morning, holding on for a 4-0 victory and gaining sole possession of first place in the NL East. Jordan Zimmerman pitched four shutout innings before the game was halted, and five relievers threw an inning apiece after play resumed. In between, there was an interruption of 3 hours, 17 minutes while a narrow, cigar-shaped storm took its time soaking D.C. and not much else. "You certainly wait around that long, you want to win the game," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. Aaron Barrett (2-0) got the win mainly because he happened to be Washingtons first reliever when play resumed. Zack Greinke (5-1) got a hard-luck first loss of the season, and plate umpire John Tumpane became the MVP for calling strikes and getting the game done in a reasonable hurry once the tarp was removed. There were four strikeouts before the delay, 16 after it. "We dont get off to a good start, they get a couple quick runs, and then obviously a three-hour delay in there and lose Zack," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Really, we had chances, we just didnt do anything." The rain limited Greinke to three innings, ending a streak that had been unmatched for a century. He had 18 consecutive regular-season starts of at least five innings while allowing two runs or fewer -- the longest such run in the majors since 1914. "Its not really like its an important streak; no one really cares about it anyway," Greinke said. "If it was like a consecutive win streak or something more important than that, it would mean a little more." Dodgers slugger Yasiel Puig sat out the marathon, still sore after crashing into an outfield wall in the ninth inning of Sundays 5-4 road loss to the Miami Marlins. Manager Don Mattingly said Puig remained day to day and declined to say directly whether a concussion has been ruled out. Nationals left fielder Nate McLouth had his own crash-into-wall injury in the eighth inning, when he made a sliding backhand catch of a foul ball. Both hands and both knees hit the wall hard, and his right hand was bleeding as he walked off the field. Williams said McLouth wasnt seriously hurt. The cut didnt require stitches, although a banged-up knee will almost certainly be sore for a while. Zimmermann held the fort until the middle of the fourth, when the dozens of bags of sands poured on the infield by the grounds crew were no longer a match for the weather. The fans who stayed behind were treated to a scoreboard broadcast of their city-sports-brethren Washington Wizards winning an NBA playoff game. Also shown during the delay was the Atlanta Braves loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, which helped the Nationals vault into first in the division. The fans who remained when play resumed had unusually good odds when it came to chasing a foul ball, or catching a T-shirt tossed into the stands as part of a standard promotion. "Fans are going crazy," Zimmermann said. "Its a game, you have to play no matter how many fans are out there. The place wasnt exactly rocking, but it was a game we had to play." NOTES: Greinke had been unbeaten in his previous 13 starts (9-0) vs. NL East teams. ... The Nationals plan to promote RHP Blake Treinen from Triple-A Syracuse to start Tuesdays game. RHP Ryan Mattheus will be optioned to Syracuse. ... Clayton Kershaw (strained back) is scheduled to come off the disabled list Tuesday and start for the Dodgers. ... Kershaw is expected to take the roster spot held for a day by RHP Pedro Baez, who was recalled Monday from Double-A Chattanooga and made his major league debut in the eighth inning. RHP Stephen Fife, who started Sundays game, was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Mattingly said LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, who missed Sundays start with a sore shoulder, did not need an MRI and would resume throwing Tuesday. ... Washington reinstated OF Scott Hairston (strained side muscle) from the 15-day DL and optioned OF Steven Souza Jr. to Triple-A Syracuse. ... Washington C Wilson Ramos (hand) caught nine innings for Double-A Harrisburg on Monday and could rejoin the team later this week. Giants Jerseys 2019 . Hicham Khalouas late goal improved Almerias chances of avoiding relegation in a match dominated by contentious calls, including three penalties. One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place. Cheap Giants Jerseys .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/. He made another correct read. The Browns, who have been shuttling quarterbacks on and off the field all season, finally got some good news on that front: Campbells ribs are only bruised. Giants Jerseys 2020 .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45. Stitched Giants Jerseys . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game.F1 authorities have agreed to revert to the 2015 qualifying format from the Chinese Grand Prix. The U-turn follows the decision of the teams to write to FIA president Jean Todt and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone urging a return to last years format after they rejected a proposal to introduce an aggregate laps system. Teams reject aggregate qualy Unanimous agreement was required for new format to be introduced Ecclestone and Todt have agreed to the request in the interests of the championship. The change still must be rubber-stamped by the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council for it to take effect from the race in Shanghai.The elimination-style format, brought in for the opening two races of the 2016 season, proved hugely unpopular with fans with the three qualy segments regularly ending without any cars on track. In a poll held on the Sky Sports Digital platforms, over 80 per cent of respondents voted for a return to the 2015 system.Thats what the fans wanted, thats what the drivers wanted, and its what the team bosses put in a letter to Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt on Thursday when they were asked to vote on this aggregate qualifying system, reported Sky Sports News HQs Craig Slater. The teams didnt want that and they were not going to vote for it, even if it was better than the system used in the last couple of races, because there was an even better solution to which there was no impediment to being introduced - the 2015 system.Todt and Ecclestone had dug their heels in over this, but theyve at least listened to what the teams and drivers wanted. Its a common-sense solution.Teams had originally wanted the 2015 rules to be reinstated immediately after the new elimination format fell flat on its debut at the Australian GP last month, but the FIA subsequently offered only a hybrid solution for the race in Bahrain. After more criticism of the new system last weekend, a proposal for aggregate laps was put forward by F1s governing body - although it received a lukewarm response from team bosses and was mocked by some drivers.Its time to go to the circus, said an especially unimpressed Sebastian Vettel. Chinese GP on Sky Sports TV times and schedule in full for round three of the new 2016 season Ahead of an intended vote on Thursday of the sports Strategy Group and F1 Commission, the united front displayed by the teams to return to the 2015 rules appears to have convinced Ecclestone and Todt to change their minds.F1s more traditional knockout system was first introduced in 2006, with the slowest drivers in Q1 and Q2 only out of the running when each session is completed, rather than at 90-second intervals.In a statement, the FIA added that Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone welcomed the idea put forward by the teams to have a global assessment of the format of the weekend for 2017. Ecclestone told Sky F1 at the Bahrain GP that the idea of holding a Saturday sprint race to take the place of a formal qualifying session was still being discussed.FIA AND FOM STATEMENT REGARDING F1 QUALIFYING FORMATAt the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, commercial rights holder representative, accepted, in the interests of the Championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015.dddddddddddd. This proposal, if approved by the F1 governing bodies, will take effect as from the Chinese Grand Prix and will apply for the rest of the season. Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone welcomed the idea put forward by the teams to have a global assessment of the format of the weekend for 2017. Back to the future: How 2015 qualifying worked Q1 All 22 cars 18-minute session Slowest 6 cars knocked out & make up positions 17-22 on grid Q2 Remaining 16 cars 15-minute session Slowest six cars knocked out & make up positions 11-16 on grid Q3 Remaining 10 cars 12-minute session Final order makes up positions 1-10 on grid Natalie Pinkham is joined by Motor Racing Correspondent for The Times Kevin Eason and F1 journalist for The Sun Ben Hunt to review the Bahrain Grand Prix i Also See: Vote for the qualifying format youd like Teams reject aggregate qualifying ' ' '