Mariners, Red Sox set for doubleheader after rainout

BOSTON (AP) — Johnny Damon won’t be playing left field for the Red Sox in Boston’s longshot bid for a playoff spot.

Expect to see a group of far less accomplished outfielders — Daniel Nava, Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald and Ryan Kalish — sharing that spot.

Damon rejected Boston’s waiver claim on him and said Tuesday he’s staying with the Detroit Tigers. Barring a move for another veteran, the Red Sox will go with what they already have.

“We’ve got nothing else,” David Ortiz said after Tuesday night’s game with the Seattle Mariners was postponed by rain. “It’s not like (we) have more options. Of course, we’re battling and we’ve got to ride with this.”

The Red Sox began the day 5½ games behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Tuesday’s game was rescheduled for tonight (4 p.m., FSN, KVNI 1080, ESPN 700) as part of a day-night doubleheader, although the probability of precipitation ranged between 40 and 80 percent from noon until midnight.

Tuesday’s scheduled pitchers, Josh Beckett (3-3) and Seattle’s David Pauley (2-4) will pitch the opener (10:30 a.m., FSN, KVNI 1080, ESPN 700), with Jon Lester (13-8) facing Felix Hernandez (9-10) in the night game.

Seattle interim manager Daren Brown managed Pauley earlier in the season at Triple-A Tacoma.

“He’s pitched on a lot of (rainy days) down at Tacoma,” Brown said. “It seems like every time it was his day to pitch we had weather like this and I think he had five or six starts in a row that were either delayed or canceled. Hopefully, it will be nice tomorrow.”

If the teams can’t get both games in, they could play Thursday, an off day for both.