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Nationals vs Marlins: Postponed Until Tomorrow; Doubleheader Sunday 1:35; 7:05

Stephen Strasburg was scheduled to start against the Miami Marlins tonight, and the Washington Nationals waited as long as they could to try to get the game in, but after close to four hours they announced that the game was postponed, to be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.

By Patrick Reddington
Jonathan Ernst

Washington Nationals' right-hander Stephen Strasburg's 29th start of 2013 was scheduled to take place at 7:05 pm EDT tonight in Nationals Park, but the third game of four with Miami was delayed by rain for close to four hours before the decision was made to scrap the matchup with the Marlins and instead play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 1:35 PM EDT. Dan Haren will start the first game. Strasburg will start the night half of the day/night doubleheader at 7:05. That game will bring an end to the series finale with the Fish and Nats' regular season home schedule:

Notes on Strasburg: Strasburg's 1.55 ERA in Washington, D.C.'s Nationals Park is the second lowest home ERA in the majors this season, amongst qualified starters, behind only Miami right-hander Jose Fernandez's 1.19 ERA in Marlins Park and ahead of Clayton Kershaw's 1.62 ERA in Chavez Ravine.

Before tonight's scheduled outing against Miami, Strasburg, 25, the Nats' '09 no.1 overall pick, had walked 16 (1.55 BB/9), given up five home runs (0.48 HR/9) and racked up 102 Ks (9.87 K/9)in 93 innings on the mound in the nation's capital. In nine of 14 starts 2013 starts in D.C., he'd allowed one earned run or less. He started the season with seven scoreless against the Marlins on Opening Day on April 1st and added two scoreless in his last start at home on August 28th, which lasted just two innings before a 72-minute rain- delay ended his night.

"After about, I guess it was 45 minutes," Johnson told reporters that night, "he was going down and playing some catch and he was getting a little bit stiff in the back and so if it was an hour and then it kept raining so then it became an hour and it was a no-brainer at that point." That rain-shortened start, an ejection in Atlanta as part of the HBP battle with the Braves and "right forearm stiffness" that got him scratched from his last two turns in the rotation have limited Strasburg, who was on an actual innings limit last season but not this year, to just 39 2/3 innings or work in the last two months.

He has, however, put up a 2.72 ERA over the seven starts he's made in August  and September. And he's held the opposition to a .176/.248/.243 line over that stretch, while striking out 47 (10.66 K/9), walking 11 (2.50 BB/9) and giving up just three home runs (0.68 HR/9). He's received just two decisions though, (2-0), with the Nationals 5-2 in his last seven starts...

[ed. note - "There was supposed to be a game recap here]...

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