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Mariners-Red Sox Preview

Aug 25, 2010 - 12:59 AM By HOWARD ULMAN AP Sports Writer

Seattle (49-76) at Boston (72-54), 1:35 p.m. EDT

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 5 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Tuesday's game was rescheduled for Wednesday night 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, 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.

The Red Sox open a key three-game series in Tampa on Friday night. Had Damon agreed to return, he might have been playing in it.

His parting with the Red Sox after the 2005 season was rocky. And only six players remain from that team with just four still around from the 2004 World Series champions that Damon was a part of. Terry Francona is still the manager.

Damon said before Tuesday night's game against Kansas City that he was staying in Detroit.

"These guys really like me here," he said.

So does Ortiz.

"We'd love to have our friend back here, but he has his own life," Ortiz said. "It's not all about him saying `yes' or `no.' It's all about him figuring things out with his family."

The Red Sox began the season with an outfield of Jacoby Ellsbury in left, Mike Cameron in center and J.D. Drew in right. But Ellsbury has played only 18 games because of rib injuries and almost certainly is out for the year. Cameron, who has played 48 games, is scheduled for season-ending abdominal surgery Friday.

So rookies Nava, who is hitting .277, and Kalish, batting .239, were called up. Hall, signed as a utility player in the offseason, is batting .240 with 17 homers. And McDonald is hitting .271 in 93 games after starting the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

"We're trying to play our best," Ortiz said. "Toward the end of the season you've got to win as many games as you can so you can be playing in mid-October."

Notes: The Red Sox activated C Kevin Cash from the disabled list and sent C Dusty Brown to Pawtucket. ... Brown and Francona met with umpire Joe West, dressed in street clothes, on the field during a downpour about a half hour before the game was called at 7:26 p.m., 16 minutes after the scheduled start.