Series finale vs. Mets postponed, no makeup announced

The Nationals' series finale against the Mets was postponed when heavy rain converged upon the District shortly before scheduled first pitch and didn't show signs of letting up anytime soon.

No makeup date was immediately announced. The two clubs do share a common off-day on Sept. 11, which falls in the middle of a 10-game homestand for the Nationals and the start of a nine-game road trip for the Mets.

Otherwise, the teams are scheduled to meet once more in Washington this season: Aug. 25-27.

The Nationals were hopeful of getting tonight's game in, with the forecast not all that imposing earlier in the day. Both teams took batting practice with no interruptions, but as the Mets were wrapping up their session the Nationals Park grounds crew began moving the tarp into position. Shortly before 6:30 p.m., the crew rolled the tarp out over the infield, with rain arriving a little while later.

Tanner Roark was scheduled tonight's game, with the Nationals seeking a three-game sweep of the Mets. The coaching staff now will have to decide whether to push Roark back to Thursday's series opener against the Braves and thus give the rest of their rotation an extra day off, or whether to skip Roark's turn altogether and keep everyone else on normal schedule.

Roark has been mired in the worst pitching slump of his major league career. Over his last four starts, the right-hander is 0-3 with an 11.88 ERA and 1.021 opponents' OPS.

Bryce Harper was scheduled to get the night off. With the rainout, the star right fielder could end up getting his day of rest without actually missing a game.

Update: The Nationals announced they will be skipping Roark's spot in the rotation, for now. Gio Gonzalez will start Thursday night vs. the Braves as originally scheduled, with Max Scherzer on Friday and Stephen Strasburg on Saturday. Sunday's starter is now listed as "TBA," with either Joe Ross available on normal rest or Roark on extra rest.