Williams, Gonzalez left frustrated after delayed postponement

PHILADELPHIA - With a massive storm bearing down on the eastern seaboard, the Nationals and Phillies got under way this afternoon - but under questionable conditions. They made it only through the top of the second before the game was halted due to heavy rain. After a lengthy delay, a decision was finally made to postpone the game and play it as part of a straight doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow, with both games live on MASN.

Clearly upset, Nationals manager Matt Williams said he was "extremely" frustrated that the game started to begin with.

"It burned our pitcher," Williams said. "I'm not very happy about it."

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez threw 18 pitches in the first inning. Beyond that, Gonzalez went through his normal full warmup routine rendering him unavailable for a few days.

"I'm trying my best to keep my composure right now," a disappointed Gonzalez said. "One inning I got out of it."

Gonzalez was looking to build off the momentum of arguably his best start of the season when he tossed seven scoreless innings against the Pirates last Sunday.

"It's unfortunate," Gonzalez said. "You're put in a tough situation and it just sucks. I've been waiting four days and that's what happens."

Williams indicated he wasn't sure yet whether Gonzalez needed to sit out until his turn came back around or if he would slot back in sooner given today's light workload.

"It depends on the next two games," Williams said. "Given the off-day (on Monday), we have options because everybody gets pushed a day, so we'll play that one by ear, too, because we just don't know at this point. We have to see what tomorrow brings us."

Stephen Strasburg will start Game 1 of the doubleheader on Sunday, with Williams leaving his intentions for Game 2 unknown.

Tanner Roark could potentially start the second game of the doubleheader. Roark hasn't pitched since he followed Strasburg to the mound for two scoreless innings in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Braves. That was Roark's first relief appearance since returning to the bullpen after going 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts from May 25-June 16.

"It depends on where we're at and what we're doing," said Williams when asked about Roark. "So we'll see how Game 1 goes and adjust from there. We have to get through the first one first."

One concern is Strasburg's longevity. The right-hander will be making just his second start since coming off the 15-day disabled list with a left trapezius muscle strain. Strasburg made it five innings, throwing 94 pitches in Tuesday's outing. He should be capable of extending his pitch count in tomorrow's start, but the 26-year-old has only pitched into the sixth inning in five of 11 starts this year, with four ending before the fifth frame.

Rookie Joe Ross, who dazzled in his first three big league starts, isn't an option tomorrow. The 22-year-old right-hander made his first start for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts over five innings while taking the loss.

Meanwhile, right-hander Taylor Jordan was scratched from his scheduled start in Syracuse tonight. Jordan could be an option to start the second game tomorrow or also provide long relief in the doubleheader. Jordan was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits over six innings while taking the loss in a spot start for the Nats against the Blue Jays on June 3.

The Phillies will throw righty Kevin Correia in Game 1 with rookie right-hander Severino Gonzalez going in the second game of the doubleheader.

As far as why the game was even attempted today, Williams said Phillies officials insisted the forecast showed that it would be playable.

"Clearly, it wasn't," a frustrated Williams said.

Gonzalez attempted to bring some levity to the fouled-up situation with some sarcasm aimed at the Phillies' inept meteorological skills.

"This rain kinda caught us all off-guard," Gonzalez said, maintaining a straight face. "I mean, we didn't know it was coming for, like, three days."