BOSTON — Johnny Damon won’t be playing left field for the Red Sox in Boston’s long-shot 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 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 are 6 games behind the Yankees and 5½ behind the Rays, who played a late game, in the AL East.

Tuesday’s game was rescheduled for tonight 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 David Pauley (2-4) of Seattle, will pitch the opener, with Jon Lester (13-8) facing Felix Hernandez (9-10) in the night game.

Pauley played for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2005-06.

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 (today).”

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

The Red Sox will open a pivotal three-game series Friday night in Tampa.

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 catcher Kevin Cash from the disabled list and sent catcher 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.