CHICAGO — Game 4 of the NL division series was washed away by rain on Tuesday, postponing Jake Arrieta’s return for the Chicago Cubs and leading to a decision by Washington Nationals Manager Dusty Baker sure to be debated inside the Beltway.

The Cubs and Nationals took batting practice and the grounds crew got the field ready before bringing out the tarp. The rain started about a half-hour after the scheduled start time at Wrigley Field. With more rain in the forecast, Major League Baseball then called it off.

Chicago leads 2-1 in the best-of-five series going into Game 4, now scheduled for Wednesday at 4:08 p.m. There is rain in the forecast for early in the day.

Cubs Manager Joe Maddon said the World Series champions will stay with Jack Arrieta, who is coming back from a right hamstring injury. Baker had left open the possibility of using ace Stephen Strasburg before the rainout, but announced after the game was called that he would stay with Tanner Roark.

Baker said Strasburg threw a bullpen Tuesday and has been “under the weather,” contributing to the decision. He said much of the team is battling a cold.

If the Nationals win Wednesday, Game 5 would be Thursday in Washington. The winner of the NLDS takes on the Dodgers in the next round, scheduled to begin Saturday in Los Angeles.


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