WASHINGTON -- As they pursue their uphill wild-card bid into the seasons final week, the Nationals had another opponent to contend with Saturday night: Mother Nature. After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p.m. The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader Sunday with the first game starting at 1:35 p.m. and the second at 7:05 p.m. Washington plays in St. Louis Monday night, while Miami hosts Philadelphia. Neither teams clubhouse was open to the media after the postponement was announced. "Id like to call it early and play a doubleheader. Its easier on everybody," Washington manager Davey Johnson said Saturday afternoon. "That said, well probably be here until 1 (a.m.)." Marlins manager Mike Redmond also said he expected that the teams would wait it out. "From what Ive heard, I think they want to play it tonight. Nobody really wants to play a doubleheader on our getaway day. I think well sit this one out, wait it out and see what happens," he said. The details of the decision to wait nearly four hours, and then ultimately postpone the game, were not disclosed. The home team generally controls whether or not a game will start, but late in the season Major League Baseball and the umpires are part of the decision-making process. The Nationals have won 12 of 14 and began the day five games behind Cincinnati and Pittsburgh for two NL wild card spots. Pittsburgh defeated the Reds 4-2 Saturday night. The Marlins have lost six of seven. Miamis Tom Koehler (3-10, 4.51) opposes Dan Haren (9-13, 4.88) in the afternoon game, while Stephen Strasburg (7-9, 2.96), Saturday nights scheduled starter for Washington, faces Brian Flynn (0-2, 9.64) Sunday night. Strasburg will make his first start since Sept. 8. On Sept. 13, the day before his next scheduled start, he felt tightness in his right forearm, so his start was pushed back to this past Thursday. On Wednesday, Strasburg couldnt shake forearm tightness while trying to get loose for that start, so he was again pushed back, to Saturday. Saucony Grid 9000 Premium . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Saucony Jazz Original Blu . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. http://www.sauconyjazzsasldi.it/saucony-grid-9000-premium.html . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Scarpe Saucony Scontate . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Saucony Grid 9000 . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves.NEW YORK -- Ivan Nova thought discovering he was tipping pitches in his start against Boston last week made the difference. Manager Joe Girardi simply attributed this outing to better control. No matter the reason, Novas stellar September start kept the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card chase. The right-hander pitched a six-hitter for his second career shutout, Eduardo Nunez hit a two-run homer and the Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 Saturday. "We need to win games, and its no time to pitch the way that I pitched the time before," Nova said. Nova watched video between starts with pitching coach Larry Rothschild after giving up five runs -- four earned -- against the Red Sox. Nova thought he saw himself giving away some pitches, so he adjusted the way he held his glove, and he also worked on better curveball command. The adjustments made for a 108-pitch gem. A day before New York honours retiring closer Mariano Rivera in a pregame ceremony, Nova (9-5) gave the Yankees bullpen a rest with his third complete game, all this year. He struck out seven and walked one in winning for the first time in four starts following poor efforts against AL East rivals Boston and Baltimore. "I think he has a lot more confidence in his stuff," Girardi said. Brendan Ryan made several impressive plays at shortstop, Alfonso Soriano connected for the second straight day and Robinson Cano had an RBI single in a three-run third against Ryan Vogelsong (3-6), helping New York win for just the third time in eight games. New York (82-73) remained three games behind Cleveland (85-70) and 2 1-2 back of Texas (84-70) for the second AL wild card but moved ahead of Baltimore and Kansas City (both 81-73). The Yankees have seven games remaining, including three against wild-card leading Tampa Bay (85-69). "If we played like we played last night and today we feel like we can win every game," Soriano said. Soriano connected on the first pitch thrown by reliever Guillermo Moscoso leading off the sixth, giving him 17 homers and 50 RBIs with the Yankees in 52 games. He had 17 homers and 51 RBIs in 93 games for the Chicago Cubs. The Giants gave the many orange and black-clad fans in attendance little to cheer. They only had two baserunners reach second -- one the result of Soriano losing Brandon Belts flyball to left field in the sun for a double. Belt and Pablo Sandoval each had twwo hits for the Giants, who never put two runners on in the same inning.dddddddddddd San Francisco lost for the eighth time in nine interleague road games this season. With a .458 winning percentage (71-84), the Giants are on track for the third-worst winning percentage for a defending World Series champion, trailing only the 1998 Florida Marlins (.333) and the 1991 Cincinnati Reds (.457), according to STATS. After Vogelsong retired six straight to start the game, the bottom three in the Yankees lineup reached opening the third. Mark Reynolds blooped a single over third base and went to third on a hit-and-run single by Ryan, who entered with a .197 average. Chris Stewart walked on four pitches to load the bases for Ichiro Suzuki. "It was upsetting for me from a mental standpoint. I didnt have a good mental game," Vogelsong said. "On the hit and run, I knew they were going to send the runner there and the cutter away but it ran up a bit. If that ball is where I want it to be its a groundball." Suzukis sacrifice fly put the Yankees ahead, Alex Rodriguez drove in another run with a spinning grounder to the left of second base that shortstop Brandon Crawford gloved with a nifty grab, and Cano tacked on a run when he sliced a single the opposite way through a huge hole between shortstop and third base. Nunez connected in the fourth on the first pitch he saw from Vogelsong for his second homer this season. Vogelsong was lifted after five innings. He allowed five runs and five hits in losing for the fourth time in five starts. Sandoval, the Giants third baseman, was lifted for defence before the start of the bottom of the eighth because his back tightened up. He is day to day. NOTES: Nova pitched a three-hit shutout against Baltimore on Aug. 31. ... Girardi said that while C Austin Romine (concussion) was cleared to play, he may not return this season because he still feels dizzy after working out. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy visited Monument Park. ... Giants 2B Joaquin Arias will miss several games with a pulled left hamstring. Arias was injured Friday night in the seventh inning. ... The Yankees are urging fans to be in their seats for Sundays game before 12:30 p.m. for the start of the ceremony honouring Rivera. .... Giants RHP Yusmeiro Petit (4-0) faces LHP Andy Pettitte (10-10), who will be making his final regular-season start at Yankee Stadium. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '