The Associated Press

NEW YORK - General manager Brian Cashman said it was "hogwash" that the New York Yankees might have postponed a game this week to keep struggling starter Jeff Weaver from pitching against the Mets.

The Yankees postponed Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays about a half hour after the scheduled 1:05 p.m. start.

The rain stopped falling later in the afternoon, leading some to speculate that the Yankees called the game so quickly because they were eager to skip Weaver in the rotation.

"I was upset to see the conspiracy theories," Cashman said Friday before the series opener against the Mets.

Weaver was pushed back from a Saturday start against the Mets to face Tampa Bay next Tuesday. He is now scheduled to pitch against the Mets next Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

"We had already announced Weaver as our starter for Saturday," Cashman said. "We didn't have to do it. We had full confidence in him. If it was a concern with us, why would we have announced he was starting Saturday?"

Weaver is 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA and has been dropped from the rotation a couple of times this season. He returned last week when Jose Contreras went on the disabled list but gave up six runs and 10 hits in five innings against the Devil Rays.

Manager Joe Torre said those struggles were no reason to manufacture a rainout.

"I don't know why you would consider it," Torre said. "You'd be making more out of this series than what it is."

Cashman said the weather reports he received showed the rain would keep falling at the same pace until 5 p.m., then get even heavier.