The Baltimore Orioles successfully finished what they started, beating the Washington Nationals 6-2 on Friday in a game suspended five days earlier because of a tarp malfunction at another ballpark.
Baltimore led 5-2 in the top of the sixth Sunday at Nationals Park when rain halted play. The grounds crew failed to get a tangled-up tarp out in time to prevent the infield from becoming an unplayable quagmire that could not be dried.
The game resumed Friday at Camden Yards with the Nationals serving as the home team prior to the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore.
Wearing their road gray uniforms, the Orioles secured a better-late-than-never victory that stretched their winning streak to six. The surge began with wins on Friday and Saturday in Washington and continued with a three-game sweep in Philadelphia.
When play resumed, the Orioles had two on and one out in the sixth. Bryan Holaday delivered a run-scoring single to make it 6-2, giving him two RBIs in the game — each five days apart.
It was the second time during this anything-goes season the Orioles played the role of the road team while at home. They dropped a pair to Miami as the “visitors" earlier this month.
Before the rain came Sunday, Baltimore got two RBIs apiece from Hanser Alberto and Anthony Santander in a five-run fifth against Stephen Strasburg (0-1). It was the first outing of the season for Strasburg, whose second start was to come Friday night.
Travis Lakins (2-0) got the victory by retiring the only batter he faced to end the fourth inning.
Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer for defending World Series champion Nationals, who are off to a 6-10 start.
MOVES
Nationals: Sent RHP Ryne Harper to their alternate training site (Fredericksburg) and called up 29-year-old RHP Dakota Bacus, who retired all six batters he faced in his major league debut.
Orioles: Selected the contract of RHP Chandler Shepherd and optioned RHP David Hess to their alternate site at Double-A Bowie.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: LHP Sean Doolittle (10-day IL, right knee) is going to wait a bit before he pitches off a mound. “I kind of want his knee to feel fine before he starts throwing,” manager Dave Martinez said. “We don’t want him to develop any bad habits.”
UP NEXT
Nationals: Strasburg got off to a late start this season because a nerve issue in his right hand, a problem he's still managing. “Based on our conversations with him, he feels like he can work through this injury," Martinez said.
Orioles: Tommy Milone (1-1) was slated to pitch for the Orioles. He blanked Washington over six innings last week.
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