The 2020 season has been a weird one for so many reasons for the Orioles, all relating to scheduling issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sunday, even more craziness happened.
As the Orioles were going for a series sweep over the defending champion Nationals at Nationals Park, a brief storm caused a rain delay. The Orioles led 5-2 in the top of the sixth inning, but nothing seemed amiss when the rain started.
Then trouble ensued.
The Nationals' grounds crew couldn't get the tarp out onto the field, which allowed the entire infield to be covered in standing water. And after a delay of more than two hours, the game was officially postponed until next Friday at Camden Yards.
"There was still quite a bit of game left," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "It's disappointing that we have the lead. I felt pretty good about our bullpen situation the last half of the game. It's disappointing that we couldn't finish it today."
Due to rule 7.02 in the MLB rulebook, a game will be suspended and resumed at a later date if certain criteria is met. The tarp failure classifies as a mechanical failure. If the game had been halted due to rain only, the Orioles would've been given a win since the game was already a complete game.
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"I was unaware of the mechanical part of the rule," Hyde said. "So now I know. I guess it's a recent rule, I've never been a part of something like this. So I didn't know."
The Orioles and Nationals waited for hours to see if the field was playable, and after it was decided that it wasn't, the decision was made to postpone the game. The game will pick up at Camden Yards with the Orioles leading, and the Nationals as the home team.
It will be the third time in the 2020 season that the Orioles will be the road team at Camden Yards.
Hyde said the decision was made by everyone involved and that there were some soft areas still on the field.
The Orioles had jumped out to a 5-0 lead after a five-run fifth inning led by Hanser Alberto and Anthony Santander, each of whom had two RBIs. They chased Stephen Strasburg, who was making his first start of the year, after 4 ⅓ innings.
Now, they'll look to officially give him the loss almost a week after his first start of the season began.
"Our guys were ready to play, it's just unfortunate that things happened the way they happened," Hyde said. "Sometimes you have to deal with some adversity and life throws you some curveballs."
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Rule 7.02, malfunctioning tarps and sweeps: Orioles-Nationals game on Sunday postponed originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
