O's game blog: Tonight's game and hearing from the 1992 Orioles

After some heavy rain at Camden Yards earlier this afternoon, the Orioles and Los Angeles Angels will try to get this game in tonight. It is the start of a three-game series, a six-game homestand and a stretch of 16 home games in 19 contests for the Orioles.

However, the tarp was still on the field as 7 p.m. approached, and tonight's game will not start on time. But the Orioles announced an approximate start time of 7:40 p.m.

The Orioles are 35-23 at home and 24-39 on the road. They are 12-5-2 in 19 series at Oriole Park.

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.50 ERA) is set to make his fourth Orioles start. He pitched seven scoreless in his Aug. 2 debut against Kansas City, gave up three runs in six frames against the Angels and six runs over five innings Sunday in a 9-3 loss at Oakland.

In eight career appearances against the Angels, Hellickson is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA. In 28 career games versus American League West opponents, he is 8-12 with a 3.43 ERA.

Lefty Andrew Heaney is making his first major league appearance since April 5, 2016. Heaney tore the ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery on July 1, 2016 (413 days ago). He will be Angels' 12th pitcher to start this season. He posted a 6-4 record and 3.49 ERA in 2015.

The Orioles are 59-62 and coming off a 4-6 West Coast trip. The Angels are 62-59 and leading the multi-team chase for the second AL wild card. The Angels have won seven of eight games and are 11-4 in August.

The 1992 Orioles: There are 20 Orioles from the 1992 team in town this weekend to help celebrate the 25th anniversary season of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

When Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened on April 6, 1992, a new era of Major League Baseball began. Oriole Park inspired a generation of ballpark construction and captured the nation's attention from day one. In the 25 seasons that followed, it has served as the standard by which all new ballparks are measured as The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™. The Orioles are honoring the 25^th anniversary throughout the 2017 season with promotions, special events and a commemorative logo displayed on the right sleeve of all Orioles game jerseys and on official Rawlings® Major League Baseballs used in home games. More information about Oriole Park at Camden Yards can be found at www.orioles.com/ballpark.

Earlier today local reporters had a chance to interview some members of that 1992 team.

Mike Devereaux on going from Memorial Stadium to OPACY: "There was a lot of history at Memorial Stadium with (Jim) Palmer and Robinson, both Brooks and Frank. That last day there was incredible. But then coming here, when we first looked at the stadium, it was 2 a.m. and we had just come in from (spring training in) Florida.

"Comiskey in Chicago was a new stadium in '91 and you never heard anything about that. And then Camden Yards and it just blew up. Every stadium after Camden Yards was built because of Camden Yards. But this stadium - they've kept it up. We never played in this stadium when it wasn't sold out. That first game I remember fans on the rooftops of buildings downtown. To me, that was incredible."

Brady Anderson on the end of the first game at the Yard: "One thing I don't know if I remember it, but they keep showing it and I wish they'd stop, was (Rick) Sutcliffe striking out (Paul) Sorrento on a ball that was about six feet outside."

Joe Orsulak on opening day 1992: "I was nervous. And it was hard to see the ball off the bat with a lot of people wearing white. You don't want to be the guy to screw it up on a fly ball. Was nerve-wracking until you caught a few out there. We had a sold-out crowd and brand new stadium and you didn't want to be the guy to mess up."

Mark McLemore on OPACY: "My first memory was coming over the bridge and Johnny (Oates) had the buses stop. So we could all take a look basically at history. This was the first wave of new stadiums. Seeing the park lit up the way it was, it was absolutely beautiful.

"To this day it amazes me that people still buy tickets to stand up and watch a game. At that time, that wasn't going on at other stadiums. This place was sold-out the three years I was here and the fans really knew their baseball. It was great, just incredible."

Tim Hulett remembers Johnny Oates, the 1992 manager, who passed away in 2004 after a three-year battle with brain cancer: "Johnny was special to a lot of us. We lived in a complex close to Johnny. He would hang out over his balcony and watch myself and my kids play whiffle ball every morning. We got to know him pretty well. His support and all the things he brought to the Orioles, he was a players' manager. Baltimore will always have a special place in the hearts of the Hulett family. The Orioles organization, led by Johnny, was just fantastic. This is a special place for us."