After rain delay, O's get lead against the Phillies

PHILADELPHIA - It's pouring and very dark, and the Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies are in a rain delay with this game tied 1-1 after two and a half innings at Citizens Bank Park.

One day after playing their Grapefruit League finale, the Orioles were back in a major league ballpark tonight for their final spring training game in a matchup with the Phillies.

After the Orioles were retired in the first by Philadelphia right-hander Aaron Nola, the Phillies took a 1-0 lead on Vance Worley in the last of the first.

Freddy Galvis led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a Cesar Hernandez line single to center. After a forceout at second left runners at first and third, an RBI groundout to short by Maikel Franco scored Galvis for the 1-0 lead. Joey Rickard made a nice running catch in left field to end the inning.

The Orioles tied it 1-1 with an unearned run in the second. With two outs, Jonathan Schoop reached on an error on first baseman Ryan Howard. He went to second when Caleb Joseph walked and scored on Rickard's single to center. Rickard, who began today batting .387, drove in his eighth run of the spring.

The Orioles are 11-15-5 this spring. Since an 0-10-2 start, they are 11-5-3, which includes a record of 6-1-1 their past eight games.

Through two innings, Worley has allowed three hits and the one run with no walks or strikeouts on 34 pitches, 20 for strikes.

Update: After a short period of heavy rain and completely dark skies, there is some partial clearing now in Philadelphia and the tarp is off the field as of about 7:15 p.m. Looks like they are going to resume this game and we'll pass along a re-start time if and when we get one.

Update II: Hey, we just got one. This game will resume at 7:40 p.m. Worley did not return after the rain delay and Edgar Olmos came on to pitch the third.

O's go deep: Buck Showalter made several subs after the rain delay and the bench players provided some punch in the top of the fourth. Against right-hander Ernesto Frieri, Xavier Avery and Steve Tolleson hit two-run homers for a 5-1 lead.

Avery, who homered to left, has hit four spring homers in 31 at-bats. It was No. 2 for Tolleson.

The O's went on to make it a five-run inning and lead 6-1. They got singles from Garabez Rosa, L.J. Hoes and Chris Davis to load the bases, and Rosa scored on an RBI grounder by Julio Borbon. Ryan Flaherty pinch-ran for Davis, who goes 1-for-3 in the finale.

Maikel Franco's long homer to left in the fourth off Olmos made it 6-2. Franco has nine spring home runs and this one made the second deck. Two batters later, Ryan Howard's blast made it 6-3.