O's win suspended game and run streak to six in a row (updated)

Paul Fry was the first Orioles reliever to make the long walk from the dugout to the bullpen this afternoon, a strong hint that he'd pitch the bottom of the sixth inning in the suspended game at Camden Yards.

He warmed up as the "visiting" Orioles batted in the top half and padded their three-run lead on Bryan Holaday's two-out infield hit that scored Dwight Smith Jr., who drew a walk on Sunday.

Of course, it makes sense in 2020.

Kyle Finnegan let an inherited runner score, Fry and three other relievers maintained order and the Orioles posted a 6-2 victory over the Nationals to run their winning streak to six games, their longest since August 2017. Their record improved to 11-7 and they've registered back-to-back sweeps.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles completed their first back-to-back road series sweeps since April 22-26, 2005 when they went 3-0 in Toronto and 2-0 in Boston. The last time they swept a road trip of at least six games was July 1987 when they went 4-0 in Kansas City and 2-0 in Chicago.

A storm arrived at Nationals Park after Smith and Chance Sisco walked in the top of the sixth. There was one out in the inning. Sam Freeman was struggling.

Not as badly as the grounds crew, which raced to the tarp as the infield was pelted by rain and tried unsuccessfully to unroll it.

The game finally was suspended with the Orioles ahead 5-2 and growing more agitated by the situation and confusion over the outcome.

Rule 7.02(a) cited "unintentional operator error" as a reason to suspend the game after five innings rather than award a win to the team that's leading.

The field was deemed unplayable and the venue switched, again leaving the Orioles as the visiting team in their own ballpark. They should be used to it.

Stephen Strasburg allowed five runs in the fifth inning Sunday and now sits in the clubhouse waiting to make tonight's start and hoping that he doesn't get saddled with two losses.

Freeman is on the injured list and Finnegan inherited his mess in the sixth. Pat Valaika flied to deep center field, allowing Smith to tag and advance to third base, and Holaday reached on a grounder that Starlin Castro could only slow.

Fry worked an inning yesterday but convinced manager Brandon Hyde that he was fresh today. He retired the side in order in the sixth on a pop up, strikeout and fly ball.

The record will show that Fry retired all four batters he faced in the game, including one Sunday after the Nationals scored twice off Shawn Armstrong.

Finnegan struck out the side in the seventh. Miguel Castro walked Trea Turner and Adam Eaton with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, but Tanner Scott struck out pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo.

In his last three appearances, Castro has allowed four runs and seven hits with two walks, five strikeouts and two home runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Scott got through the eighth after a leadoff walk, aided by a double play and strikeout, and Mychal Givens struck out two batters and stranded two in a scoreless ninth.

The Nationals' Dakota Bacus made his major league debut in the eighth and retired the side in order with a strikeout.

Keegan Akin's debut remains on hold.

Update: The tarp is on the field and it's pouring.

Reliever Cody Carroll was added as the 29th man.

Hyde on game: "I would have liked to add a few more runs and not use some of those guys I used there at the end, but I'm happy with the win. I'm never going to complain about getting a win."

Hyde on whether sense of relief: "It's never a real comfortable feeling. Obviously, I'd rather have a 5-2 lead than be down 5-2. The bullpen guys have pitched quite a bit lately and I was hoping we could extend the lead to get a couple other guys out there who haven't pitched as much, but we try to win this game first and worry about other things later."

Hyde on using Fry: "I would have preferred Paul. That way I wouldn't have had to burn another pitcher."

Holaday on weirdness of game: "It was definitely strange having to wait five days for that one, but that was kind of comical watching the grounds crew fail. I know you don't want to laugh at other people's mistakes and stuff like that, but that was pretty funny to watch. But I'm glad we were able to get it in and seal the deal."

Holaday on whether he had to prepare differently: "I think it's definitely mindset going into the game. You're definitely in a more comfortable situation when you're going into a game that's halfway finished and you have a three-run lead. That cushion's definitely nice and it gives your pitchers some breathing room, especially when you have guys coming out of the 'pen who are as good as our guys. Just that little bit of being comfortable can go a long way."

Here's the lineup for the regularly scheduled game:

Hanser Alberto 2B
Anthony Santander RF
José Iglesias SS
Rio Ruiz 3B
Pedro Severino DH
Dwight Smith Jr. LF
Chance Sisco C
Chris Davis 1B
Austin Hays CF

Tommy Milone LHP.