A’s-Orioles game postponed by rain

BALTIMORE - The A’s and Baltimore Orioles will play a split doubleheader today after Friday night’s game was postponed by rain.

A rainy day in Baltimore and a threatening forecast caused officials to call off the game Friday night about a half-hour before the original starting time.

“They said it was going to rain all night and we’ll play two games tomorrow,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “Looking at the weather today, you thought maybe this was going to happen.”

The makeup today will be played at 10:05 a.m. PT, followed by the regularly scheduled 4:05 p.m. game.

This is Oakland’s only visit to Baltimore this season.

Rich Hill (3-3, 2.53 ERA) will face the Orioles’ Mike Wright (1-2, 5.40) in the opener. Oakland right-hander Jesse Hahn (1-0, 0.00) will work the nightcap against Ubaldo Jimenez (1-3, 5.20).

Both teams get to add a 26th player to the roster for the second game today.

Because he had to shuffle his starting rotation, Melvin will need a new starter for Wednesday’s game in Boston.

“We’re going to have to look at that and we’ll see how we get through (Saturday),” Melvin said. “I really have no idea at this point.”

The rainout will give Oakland outfielder Coco Crisp an additional day to recover from a heel injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s game against Seattle.

“He’s better,” Melvin said hours before the scheduled start. “I would’ve liked for him to get out on the field today and see him run around a little bit, as far as his heel goes. But what I’m getting from the training room is that he feels that much better and will be available off the bench.”

In other news, A’s starting pitcher Chris Bassitt underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery Friday in Cincinnati.

“From what I understand, the surgery went really well,” Melvin said. “So I think he can be optimistic that, with the proper timetable it takes to get through these things, he’ll be back and pitching faster than he was before. A lot of power pitchers come back and throw just as hard if not harder, at times.”

Oakland is 13-16 after being swept by the Mariners in a three-game series at home. The Orioles are 16-11 after taking two of three from the New York Yankees.