BALTIMORE -- It's a game four months in the making, an epic struggle that lasted so long it switched home stadiums. The Orioles and White Sox will conclude a suspended game on Monday that they started all the way back on April 28 -- and that's before they play their regularly scheduled game. The first part will start at 6:05 p.m. ET, with right-hander Lance Cormier taking the mound. The second contest is scheduled an hour later.

The Orioles and White Sox battled through 11 innings in a driving rainstorm in April before the field was deemed unplayable, but the action on the field resulted in an ejection for designated hitter Aubrey Huff and the first blown save of closer George Sherrill's tenure. Manager Dave Trembley will have few bench options, and he hopes for a quick ending.

"It would be to our benefit for [Kevin] Millar to go up there and hit one out," Trembley said. "I don't know who would close it. I got a note from their people that they were going to decide after today who was going to be the pitcher, depending on what they did with their bullpen. I think both teams are kind of in the same situation."

Sherrill, who was on the mound against Chicago's Scott Linebrink when the game was suspended, is on the disabled list. Baltimore has six available relief pitchers -- Lance Cormier, Fernando Cabrera, Kam Mickolio, Randor Bierd, Rocky Cherry and Alberto Castillo -- but the bench is considerably thinner, especially once Trembley finishes altering things.

"I see [Lou] Montanez playing center field, because [Jay] Payton is out of the game," he said. "And I see either [Juan] Castro or [Alex] Cintron playing shortstop, because [Brandon] Fahey is not with us. Either one of those two will have to be the DH in Huff's slot. [Guillermo] Quiroz is done, Payton is done, Huff is done because he got ejected. It should be interesting."

One thing that should be better -- and could hardly be worse -- is the weather. The Orioles and White Sox sat through a lengthy delay as they waited for the weather to move through Chicago, and when it didn't, they played through it anyway. The grounds crew scattered 2 1/2 tons of drying agent during the game, but it was still an unplayable quagmire by the end.

"The game probably should've been stopped after five innings. That's what I remember," said Trembley. "You guys remember. That was absolutely brutal, those conditions. I remember Fahey in the 11th inning, trying to get that ground ball. He went through a lake to get it. They had to be thinking, 'Let's go five innings.'

"That's what I was thinking: 'We're going to play five innings and get out,' and we kept going on and on and on."

Pitching matchup
BAL: LHP Chris Waters (2-0, 4.98 ERA)
Waters has yet to follow up his dazzling Major League debut with anything even close to that eight-inning, one-hit performance, but he did show improvement in his last outing, on Wednesday against Boston, when he was able to overcome a shaky first two innings -- in which he allowed four runs -- to settle down, get through five and take home his second Major League win.

CWS: LHP Clayton Richard (1-2, 6.75)
In his last start, on Tuesday, Richard earned his first Major League win with a dominating performance against the Mariners. He scattered five hits over six shutout innings. He struck out only two batters, but he issued just one free pass. He will be facing the Orioles for the first time in his career.

Bird bites
The Orioles were swept at home for the first time all season on Sunday, and dropped to 19-22 in one-run games. ... Baltimore has stolen six bases in the last six games after only stealing three in the previous 31. ... Ramon Hernandez singled on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, a new career high. ... Jay Payton has had back-to-back three-hit games.

On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• MASN

On radio
• FM TALK 105.7

Up next
• Tuesday: Orioles (TBD) vs. White Sox (Gavin Floyd, 13-6, 3.78), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Orioles (Radhames Liz, 4-3, 7.32) vs. White Sox (John Danks, 10-6, 3.16), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day