Oriole-Ranger Game Postponed by Derailment

The Baltimore Orioles were forced to postpone the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday because of a train derailment near Camden Yards.

The game was postponed as heavy, black smoke billowed above Camden Yards 90 minutes before the scheduled start.

The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader today.

The ballpark was evacuated after the train carrying hydrochloric acid derailed in a tunnel that runs about one mile north from the Camden Yards sports complex.

Fans who attended the first game, won by Texas, 6-4, had already left the ballpark long before players and other ballpark employees were evacuated. The smell of the smoke reached the stadium bowl near the end of the evacuation.

Some stadium parking lots were blocked off by the fire department, leaving some workers and members of the media waiting to get out.

Six hours after the blaze began, state highway officials closed all major roadways into the city.

In the day game, Frank Catalanotto went four for four and scored twice as the Rangers battered Sean Douglass in his major-league debut.

Baltimore called up Douglass (0-1) from triple-A Rochester (N.Y.) to fill out an overworked rotation. The right-hander was no match for the hard-hitting Rangers, who scored six runs during his 3 2/3 innings of work.

After the game, Douglass was optioned to Rochester and replaced by reliever Jorge Julio, who was summoned from the same minor league club.

Ivan Rodriguez had three hits and two RBIs for the Rangers, who built a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning and held on.

Jeff Conine and Tony Batista hit solo homers for the Orioles, who have lost 11 of 13 to fall a season-worst 12 games under .500.