Friday night in Oakland, the Athletics and Tigers will finally finish the game they started in Comerica Park on May 19. That May 19 game was suspended following a one hour and 41 minute rain delay. It was the final game of a four-game series.

The Athletics led 5-3 at the time of the suspension (box score). Because the bottom of the seventh inning was not played after the Oakland took the lead in the top of the seventh, the game was suspended rather than called early due to rain. Rather than force the two clubs to give up an off-day to play in Detroit, MLB decided to resume the game when the Tigers visit Oakland.

The suspended game will resume at 8:15 p.m. ET Friday with the regularly scheduled game to follow at 10:07 p.m. ET. As you could imagine, there are several quirks involved with resuming a suspended game four months later in a different city. Here's what you need to know going into the contest.

The A's will be the road team

The suspended game will shift from Comerica Park to the Oakland Coliseum but the Tigers will remain the home team. They'll bat in the bottom of each inning with the Athletics taking their hacks in the top half. And yes, each team will wear the appropriate uniform. The Tigers will wear their home whites and the A's their road grays.

Once the suspended game ends, the two clubs will change uniforms and prepare for the night game. The Athletics will be the home team, as is usually the case in Oakland.

Oakland has a winning streak on the line

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Rain washed out the Athletics and Tigers at Comerica Park on May 19. USATSI

The suspended game was three games into what became a 10-game winning streak for the Athletics. A win in the suspended game would retroactively give them an 11-game winning streak, which would be the longest by any team in baseball this season. Also, it would be the A's longest winning streak since their historic 20-game winning streak in 2002.

If the Tigers come back to win the suspended game -- again, the A's are up 5-3 in the seventh inning -- the Athletics would instead be credited with a loss sandwiched between a three-game winning streak and a seven-game winning streak. What is currently a 10-game winning streak would go away.

Furthermore, the Athletics have won 15 consecutive games against the Tigers dating back to 2017. A win in the suspended game Friday night extends the winning streak to 16 games against Detroit. 

The lineups will look very different

On May 19, Stephen Piscotty gave the Athletics the 5-3 lead with two-run double in the top of the seventh. On Sept. 6, Piscotty is on the injured list with ankle sprain and thus not eligible to play when the suspended game resumes. He's not the only player who will have to be replaced in the A's lineup. Here is their lineup when the game was suspended:

  1. SS Marcus Semien
  2. 3B Matt Chapman
  3. LF Chad Pinder
  4. DH Khris Davis
  5. RF Stephen Piscotty (currently on injured list)
  6. 1B Matt Olson
  7. 2B Jurickson Profar
  8. CF Ramon Laureano (currently on injured list, due to lead off eighth inning)
  9. Nick Hundley (released in July)

Laureano is scheduled to be activated Friday but manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area, that Laureano will not play in the suspended game. So, right off the bat, Melvin will have to replace his right fielder, center fielder, and catcher when the game resumes Friday night.

The Tigers have it worse. They'll have to replace four players when the game resumes. Here is the lineup they were using when the game was suspended:

  1. 1B Niko Goodrum (currently on injured list)
  2. 3B Dawel Lugo
  3. RF Nicholas Castellanos (traded in July)
  4. DH Miguel Cabrera
  5. SS Ronny Rodriguez
  6. LF Christin Stewart
  7. 2B Josh Harrison (released in August)
  8. C Grayson Greiner 
  9. CF JaCoby Jones (currently on injured list)

When the game was suspended in the bottom of the seventh, Harrison was at the plate with a 2-2 count. The game will resume with the 2-2 count, but it won't be Harrison at the plate. He was released last month. Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire has to replace four players in his lineup Friday night, including three of the first four hitters scheduled to bat in the bottom of the seventh.

The Athletics and Tigers will be allowed to use their current rosters for the suspended game, including September call-ups, as is always the case with suspended games. Limiting each team to the roster they had the day the game was suspended is a logistical nightmare, especially with a four-month layoff.

Hendriks is a setup man again

All-Star Liam Hendriks has had an incredible season with the Athletics, so much so that he replaced Blake Treinen as the team's closer when Treinen struggled. On May 19 though, Hendriks was still at setup man. In fact, he's currently in the game. He was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning and went to a 2-2 on Harrison before the rain.

When the game resumes Friday night, Hendriks will again be on the mound in the seventh inning, so he won't be available to close. Not unless Melvin uses him for a nine-out save, which seems unlikely. Someone else will have to handle the ninth inning in a save situation. Such is life when you resume a suspended game weeks after your setup man becomes your closer.