Interleague Play In 2014

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, interleague baseball is so crucial to a teams success. Last year, the Diamondbacks were 11-9 in interleague play. Sure, it’s a winning record, but simply being a bit over .500 doesn’t bode well. In 2014, Arizona might have a better chance of having a big, fat number of wins against AL teams.

Arizona will play most of their games against the AL Central, which is quickly becoming one of the worst divisions in baseball (except for Detroit). The Diamondbacks will be at the Chicago White Sox on May 9-11 for the first interleague series of the year. The White Sox had a miserable 2013, so let’s hope the trend continues into early May. The next interleague series won’t take place until a month later when the Diamondbacks play Houston in a bizarre home and home series. Let’s remember, the Houston Astros are still a “professional” baseball team, but they just play in the AL now. Houston will play two games at Chase Field on June 9 & 10, then Houston will host the D’backs for two games at Minute Maid Park on the 11&12. Weird, huh? The Astros finished, well, nowhere near .500 in 2013.

Arizona will play the upstart Cleveland Indians at home on June 24 & 25, and then they will travel to Cleveland for two games on August 12&13. The Indians scare me a bit. They are managed by the Manager of the Year and they are a feisty, talented group. This should be a fun match up against the Tribe. The Detroit Tigers visit Chase Field on July 21-23 for three games. If Detroit is healthy, then it should be a good series. Keep in mind, Detroit comes in with a new manager next year.

The D’backs and Kansas City Royals will play the final interleague series at Chase Field on August 5-7. the Royals are another team that is potentially very dangerous if they can work out some kinks. We all know that the talent is there in KC. To close out the interleage season, Arizona travels to Minnesota to meet up with the Twins on September 22-24. As for the Twins, well, they’re not a good baseball team at this point. However, Minnesota does have a pretty stadium that will be the site of the All-Star Game this year.

Arizona will play 20 interleague games next season. I honestly think the Snakes could win 15 of those if the season started right now. Arizona still has a lot to figure out this off season, but next year might be fun against the American League.

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