Washington’s 2013 Schedule Released

Major League Baseball officially released the 2013 schedules for all 30 teams on Wednesday, giving fans their first glimpse of what next season’s schedule would look like. With the pending move of the Houston Astros to the AL West, creating a balance of 15 teams in each league, 2013 will be the first season to include interleague play throughout the season.

Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Next year the NL East and AL Central will be matched up. Washington will get things started early, hosting the Chicago White Sox for three games from April 9-11. The Detroit Tigers will come to town in early May (7-8), giving Nationals fans a chance to see Prince Fielder after longing for his signing last winter (how’d that non-signing work out for the Nationals, huh?). Minnesota comes to Washington June 7-9. The Nationals will travel to Cleveland in mid June (14-16), Detroit in late July (30-31), and will close out their interleague schedule in late August with a three game set in Kansas City (23-25).

The annual Battle of the Beltway series will remain, though these “natural rivalry” games have been cut from six to four, though at least the games will come in succession. Baltimore will come to Washington on May 27-28. The Nats will visit the Orioles on May 29-30.

Some of the other schedule highlights include:

Washington will open the season at home, hosting the Miami Marlins for a three game set at Nationals Park.

The Nationals won’t face the Phillies for the first time until late May(24-26) in Washington. They’ll have already faced the other NL East opponents by this point.

Washington will begin a nine-game homestand coming out of the All Star Break in mid-July.