Astros 2020 season schedule holds plenty of promise

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 31: Manager AJ Hinch #14 of the Houston Astros signals for a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 31, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 31: Manager AJ Hinch #14 of the Houston Astros signals for a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 31, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Astros 2020 season schedule was announced, opening at home against the Angels.

The Astros schedule for the 2020 regular season was released on Monday, and they’ll be kicking off the season at home on March 26 against Mike Trout and the Angels. No doubt fans are hoping to see a new championship banner unveiled on that date as well.

After playing the first four at home, the Astros will spend most of the ensuing two weeks on the road. They’ll come back to host the Angels, Rays and Athletics for the season’s first big homestand in mid April.

The Yankees and Red Sox will both visit Minute Maid Park in May, while Marwin Gonzalez and the Twins come to town in June. The Astros will host the Phillies and Tigers in consecutive three-game series leading into the All-Star break from July 13-16.

The Indians come to town in late July, and the final home series of the season will be a four-game set against the Orioles from Sept. 17-20. The Astros will finish the season with a brutal road trip consisting of four games at Yankee Stadium and the final three against the Braves.

The Silver Boot Series

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The first meeting between the in-state rivals will take place from April 10-12 in Arlington, which will be the Astros’ first visit to the Rangers’ new ballpark. If they keep their rotation order through off days, the team’s No. 3, 4 and 5 starters would be in line to pitch that series. At this point, it’s a mystery as to who those will be, though Lance McCullers Jr. could certainly be one.

The Rangers will come to Houston for a pair of three-game series in June. The first will be a mid-week set from June 9-11, and the second is a weekend series from June 26-28. The Astros will embark on a seven-game road trip coming out of the All-Star break, and the last four will be in Arlington.

The Rangers will visit Minute Maid Park for three more games from Aug. 21-23, and the final meetings between the teams will take place in Arlington from Sept. 11-13. This will make for a total of 19 meetings in the series.

Interleague Play

The Astros will get the NL East teams in interleague play next year, starting with a two-game home series against the Mets on April 7-8. They’ll then play two games in Queens on June 2-3. More interleague play comes in early July with a three-game road set against the Nationals July 3-5, meaning the team will play baseball in the nation’s capital on July 4.

They return home for three against the Phillies from July 7-9, and then host the Marlins for three games in early September. They close out the season in Atlanta from Sept. 25-27.

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The team also has a home-and-home against the Diamondbacks. They’ll play two games in Arizona on April 28-29 and two in Houston Aug. 4-5. This will add some extra intrigue, as Zack Greinke will be facing his former team and the Astros could face some of the prospects they traded to get Greinke.