With Spring training underway, here are 10 things you need to know before the first full slate of games begins.
1.
The Rockies are officially back in town.
The team returned to Denver this week and was on the road for the first time since January.
Here’s everything you need know.
2.
The bullpen will finally be working again.
The starting rotation and bullpen have been in and out of the bullpen for some time, but the Rockies announced Wednesday that right-hander Drew Anderson will be back after missing a month with a sore shoulder.
The only problem?
Anderson is still a little bit behind right-handed starters Cole Hamels and Zack Wheeler.
The first three games will be played at Coors Field, which is not a particularly pleasant place to pitch.
But with that said, the Rockies are getting back to the bullpen that has been their biggest weakness since 2014.
“We feel very good about this bullpen,” Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said in a press conference.
“It’s just going to take time.
There’s a lot of unknowns with this bullpen and how we’re going to go about it.
But we feel good about it.”
3.
The White Sox are going to be fun to watch.
The Red Sox will start the season at home against the Rockies, but will travel to Denver to face the Rockies on April 25.
There will be a lot to love about this game.
First of all, it will be the first meeting between these teams.
They’re both young teams with some of the same history and expectations.
And this game could be an important test of who’s the best team in the division.
“I think we’re all excited about it,” White Sox manager John Farrell said.
We’re going there to win, but this is going to show us what we’re capable of.” “
When we go to Denver and the team that we play, we’re excited.
We’re going there to win, but this is going to show us what we’re capable of.”
4.
The Dodgers are back.
The Reds are coming off a three-game sweep of the Giants in the NLDS.
The Dodger bullpen is expected to be even better, with left-hander Jon Lester expected to make his return to the rotation.
Lester has been sidelined since April 13 with an injury, and the Dodgers have also been able to rotate pitchers, which should allow them to play with a more balanced lineup.
That’s something the Dodgers can really use right now.
5.
The Cardinals are coming back.
Arizona is set to host the Giants for the final time, and after that, they’ll be back home in Arizona.
The Cards are coming out of a disappointing season in which they fell to 0-6, but that was due to injuries to starting pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Clayton Kershaw.
The fact that they’re back and ready to go should help lift their season, which has been riddled with injuries.
6.
The Astros are coming home.
Houston will welcome the Colorado Rockies to AT&T Park for the last time on Saturday.
The game will mark the end of the Astros season, but it will also be the start of a four-game homestand that will begin April 23.
The home opener was the last game in Houston’s five-year history, and it should be a special moment.
7.
The Blue Jays are coming to Boston.
The Jays are back home, and their homestands have been the most disappointing.
The Orioles, a team with a young core, have lost four of five to the Red Sox.
The loss of Jacoby Ellsbury, the Blue Jays’ leading hitter in 2017, has also hurt their offense.
8.
The Mets are coming in from Toronto.
The A’s are coming from New York for their final game of the season.
After that, the A’s will play two games at the Coliseum.
If they lose either of those games, the team will be on the outside looking in. 9.
The Marlins are coming up from Miami.
The Nationals are coming on from Philadelphia for their first game of 2018.
The teams are expected to play two at Marlins Park, which will be their first home game since they moved to Washington, D.C. 10.
The Yankees are coming down from Baltimore for their third game of 2019.
They have yet to play a game since the move, but they’re expected to do so this week.
11.
The Brewers are coming into a new ballpark in Milwaukee.
The new digs will be in the upper deck of Wrigley Field, where the Pirates and Cardinals are both expected to join them in 2020.
The venue will be different from what it is today.
The lower deck will be covered with a concrete floor, while the upper level will be more open.
The scoreboard will be made of glass, and there will be three different colored sections for the fans to choose from.
12.
The Diamondbacks are coming across the Pacific from Arizona.
Arizona will play the Pirates
