Schedules have been released for MLB teams for the 2020 60 game season. The league’s opening day is July 23, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs will open things at Wrigley Field on July 24.
Of the 60 games played by the Brewers, 40 will be against opponents of the National Central League. The other 20 games will be against American League Central opponents. The first six games for Brew Crew will be on the road with a 3-game series at Wrigley and a 3-game series in Pittsburgh. The first home game will be July 31 with the Cardinals coming into town for three.
The Brewers will face the Cubs, Cardinals, Pirates and Reds 10 times. The Cardinals will come to Milwaukee twice for two 3-game series, while the Brewers will only go to St. Louis once for the last four games of the regular season. The Pittsburgh Pirates come to Milwaukee for a 4-game series in late August, while the Brewers head to Pittsburgh for a pair of 3-game series. Milwaukee will play 7 of its 10 games against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park, and Brew Crew will have to play 7 of its 10 games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Games against American Central League clubs are presented in three ways. The Brewers will play two games at home and two games away against the White Sox and Tigers. The Brewers will face the Minnesota Twins six times with a 3-game series at Miller Park and the other at Target Field. The Brewers only see the Kansas City Royals for a 3-game series at Miller Park in September.
The hours are certainly uneven. Whether there are advantages for some teams and disadvantages for other teams is an open question. Whatever advantages or disadvantages Brewers may have with this schedule, they will be debated endlessly, I’m sure. The biggest downside I see for Brew Crew is that they start the season on the road by six and end the season on the road by seven.
With only 60 games to play, it is imperative that the Brewers get off to a good start. It will also be very important to finish well. The programmers were not kind to Milwaukee putting the team on the road to start and end the season.
