By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 4:50 a.m. ET March 28, 2013
On a windy morning at spring training, a trio of Philadelphia Phillies catchers met behind the batting cage for a chat.
The topic? Interleague matchups, right from the opening night of Major League Baseball.
"We were just talking about that in batting practice that it's a little weird to face the American League so early," All-Star Carlos Ruiz said. "But it's a different schedule this year."
It sure is.
Josh Hamilton and the Los Angeles Angels visit the Cincinnati Reds in an opener that's hardly traditional. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers finish the season against the Marlins in Miami, where they can't play a designated hitter, an AL-only allowance.
Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees cross over to the National League each month, then host World Series champion San Francisco in late September.
Add up the scattered AL vs. NL matchups, it's like a mini-World Series most every day.
Blame the Houston Astros. Their shift from the NL Central division to the AL West left 15 teams in each league, creating all this havoc.
Opening day is on Sunday in Houston where Texas comes to town.
That's followed by Angels-Reds on Monday. A few days later, the NL's Philadelphia plays its home opener against the AL's Kansas City Royals.
"It is very strange," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "This (interleague play) usually doesn't happen until June or July.
"What it does is it increases your workload on scouting, advance reports and things like that. You don't have a lot of familiarity on those teams."
Meanwhile, a lot of big names are settling into new settings.
Hamilton left Texas for the Angels, teaming with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout in a most fearsome lineup. Zack Greinke got $147 million to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brothers Justin and B.J Upton wound up together in Atlanta's outfield.
The Toronto Blue Jays, out of the postseason since winning their second straight World Series in 1993, made the boldest moves. They traded for reigning Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and signed Melky Cabrera.
"Talent alone doesn't win," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons cautioned.
Especially if those stars are sidelined.
New Mets captain David Wright, Hanley Ramirez and Mark Teixeira were hurt at the World Baseball Classic. Curtis Granderson and Chase Headley are out, Johan Santana and Jeter might go on the disabled list and Alex Rodriguez's future is in doubt.
Several top players are on the mend, though.
All-time saves leader Mariano Rivera begins his farewell tour after missing most of last year with a knee injury. John Lackey and Victor Martinez were absent for the entire season and Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki and Carl Crawford finished on the disabled list.
Stephen Strasburg wasn't active at the end, either. The Washington Nationals shut down their rookie ace so he wouldn't pitch too many innings, and fizzled in their first playoff appearance.
There'll be no limits on Strasburg or the Nationals this year.
"We're all really excited to see him all year," 20-year-old Washington star Bryce Harper said.
In the meantime, teams are trying to figure out how to prepare for this unique season. Previously, Astros manager Bo Porter said, it was easy to plan for blocks of interleague games.
"A lot of times, a National League team would call up a DH-type guy during that segment of their schedule," he said. "Now, that's hard to do because you're going to have interleague taking place the entire course of the season. It definitely changes roster construction."
Porter already has his pitchers in the cage, working on their bunting. But it's too soon for Justin Verlander and the Detroit pitchers to pick up a bat.
"We'll have to hit some, but it's a catch-22 because I don't want Verlander breaking his finger," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
As for his AL Central champions closing on the road against the Marlins, "whatever is good for baseball," the 68-year-old Leyland said.
"We have a designated hitter in the All-Star game, instant replay. Things change and if it is good for the game, I am all for it," he said.
The Tigers, Boston, Toronto and Seattle each play at NL parks in September, leaving them a hitter short.
"It's definitely an advantage for the National League," Leyland said. "I think eventually they'll go uniform."
Interleague play started in 1997, and it was a novelty in the first few seasons. But with more matchups this year, the schedule appears unbalanced.
Reds manager Baker is hoping for an early edge when Pujols arrives.
"In the case of us playing the Angels, does Albert not play? Does he DH? I wouldn't mind if Albert just spectated," he said. "He'd be a mean pinch hitter. He's probably greasing his glove right now."
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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??HBT Extra: With another season under the belt of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, Craig?Calcaterra says the Nationals are primed not only to become the best team in the NL East, but also the best in baseball.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46899065/ns/sports-baseball/
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