The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of a heated battle for first place in the A.L. Central division. However, just a few days ago, the 2013 Detroit Tigers schedule was released to the public. There are quite a few changes compared to the 2012 schedule, some for the better but some for the worst. The biggest changes: interleague play will be not just during a couple of month period but will happen during the whole year. Also, the Houston Astros are now in the American league, making things a little more interesting.  The season does have many highlighted series, spread throughout the entire year. Here is my thoughts on each month of the season based on what we know now.

April: The 2013 season starts out in the Twin Cities as the Tigers will play the Minnesota Twins on Monday, April 1st. The home opener will be on Friday, April when the Tigers take on the New York Yankees. That will be a very packed three game series at Comerica Park to start off the season. The Tigers then go on the west coast in the middle of the month but later return home to play the Atlanta Braves in what will be their first interleague series of the season.

May: In the month of May, the Tigers will play their first series against the Houston Astros in Houston, starting on May 5th.  Towards the end of the month, they will play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a home and home matchup, playing two games in each park.

June: For the Tigers, June is a month full of American League opponents and most of the games will take place at Comerica Park. Some notable teams that come to Motown include the Red Sox, Rays, and the Angels.

July: July is highlighted by the All-Star game, which will take place at Citi Field in New York, home of the New York Mets. But in between all of that, the Tigers will be on the road most of the month, taking on the Blue Jays and White Sox, among other teams. The Tigers will end the month however with interleague play, taking on the Phillies and the Nationals.

August: In August of 2013, the Tigers will have a 10 game road trip that includes, the White Sox, Yankees, and Indians. The Tigers then proceed to play the Twins, Royals, and the A’s at Comerica Park.

September: In what is hopefully not the last month of baseball for the 2013 Tigers, they take on the Red Sox, White Sox, and Royals, all on the road. In the middle of the month, they take on the Royals, Mariners, and White Sox, at home. But to end the regular season, they will be in Miami and take on the Marlins. I don’t get this move on Major League Baseball’s part but that is what they did. The Tigers should end the year against a division opponent but that is just my opinion.

Overall though, the schedule does look pretty balanced and competitive for what should be another good year for the Detroit Tigers.