The Colorado Rockies released their 2011 schedule earlier today, which includes a Friday start to the season. On April 1st the Rockies will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series to open the season. It is the first time the Rockies will open the season at home since 2007, when they also hosted the Diamondbacks. The Rockies play two more games at home against the Dodgers before the first road trip of the season, a seven-game stint through Pittsburgh and New York.
Other things of note:
- The Rockies have three nine-game road trips through the NL West. The first nine-game road trip is from May 30-June 8. They will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. Another nine-game road trip through the NL West occurs July 22-31 (the Diamondbacks replace the Giants in this one). The final one is from Aug. 26-Sept. 3. The Rockies are bad on the road.
- For interleague play, the Rockies will visit the Cleveland Indians (June 20-22) and the New York Yankees (June 24-26), while hosting the Detroit Tigers (June 17-19), the Chicago White Sox (28-30) and the Kansas City Royals (July 1-3). That Royals series is always one to look forward to because it's so much fun for the Rockies.
- The All-Star Game is on July 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockies then start the second half of the season with an eight-game homestand against the Brewers and the Braves.
- The season ends on a seven-game road trip through Houston and San Francisco. That last game against the Giants in on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The Rockies should have a playoff spot wrapped up well before that point.
I should look into making a trip out to Denver for Opening Day this year--that is, if I haven't already moved out to Denver by then.