Brewers to make rare trip to Seattle in 2013

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers will open the season at home for the second straight year and will visit Seattle for the first time in 16 years as part of the 2013 schedule, which was unveiled on Wednesday.

Opening Day is Monday, April 1, against the Rockies at Miller Park, and begins a season-opening homestand against the Rockies and D-backs before the Brewers head south to serve as the opponent for the Cubs' home opener on April 8 at Wrigley Field.

Major League Baseball on Wednesday concurrently unveiled the schedules for all 30 teams, featuring the Astros as an American League club and Interleague Play sprinkled throughout the season instead of concentrated to May and June.

The Brewers play 20 Interleague games against the A's, Angels, Astros, Mariners, Rangers and Twins, a slate highlighted by Milwaukee's first visit to Safeco Field and its first visit to Seattle since 1997, when the Mariners called the Kingdome home and the Brewers were in the AL.

The Brewers and Mariners will meet again for three games from Aug. 9-11, part of Milwaukee's three-city trip to San Francisco, Seattle and Arlington.

The Brewers and Rangers will actually play a pair of series, both two games apiece, from May 7-8 at Miller Park and Aug. 13-14 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Brewers and Twins will play what amounts to a four-game series in May, divided between each club's home -- May 27-28 at Miller Park and May 29-30 at Target Field.

The A's come to Miller Park for the first time for three games from June 3-5 for a potential matchup of the Weeks brothers -- Milwaukee's Rickie and younger brother Jemile of Oakland.

From June 18-20, the Brewers will make the familiar trip to Houston's Minute Maid Park, only the Astros will be an AL franchise this time and the teams will employ a designated hitter.

The Angels will visit Miller Park from Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in a potential matchup of Angels manager Mike Scioscia and one of his protégés, Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke, who served 11 seasons on Scioscia's staff before taking the helm in Milwaukee.

That Angels series is the only exception during a stretch in which the Brewers play 32 of 35 games against NL Central rivals from Aug. 15-Sept. 22. If Milwaukee finds itself in a pennant race, that portion of the schedule could be critical.

The Brewers will have to finish the season on the road, with three games in Atlanta followed by four in New York against the Mets. Milwaukee's final regular-season game is at Citi Field on Sunday, Sept. 29.