More off days next year which I think is a good thing and the early start (March 29) means an earlier end which is good for the playoffs which should all be in October. I like that they have only one series outside the Eastern time zone in the second half and 15 of the final 24 at home is potentially important.

Not this year, silly. The 2018 Red Sox schedule is out. And it’s a mess.

So here’s the deal.

Number of road trips of 3+ series: 5
Number of homestands of 3+ series: 3

Number of road trips of 1 series: 3
Number of homestands of 1 series: 1 (a two game series! Immediately after a 3-game road trip to Florida!)

I don't really understand what you're getting at. So, there are more homestands that are exactly 2 series than road trips that are exactly 2 series. What makes that strange and/or bad?

Not this year, silly.

Is this year's remaining schedule really all that favorable to the Red Sox? They're playing slightly weaker opponents, but they've got a 9 game road trip in the middle of it, while the Yankees are playing 14 of their final 19 games in Yankee Stadium and 2 more as a de facto home team in Citi Field.

Just to break it down a bit, the formatting won't be great but 2016 vs. 2017;

3 home vs. 6 road
4 road vs. 10 home
7 home vs. 9 road
6 road vs. 6 home
9 home vs. 10 road
6 road vs. 6 home
3 home vs. 3 road
6 road vs. 6 home
6 home vs. 4 road
10 road vs. 6 home
5 home vs. 10 road
8 road vs. 6 home
7 home vs. 9 road
10 road vs. 7 home
—-ASB—-
8 home vs. 6 road
6 road vs. 10 home
10 home vs. 8 road
5 road vs. 7 home
5 home vs. 3 road
4 road vs. 2 home
3 home vs. 7 road
7 road vs. 9 home
9 home vs. 6 road
9 road vs. 6 home
7 home

Some thoughts;

- I wound up with 163 games this year, I suspect I doubled up a rainout in there somewhere.
- 11 road trips this year versus 12 next year
- I highlighted the weird stretch vi noted with a bit around it. It's actually not that different from this year, both periods have four travels in them it's just a bit awkwardly done.
- I liked having the longest road trip of the season right before the ASB, that seemed useful.

Oh and Andy I talked about my concerns with the current schedule in the other active thread. Probably a better spot for your concern trolling.

I don't really understand what you're getting at. So, there are more homestands that are exactly 2 series than road trips that are exactly 2 series. What makes that strange and/or bad?

I would think long homestands are preferable to short homestands, and the opposite is true for road trips.

I would also think one-series homestands are not much better than just another stop on a road trip, in terms of logistics. They get to sleep in their own beds for a couple days and get to see family, but at the end of the series they have to show up packed and have another plane to catch, just like being on the road. On the plus side this doesn't happen often for them, but when it does it is on the heels of a one-series road trip, which is just weird.

Seems like a fair number of strange set-ups, like Seattle in between Baltimore and Minnesota, and that weird 2-game homestand with Miami.

I do think, though, that I will propose a road trip in May along the lines of 2 games at Yankee Stadium/Cooperstown/2 games in Toronto to my Dad and brothers.

Is this year's remaining schedule really all that favorable to the Red Sox? They're playing slightly weaker opponents, but they've got a 9 game road trip in the middle of it, while the Yankees are playing 14 of their final 19 games in Yankee Stadium and 2 more as a de facto home team in Citi Field.

Heh. What's favorable to the Red Sox is the talent level.

I'm jazzed they are finally coming back to play the Nats in D.C. Feels like that's been a very long time...2008?

What was the Smoltz year? 2009? I have a recollection of him pitching in DC.

What are your early thoughts?

That the strength of the AL East is more important than the vagaries of the schedule. Not to be a dink, and I get that schedules are important, but when you play a team seems more important than where or whether you've been on the road for a while. Play the Dodgers two months ago? That's a loss. Play them now? Sure, good chance to win. Same with the Astros. Not so much with the Indians. If the AL East is stronger (and I only really see Baltimore being worse) then it gets harder to play teams that are on losing stretches.

I don't think there is anything dinkish about that, it's a really really good and underappreciated point.

That the strength of the AL East is more important than the vagaries of the schedule. Not to be a dink, and I get that schedules are important, but when you play a team seems more important than where or whether you've been on the road for a while.

I agree completely, but we know nothing more about the 2018 rosters, the roster health, and the timing of slumps and streaks than we knew a week ago. The schedule is new, and it might be folly to waste time thinking about its implications given how much more the other stuff matters. But if we were to refrain from such folly this site wouldn't exist.

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Back to the 2017 schedule... I feel like the division will be decided in the next 7 days.

- Boston plays Tampa and Baltimore, on the road.
- NY plays Baltimore and Minnesota, at home.
- Tampa plays Boston and the Cubs, at home, plus has 2 days off

After that schedule I think the Yankees schedule gets harder than Boston's. Yes they're at home where they rule, but they play 4 games against teams likely to be still in the WC hunt (KC and Tampa) while Boston gets 4 against a Houston team that (a) will have clinched the West and (b) likely will be locked in regarding home field advantage. And Boston's only road series at that point will be the lowly Reds. If that series against NY is to be meaningless to Tampa Bay, it likely means they did poorly against Boston, and/or Minnesota did well against NY, either of which works in Boston's favor for the division. Again, the division will be decided in the next 7 days.

Boston's already 1-0 in this period, having won 6-2 today. That buys them a little margin for error in the next 6. If they split, NY needs to go 7-0 here to get to the division lead (per tiebreakers) before Boston lands in Cincinnati.

The mini Gauntlet has begun. Or Gauntlet, if you prefer.