Oakland Athletics: 6 things to know about the 2020 schedule

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 13: Matt Olson #28 and Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics celebrate after they both scored on a bases loaded RBI single from Robbie Grossman #8 (not pictured) against Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 13: Matt Olson #28 and Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics celebrate after they both scored on a bases loaded RBI single from Robbie Grossman #8 (not pictured) against Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 06: Sean Doolittle #63 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Kurt Suzuki #28 after the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on August 6, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

3. It’s Oakland’s turn to tour the NL East

The interleague play each year is cycled from one division to the next to create interesting matchups and bring teams to cities that they don’t always get a chance to play in. This upcoming season, the A’s will get a chance to line up against what will be a competitive NL East.

If this season is any indication, the NL East should have several capable teams looking to fair well in interleague play. The Atlanta Braves have a young core that can put up runs in a hurry.

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The New York Mets and Washington Nationals probably have two of the best pitching staffs in the game today. The Philadelphia Phillies, while disappointing in many ways this season, certainly have the star power to be serious threats to the division title.

Outside of the Marlins, who should be slightly improved next year, the NL East is a tough division to line up against.

The A’s will host the Mets and Marlins and travel to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. three times each. They will also be welcoming the Braves to the Coliseum for a quick two-game series before heading to Atlanta to end interleague play for the year.

We’ll have to wait until August 10, at the earliest, for the Jesus Luzardo pitching matchup against Max Scherzer. Expect to hear a lot of talk about the Sean Doolittle trade.