Taking closer look at AL West's early skeds

The early schedule in the American League West has the potential to create some quick clarity about who might be the favorite in an otherwise uncertain division -- especially with the A¡¯s and Astros tussling in the first series of the season.

The Angels will have the chance to prove themselves after a disappointing 2020 season, with games in April against four postseason teams from last year. Same for the Mariners, who are looking to put the rest of the division on watch with an optimistic core of players that is beginning to make an impact. And the Rangers are looking forward to welcoming fans to Globe Life Field.

Let¡¯s take a look at the schedule through May 2 across the division:

A¡¯s
Home/road split: 16 at home, 12 on road
Games in division: 7 vs. Astros
Games vs. > .500 teams in 2020: 10 (Dodgers, Rays, Twins)
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 17 (Astros, Dodgers, Rays, Twins)

The A¡¯s-Astros rivalry reached a new level last season, with Oakland wrestling away the AL West crown for its first division title since 2013. But the Astros got the last laugh with their triumph over the A¡¯s in the AL Division Series. With no love lost between the two sides, the rivalry will be a focus early in the season, as the A¡¯s play the Astros in seven of their first 10 games.

Oakland will really get to show what it's made of during the first two weeks of the regular season. Not only do the A¡¯s play the Astros, but the other three games in that stretch features a series against the Dodgers at the Coliseum, meaning their first 10 contests will come against teams that have appeared in the past two World Series. The April schedule will also see the A¡¯s travel to St. Petersburg for a four-game series from April 26-29, a rematch of the 2019 AL Wild Card Game. -- Mart¨ªn Gallegos

Angels
Home/road split: 12 at home, 17 on road
Games in division: 6 vs. Astros, 3 vs. Mariners, 3 vs. Rangers
Games vs. > .500 teams in 2020: 11 (Twins, White Sox, Blue Jays)
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 17 (Astros, Twins, White Sox, Blue Jays)

The Angels have a tough slate to open the year, playing contenders such as the White Sox, Astros, Blue Jays and Twins early in April. Their only respite is that they miss the A's in the first month of the season, but they do have two important series against Houston. -- Rhett Bollinger

Astros
Home/road split: 14 at home, 14 on road
Games in division: 7 vs. A¡¯s, 6 vs. Angels, 7 vs. Mariners
Games vs. > .500 teams in 2020: 10 (A's, Rays)
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 10 (A's, Rays)

The Astros and A¡¯s, who have dominated the division over the past five years and met in the playoffs last year, will play each other seven times in the season¡¯s first 10 games. The A¡¯s snapped Houston¡¯s streak of consecutive AL West division titles at three last year before they were eliminated by the Astros in the playoffs.

A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros to those division titles (culminating in a 2017 World Series ring), brings his new team, the Tigers, to town from April 12-14 to begin a stretch in which the Astros play 16 straight games against teams that had losing records in 2020. The Astros have another '20 playoff rematch early in the season when they travel to St. Petersburg from April 30-May 2 to face the Rays, who beat them in seven games in last year¡¯s AL Championship Series. -- Brian McTaggart

Mariners
Home/road split: 14 at home, 15 on road
Games in division: 7 vs. Astros, 3 vs. Angels
Games vs. > .500 teams in 2020: 8 (White Sox, Twins, Dodgers)
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 15 (Astros, White Sox, Twins, Dodgers)

The Mariners will have plenty of chances early to put Year 3 of their rebuild to a competitive barometer, with series against the defending-champion Dodgers and three other postseason teams from last year. After the Opening Series against the Giants, Seattle hosts the White Sox, who are the favorites in the AL Central, then visits the Twins, who won that division in each of the past two seasons and are strong again.

The Dodgers visit T-Mobile Park from April 19-20, and the Mariners have two series in April against the Astros, who are 25-4 against Seattle since the start of 2019. Seattle also makes two East Coast road trips to Baltimore and Boston, and both of those clubs are coming off struggling seasons. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers
Home/road split: 16 at home, 13 on road
Games in division: 6 vs. Angels
Games vs. > .500 teams in 2020: 13 (Blue Jays, Rays, Padres, White Sox)
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 13 (Blue Jays, Rays, Padres, White Sox)

The Rangers will open the 2021 season with 16 games at brand-new Globe Life Field with a full house of fans for the very first time. They¡¯re projected to finish in last place in the AL West for the second year in a row, and the first month of the season won¡¯t be smooth sailing. Texas faces one division rival in Mike Trout and the Angels six times, along with 13 games against teams that made the postseason last year. The only break Texas may have is a three-game homestand against the Orioles in mid-April. -- Kennedi Landry