Touch 'Em All: Interleague will be an everyday thing

If you love interleague play, get set for nirvana. If you hate interleague play, well, batten down your hatches, it's about to get omnipresent.

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball released its 2013 schedule, and because the Houston Astros are shifting to the American League, there will be an interleague game just about every day. Except when there is more than one.

The move was made to balance the leagues, creating three five-team divisions in each circuit. Another result has been to unbalance play within each league, necessitating the daily interleague contest.

The season will open with ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball on March 31, featuring teams yet to be announced. There will be 12 games on April 1, including the once-traditional opener in Cincinnati. In a non-traditional twist, the Reds will face the American League Angels.

The regular season ends on Sunday, Sept. 29, after finishing on a Wednesday in 2011 and 2012.

Houston will compete in the AL West.

Under the new alignment, clubs will play 19 games apiece against division rivals, or 76 games; six or seven games each against other league opponents, for 66 games; and 20 interleague games spread throughout the season.

So for foes of interleague play, that's only two more games per season than before. They just won't happen all at once over a few weeks.

The third World Baseball Classic, won the first two times by Japan, will precede the regular season. An expanded field of 28 nations will play at sites around the globe, starting with the first qualifier on Sept. 19 and leading up to the main tournament in March, with dates and ticket availability to be announced later, MLB.com reported.

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre left Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians with a strained left shoulder.

Beltre landed hard on his left side when he made a diving stop of Russ Canzler's grounder in the second inning. The Rangers announced that Beltre will have a precautionary MRI.

The Chicago White Sox activated righthander Gavin Floyd from the 15-day disabled list. He was scheduled to face the Detroit Tigers Wednesday night.

Floyd had been on the DL since Aug. 28 with a right elbow strain. He had to leave his previous start, Aug. 26, after two innings because of discomfort in the elbow.

Floyd is 9-9 with a 4.55 ERA in 24 starts this season for the AL Central leaders.