Colorado Rockies skipper Bud Black met with the media Tuesday morning via Zoom. Among the topics he discussed was the club’s schedule, which was released on Monday evening.

The 60-game schedule received mixed reviews, especially given the imbalance due to the number of games.

The first thing that jumped off the page upon viewing the schedule were the two off days Colorado has within the first week of the season. Off days are a rarity during a season. So to see two on the schedule so quickly was indeed strange, especially considering the Rockies’ next off day does not come until August 13th.

“That will test you a little bit,” Black said of the placement of the off days. “Initially, it is sort of a good thing to have a couple of days off because it freshens up the players.

Black acknowledged the two off days could enable Colorado to get creative with their roster construction by deploying a four-person rotation or carrying an extra position player during the first week of the season. The team is examining all options, and a decision regarding how to optimize the roster during the first week will be made closer to Opening Day.

With only one off day scheduled for August, Black realizes the month will be a challenge for his club; however, he hopes the team will use the frequency of play to generate momentum.

“August will be a challenge for the entire team, playing with just one off day,” Black said. “That can be good or bad. If you are playing well, pitching well, hitting the ball, you want to keep playing. It could work either way.”

While every team will play the same amount of games this season, the site location will not always be balanced. For instance, the Rockies will play 10 games against both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers; however, only seven of those games will be at Coors Field.

On the flip side, the Rockies will host the San Diego Padres and San Francisco seven times, while playing just six total games on the road against the two.

The Rockies will open the season in Texas against the Rangers, which offers two interesting twists. First, the Rockies will become the first road team to play a game at Globe Life Field. Second, Texas is currently a hot spot in the U.S. for COVID-19 so to play in the state to start the season could be an interesting test for the team and for the entire MLB.

Despite the circumstances, the trip to Texas will be business as usual for Black and his team.

“I don’t think there is any difference with where you go,” Black said. “It’s the same as going anywhere in the country.”

The Rockies’ first game of the season is scheduled for July 24 with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. MST.