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The Houston Astros are leaving the National League Central to move to the American League West in 2013; this means the Cubs have a pretty good shot at finishing last in the division next season, unless they play far better than expected.
But we're not leaving the Astros behind; they'll visit Wrigley Field June 21, 22 and 23 as part of an interleague series, and now we learn the Cubs and Astros will play two pre-season exhibition games:
#Cubs to play #Astros in spring exhibtion games March 29-30 at Minute Maid Park before opening 2013 season
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) December 11, 2012
Times and ticket prices have not yet been announced for these games, though you can probably surmise that the Friday, March 29 game will be at night, and the Saturday, March 30 game will be in the afternoon, before the Cubs head to Pittsburgh for Opening Day April 1 against the Pirates. I have added these to the BCB Cubs 2013 spring training schedule.
Carrie Muskat also has the Cubs' spring reporting dates:
#Cubs Spring Training report dates: Feb. 10 for pitchers/catchers; Feb. 16 for position players in Mesa, AZ
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) December 11, 2012
I have also learned that the pricing for the two games the Cubs will play in Las Vegas against the Texas Rangers (March 16-17) during spring training will range from $35 to $60 -- and that's for Las Vegas 51s season-ticket holders, who have first crack at these tickets. Who knows how much they'll try to charge for single-game buyers? Sounds like a weekend for high rollers only.