Boston Red Sox 2012 Preview: Interleague Play at Its Finest

The Boston Red Sox have a ton to prove in 2012 after a historic September collapse last year.

I'm not going to rant about that collapse, because it's now in the past, and it's time to really look forward to a fresh, new season. Boston has brought in plenty of new faces to try and turn this team around, and it will be exciting to see what they can do.

This year, every single game matters, not just those at the end of the season. A win in September counts just as much as a win in June does.

Yes, some are more important than others, such as the many AL East matchups, but this season fans will get to witness some of the most interesting interleague matchups we've seen in a long time.

Note that these are all of the games on the schedule—I didn't just choose the best.

Philadelphia Phillies: May 18-20 (Away)

Boston opens interleague play in the City of Brotherly Love for three games against the Phillies.

The Phillies took two of three from the Red Sox last season, and it should be another tight series. These two clubs have some of the top talent in all of baseball, and it's always great to watch great teams square off against each other. 

It should be fun to see Roy Halladay pitch to Adrian Gonzalez, Cliff Lee to Dustin Pedroia and Cole Hamels to Jacoby Ellsbury.

On the flip side, Beckett-Rollins, Lester-Howard and Buchholz-Utley should all be great matchups.

Washington Nationals: June 8-10 (Home)

Less than a month later, Boston hosts one of the youngest and most exciting teams in baseball, the Washington Nationals. They feature flame-thrower Stephen Strasburg, and the Nats just traded prospects to acquire lefty Gio Gonzalez.

Their offense is also very exciting, and highly scouted prospect Bryce Harper could be playing during this series. Harper only reached Double-A during last season, but his potential could force an early-season arrival.

There are also rumors of Prince Fielder going to Washington, which would greatly improve their lineup.

Washington will hope that Jayson Werth can bounce back from a terrible 2011 season and that Ryan Zimmerman continues to be consistent at the plate and at third base.

Miami Marlins: June 11-13 (Away) and June 19-21 (Home)

The Red Sox get the opportunity to face the new-look Marlins six times during 2012, three at Fenway Park and three at the Marlins' new Miami home. The Marlins have had a big offseason, signing Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell to contract.

Don't forget about the displeasure of Hanley Ramirez not wanting to make a positional change to third base that could lead to a mid-season trade. Would Boston be a fit?

This series could become a lot more dramatic if Hanley is facing the Marlins, instead of playing for them during these six games. 

No doubt that the addition of Reyes will help the Marlins, who already have some good young talent in Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison.

Look for this series to be filled with stolen bases, with some of the fastest players in baseball featured during these two series.

Can Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury steal more bases than Hanley and Reyes?

Chicago Cubs: June 15-17 (Away)

Who's that in the press box over there? Oh yeah, it's our former general manager Theo Epstein.

This may not be the best matchup of interleague play, but it's the most anticipated. It's two of the oldest and most storied franchises in baseball. It's two teams who play in the most famous of ballparks. It's a team who hasn't won a World Series in over 100 years and a team that won a championship after an 86-year drought. It's the new general manager against the old one.

It's the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.

The only way this series could get any better is if Terry Francona is in the box for the Sunday game, which could, and will most likely, air on ESPN.

If that is the case, it will be a big night in Boston, for sure.

Atlanta Braves: June 22-24 (Home)

Boston will close out their 2012 interleague schedule at home against the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves haven't made any notable offseason acquisitions, but still have a good team. All five of their starting pitchers are above average, and they also have an explosive bullpen.

Their offense is also very potent but is usually streaky. They still have future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones at third base, All-Star catcher Brian McCann, and two up-and-coming players in Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward.

Atlanta has shown interest in possibly moving some of their pitching, since they have a boatload of big-league-ready prospects. Boston could be a suitor.

Jair Jurrjens is definitely an interesting candidate for a trade, but Boston might not have enough to acquire him. The Braves are searching for an outfielder, which we learned through a proposed trade that would send Orioles center fielder Adam Jones to Atlanta.

Undoubtedly, these series are all very interesting and will be fun to watch.

This is a tough stretch for the Red Sox to face early in the season, and in order to be the best, you have to beat the best.

After interleague play we should have an idea of where Boston stands among the best in baseball.