May 14, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) slides into home on a double by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (not pictured) as the throw to San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) arrives too late during the first inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

It has been no secret to Blue Jays fans that when Inter League games come along, the team tends to under perform. The team has not had a winning record in inter league since 2007 when they went 10-8. Funny enough they also started the first two months of  2007 with a losing record (25-28) and went on to finish the year above .500 with an 83-79 record.

Let’s have a quick look at the past 3 seasons;

• 2012- (9-9)  27-24 In April and May
• 2011- (8-10) 28-27 In April and May
• 2010- (7-11) 31-22 In April and May

While the team has not been embarrassing during these series’, they have always been in contention in the beginning of the year so the mediocre play never hurt there chances at the post season.

Currently the Blue Jays are 1-0 in Inter League games with 19 games left. Like 2007, the blue jays are under .500 (16-24) and this 2 game series against the defending World Champions could be what the team needs to gain more confidence before they play more divisional games later this week. 

Another reason playing well in Inter League games has become so important to the Blue Jays is because of the addition of the Houston Astros to the American League. There are now 20 inter league games each team needs to play in so the Blue jays need to find ways to win every one because the hole they have dug for themselves is deep.

Encarnacion and the Blue Jays can look forward to a fun 2013. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

So, we have 2013 to look forward to and with the release of the 2013 schedule, we can start that process today.

Here are some of the highlights from the 2013 schedule:

- For the second straight season season, the Blue Jays open up against the Cleveland Indians. The opening series be in Toronto from April 2-4.

- Interleague Play in 2013 with have some interesting match-ups for the Blue Jays with home series against San Francisco (May 14-15), Atlanta (May 27-28), Colorado (June 17-19), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (July 22-24). They will hit the road for some National League competition against the Braves (May 29-30), Padres (May 31-June 2), the Giants (June 4-5), and the Diamondbacks (September 2-4). The two series with Atlanta represent a home and home series which is generally pretty odd in Major League Baseball. And that says nothing of a September interleague series, which takes the novelty of Interleague play and thrusts it into the heat of the pennant chase.

- Canada Day (July 1st against the Tigers) and Victoria Day (May 20th against the Rays) will both be celebrated on home soil.

- The Blue Jays get their first look at the newest American League team, the Houston Astros with a four-game set in Toronto from July 25-28. They follow that up with a three-game set from August 23-25 in Houston for the only two times the teams meet in 2013.

- They also get their healthy helping of the American League East, with 19 games against each of Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay.

2013 will hopefully mark the next step for Toronto. With a few more good breaks in the health department, the Blue Jays are a team that stands to benefit from the two Wild Card system. And it all starts against Cleveland on April 2nd.