Marlins Release 2016 Schedule

The Miami Marlins who are winding down a disappointing season can now count down to 2016 after releasing their schedule on Tuesday.

Miami will begin its year at Marlins Park with a two-game series against the Detroit Tigers on April 5. The Tigers will feature former Marlins' All-Star Miguel Cabrera and what should be an improved roster around him. This will be the first of two series between the teams, as Miami will travel to Detroit later in the year.

After that quick series, the Marlins will hit the road and open up at Nationals Park with a three-gamer against the Washington Nationals. That first road trip of the season will also feature three games against the division rival New York Mets. This early stretch of games should be the start a season-long battle between the three teams.

In a busy April, the Marlins will also travel to Los Angeles for four games against the Dodgers. On the same swing, the Marlins will play both the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants as well. Several Marlins benefit from trips to the other side of the nation, including Giancarlo Stanton. The slugger often puts on a show when appearing at Dodger Stadium.

As far as interleague goes, Miami will travel to Cleveland, Minnesota and Tampa in addition to the aforementioned trip to Detroit. The Marlins on the other hand will host the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, along with the quick season opener against the Tigers.

In what could be a critical homestand for the team, the Marlins will play a ten-game span of games against the Atlanta Braves, Nationals and Mets towards the end of September. The series with the Mets will close up Marlins Park for the regular season. Following that, Miami will travel to Washington, D.C. for the final three games of the schedule.

Whether those games in September will matter, will depend greatly on improvements made by the team this offseason. The Marlins currently have one of the worst records in baseball heading into the final stretch of games.