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The Rangers start the season at home for only the second time in nine seasons. A 1:05 p.m. game Monday against Cleveland gets the season under way, and it's part of a stretch that sees the Rangers play nine of their first 12 games at home. The three road games are at chilly Detroit. Only one April opponent, Toronto, had a winning record last season. The Indians finished 81-81 and figure to start 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona, who's back at full strength.

The Rangers hit the road and finally face a team from the American League West. The trip is a doozy, too – seven games, three cities, no days off. Two at Seattle and two at Oakland precede three at Chicago. The Silver Boot Series begins May 22 with three games at Houston. The next home game falls on Memorial Day, when the Rangers will host the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. in the first of a three-game series.

The month starts with a bang: three games at New York and three at Boston for the only road series with the Red Sox this year. That might be a good thing after the Rangers went 0-7 last season at Fenway Park. Toronto comes to Arlington for the next four games, giving the Rangers 10 straight against the AL East to open June. The series also kicks off a season-high 10-game homestand that includes interleague play. The Rangers get the National League West, and they will play everyone except Colorado.

Tampa Bay, the defending AL champions, plays a three-game series over the July 4 weekend in the first of two stops at Rangers Ballpark. Seven road games follow on the West Coast, leading the Rangers to the All-Star break. The All-Star Game is July 14 in St. Louis. The season resumes with a six-game homestand. The Rangers play Minnesota and Boston, sneak off to Kansas City for a weekend series beginning July 24, then return home for the final five days of the month. That's 11 out of 14 at home to end July.

The busiest month of the season, with 29 games, 19 of which are on the road. The Rangers' travels include the longest road trip of the season, 10 games, and the second-longest road trip, nine games. The nine-gamer at the end of the month starts with the only trip to Tampa Bay, the second trip to the new Yankee Stadium and the club's final series at the Metrodome. The Rangers are 69-83 all time at the Metrodome after going 3-4 in 2008. Among the home games is the second Arlington appearance for Boston on Aug. 14-16.

A nine-game homestand in the middle of the month gives the Rangers a nice reprieve from the road, but 11 of the final 14 games will be played on the West Coast, beginning with four games at Oakland. The final home series of the season follows Sept. 25-27 against Tampa Bay. The season ends with seven road games: four at the Los Angeles Angels and three at Seattle. The season doesn't conclude until Oct. 4 because of the extended spring training to accommodate the World Baseball Classic.