Looking at the schedule, the teams in the East both benefit and are hurt by it. They benefit because all of their games are in the Eastern time zone. They also benefit by playing the Orioles and Marlins. However, those are the only weak teams on the slate. The rest of the NL East is loaded. There isn't an easy game against any of those other four. Then you throw in the fact that they'll have to play the Yankees and Rays, too, and those are going to be 60 tough games.
Meanwhile, when they flashed up the "strength of schedule" on the MLB Network show (two things you normally only talk about with the NFL), it wasn't really a surprise that the teams with the easiest schedules reside in the Central. The Central is the weakest division in both leagues. So, as a result of playing so many games against the Tigers, Royals and Pirates (and none of the "good" teams), we could easily see a team like Cincinnati or the White Sox in the wild card mix.
Then you head out West, and you have the San Diego Padres, who'll play a grand total of three games outside the State of California in the entire month of September. The West teams will still have the most travel since they'll have to go to Colorado, Texas and Seattle, but it's obviously not nearly as much as they normally would. More importantly, they won't have the multiple coast-to-coast flights they normally do, so you'd figure they won't be anywhere near as travel-weary as usual.
And you can bet that the Astros and Red Sox are completely OK with the fact that there won't be any fans in the stands. They aren't completely off the hook for their cheating scandals (that seem so long ago), but, needless to say, the reaction they'll receive in empty ballparks in August is vastly different than they would've gotten in front of a sellout crowd in an April road game. Whether fans remember or still care next season is a different question, but my guess is they won't forget.
Although, the adjustments made to the interleague opponents because of the regional scheduling gave us some tantalizing matchups we otherwise wouldn't have seen this season. The Astros will go to LA and face the Dodgers for the first time since the 2017 World Series (it really is unfortunate that there won't be fans at that one). And let's not forget our Opening Night matchup--Yankees at Nationals, Cole vs. Scherzer! That wouldn't have happened this season, either.
One series that was supposed to happen but now won't is Yankees-Rangers. That was going to be the matchup for the Rangers' opening game at the new Globe Life Field (not to be confused with their old stadium--Globe Life Park--which is across the parking lot, on the other side of Jerry's World). Instead of the Yankees, they get the Colorado Rockies in the opening game. Although, that probably doesn't make much of a difference since there won't be any fans there.
Fans who hate interleague play and despise the DH might want to look away this season. Because, in addition to the universal DH, there will be at least three interleague series every time all 30 teams are in action. That also includes the Field of Dreams Game, the only special event still on the 2020 schedule. It was supposed to be White Sox-Yankees, but they're no longer playing each other this season, so the matchup is now an interleague one between the White Sox and Cardinals.
White Sox-Cardinals at the Field of Dreams will be on FOX on a Thursday night. There will be a lot of games on FOX, including a Thursday game pretty much every week until football season starts. I'm not sure if that was planned or if they were added so that FOX had the appropriate number of games to fulfill its contract, but, with the emphasis FOX is placing on live sports in prime time, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the former.
It seems pretty clear that FOX is trying to make up inventory, though. (Although, I'm sure they're desperate to show anything after four months of nothing but classic games.) Because instead of showing the bulk of their games on FS1, all but one of their scheduled broadcasts is on FOX, including a tripleheader on Saturday of Opening Weekend.
ESPN is doubling-up on games, too. There are only two games on July 23, an Opening Night doubleheader featuring Yankees-Nationals and Giants-Dodgers. Then they've got a doubleheader on their first Sunday night. (In total, there are 16 nationally-televised games in the first four days of the season between FOX, FS1, ESPN, MLB Network and TBS.)
But you figured they'd beef up the national TV schedule, and not just to make up for lost inventory. Playing in empty stadiums is going to be a different dynamic for everybody. The Orioles and White Sox played a behind-closed-doors game in Baltimore several years ago, and it was eery how quiet it was. Chris Davis hit a home run and it was silent!
Some teams will adjust better than others. The Marlins and Rays are used to playing without anybody there. But teams like the Yankees and Red Sox and Cubs are used to packed stadiums with crazy fans hanging on every pitch. These are professionals, so it shouldn't matter. But they won't have a crowd's energy to feed off. They'll need to do it all by themselves. And it could definitely have an impact.
Another thing that could have an impact is a good start or finish. In a season of 60 games, two weeks can make or break you. One bad stretch could knock you out of the race entirely. And, on the flip side, 10 games is a sixth of the season, so if you go 8-2 or 9-1 over a 10-game span, you're golden (as long as you don't follow it up by going 3-7). Which makes every game that much more important.
After a three-and-a-half-month delay, teams figure to be in midseason form from the get-go. No saving pitchers for the stretch run. Because the stretch run starts right away. Which means we'll have pennant race intensity right from Opening Day on July 23-24 until Game 60 on September 27.
The slate of games to end the season (when everyone plays at the same time on the final Sunday) is pretty tantalizing, too. Angels-Dodgers AND Cubs-White Sox to end the season?! Are you kidding me?! Especially since more teams figure to be in the race because of the condensed season, those final series are going to be crazy!
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