The "eagerly awaited" reunion between Angels 1B Albert Pujols and the Cardinals at Busch Stadium "may not happen" until '19 at the earliest, according to Derrick Goold of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Pujols has not faced his former team in St. Louis since signing with the Angels prior to the '12 season. The Cardinals have "received a nearly finalized version" of the '16 regular season schedule, and the Angels "are not visiting Busch Stadium" as had been expected. The NL Central draws the AL West for interleague play in '16, and the "benefit of two 15-team leagues was supposed to be a balanced and predictable rotation for the cross-league series." The Cardinals visited Anaheim in '13, and thus it was believed the Angels "would return the favor" in '16. An MLB official said that next year's schedule, which will be announced in September, has been "complicated by the major political conventions being held in Cleveland and Philadelphia." West Coast teams have also asked MLB "to be more aware of travel difficulties caused by more night games." Goold noted the next time the NL Central and AL West "will face each other" is '19 (STLTODAY.com, 8/17).
