PEORIA, Ariz. -- After a few weeks of Spring Training, the Padres are looking forward to a break from the monotony and grind of the Cactus League.
And the two-game exhibition series against the Astros -- Saturday and Sunday in Mexico City at Estadio Fray Nano, the home of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico -- will be anything but a typical spring contest.
"I think the atmosphere that we're expecting down there is going to make it feel like a regular-season baseball game," Padres manager Andy Green said.
In an extensive effort to grow the game, the "Mexico City Series" will be the first time Major League Baseball is played in Mexico since 2004 and will come just days after the Rays played a historic game in Cuba against the Cuban National Team.