Five dates to watch for the Yankees in 2013

We're still a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, but it's never too early to figure out the critical points in the baseball season:

It's not as eventful as it once was, but "The Rivalry" is still exciting and there's plenty of new faces to introduce this year (as well as one old face: Kevin Youkilis). The Yankees start the season with three games against the Red Sox, kicking things off in the Bronx at 1:05 p.m. on April 1. They don't see Boston again May 31, also at Yankee Stadium. The first trip to Fenway comes during a three-game set that starts July 19.

The Yankees face off against old foe Terry Francona and ex-Bomber Nick Swisher when they play the Indians at Progressive Field at 4:05 p.m. on April 8. The Bleacher Creatures won't get to welcome Swisher back until the Indians show up at Yankee Stadium to start a three-game series on June 3.

The Yankees get their first look at the improved Blue Jays in a 7:07 p.m. Friday night game at the Rogers Centre on April 19. New to the Jays in 2013: Jose Reyes, Maicer Izturis, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Melky Cabrera and just about anybody else the Marlins could get rid of.

The Yankees coast into the All-Star Break with seven games against the Twins, four against the Royals and three against the Orioles. If they're struggling, that's a good schedule to get the team back on track. The Twins are projected to be awful, the Royals have only slightly improved and it's doubtful the Orioles can pull off a repeat of their magical 2012 season.

Forget any final weekend dramatics. The Yankees play the sure-to-be hapless Astros for three games to end the season. Their final game begins at 2:10 p.m. on Sept. 29.