SF Giants struggle with matchup issue on Opening Day that plagued them in 2025

The SF Giants were one of the worst teams against left-handed pitching in 2025. They struggled with that same issue on Opening Day, as they faced off against southpaw pitcher Max Fried.

SF Giants struggle with matchup issue on Opening Day that plagued them in 2025

In 2025, they slashed .214/.279/.351 (78 wRC+) with a 7.5 percent walk rate, 24.7 percent strikeout rate, and .137 ISO against left-handed pitching. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates (76 wRC+) and Colorado Rockies (75 wRC+) put up a worse wRC+ in those matchups last season.

If a team is that vulnerable in a matchup, it is tough to field a competitive roster. The opposing team knows how it needs to set its pitching staff to gain a platoon leverage.

This was an issue that needed to be addressed, but they also expect some improvement to come internally. To bolster the lineup, the Giants added Harrison Bader and Luis Arráez, both of whom struggled against lefties in 2025. Bader and Arráez put up a .689 OPS and .644 OPS, respectively, in those matchups. In fairness, Bader has generally put up better numbers against left-handed pitchers, but that has not been the case over the past two seasons.

The Giants had upgrades to make, but were not too enthusiastic about the available options. That said, platoon bats are usually available every offseason at a bargain rate. For example, Miguel Andujar was one of the best available options against lefties this offseason, and he remained a free agent long into the winter before signing with the San Diego Padres.

The Giants will never go back to platooning as aggressively as they did a few seasons ago. Every team platoons to so degree. Leaning on an everyday lineup even if it leads to suboptimal matchups leaves a team vulnerable.

That was on display for San Francisco on Wednesday. They faced off against a tough lefty in Max Fried, and only mustered two hits in six innings against the New York Yankees starter in a 7-0 loss. 

Heliot Ramos (107 wRC+) and Rafael Devers (105 wRC+) were the only hitters in that lineup who had a wRC+ above 100 against left-handed pitching in 2025. That is a lot of suboptimal matchups and it played out as one would expect. I do not like scrutinizing the lineup all that much. So long as the better hitters are hitting higher in the lineup, that is what matters. 

That said, Ramos should be hitting higher than the No. 6 spot against left-handed pitching. He has been their best hitter in those matchups since becoming a full-time starter in 2024.

At the end of the day, the matchup against left-handed pitching is a roster issue, not a lineup issue. None of this may even matter against a pitcher of Fried’s caliber. It is just one game, so it does carry much weight in a 162-game season. However, this looks to be a continuation of a trend that plagued them last season.