SF Giants will be tested right away in the first month of the 2026 season

The SF Giants will face off against the New York Yankees for a three-game series to open the year. The schedule does not get any easier after that, as they will face three 2025 playoff teams in the first two weeks of the season.

SF Giants will be tested right away in the first month of the 2026 season

Along with the Yankees, the Giants will face the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. They will also face off against the New York Mets, who were one of the more disappointing teams last season.

The Giants will face off against another disappointing team in the Baltimore Orioles. While the Mets and Orioles were disappointments last year, both teams are looking to turn the corner in 2026.

Before the end of April, the Giants will also host the Los Angeles Dodgers, go on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, and play another three-game series against the Phillies. This is to say that the Giants will have a tough schedule in the first month of the year.

The Giants have 10 series through the first month of the year, six of which will come against teams that reached the playoffs in 2025. There are only a few soft spots in the schedule in April. In fact, the games against the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins might be the only soft pockets.

It does not get any easier in the first half of May. The Giants will face off against the Padres, Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays. Even the Pittsburgh Pirates could be a tough matchup if they happen to face Paul Skenes.

The schedule does lighten up in the second half of May. The Giants will need to tread water before they get to that point. Good teams beating good teams if often the watermark of a good team. However, many playoff teams simply tread water against good teams, and bank wins against inferior opponents.

There are examples every year of playoff teams hovering around .500 against teams with a winning record. The Chicago Cubs had a .421 winning percentage against teams with a winning record last year. They thrived against inferior opponents. More often than not, many playoff teams just tread water against strong opponents.

That will be the goal for the Giants through the first six weeks of the season. They will need to tread water and hope that they can bank some wins in the back half of May. That said, the season can turn south quickly, especially with a tough schedule. The Giants will need to avoid an early-season dive because the games in April count as much as the games in September.