The Dodgers will be challenged early as they kick off their defense of their 2020 World Series title, with 17 of their first 29 games coming against teams that reached the playoffs last season.

While they were the last team left standing last year, the Dodgers are expected to face fiercer resistance from the Padres, who will be looking to snap Los Angeles’ streak of eight consecutive National League West crowns and avenge their NL Division Series loss last year. The Southern California clubs will play seven of their 19 regular-season meetings in April, each of which should be appointment television for baseball fans.

Like the Dodgers, the D-backs won’t have it easy over the first month of the regular season, as they’ll face a slew of early tests on the road. The Rockies, meanwhile, will have the benefit of playing five of their first nine series at home.

Here’s a breakdown of the outlook for each NL West club’s schedule from Opening Day through May 2:

D-BACKS

Home/road split: 11 at home, 17 on road
Games in division: Six vs. Padres, seven vs. Rockies
Games vs. >.500 teams in 2020: 17
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 17

It will be a challenging first month of the season for the D-backs, who play 17 of their 28 games away from Chase Field, including a 10-game swing across the country against the Nationals, Reds and Braves. The four-game set to open the season against the Padres at Petco Park is the first of 17 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2020 that the D-backs will play in their first month. -- Steve Gilbert

DODGERS

Home/road split: 13 at home, 16 on road
Games in division: Seven vs. Padres, seven vs. Rockies
Games vs. >.500 teams in 2020: 13
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 17

Justin Turner said the Dodgers will have “19 World Series games” against the Padres this season. It won’t take long to feel the intensity of the budding rivalry as the two teams are scheduled to play seven times over the first four weeks of the regular season. The Dodgers won the season series in 2020 six games to four, and swept San Diego in the NLDS. And the Padres aren't their only tough matchup as the Dodgers will have to navigate through 17 games against teams that reached the playoffs last season, plus a three-game set against the Nationals, who should be improved. But if any team can handle this level of competition, it’s this Dodgers team. -- Juan Toribio

GIANTS

Home/road split: 13 at home, 15 on road
Games in division: Six vs. Padres, six vs. Rockies
Games vs. >.500 teams in 2020: 12
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 16

The Giants won’t see the rival Dodgers until the end of May, but they’ll still face a tough test with a pair of early series against the Padres. The rest of the schedule looks manageable, especially since the Giants will have three off-days in the first 15 days of the regular season, which should allow them to get creative with how they deploy their pitching staff. -- Maria Guardado

PADRES

Home/road split: 16 at home, 13 on road
Games in division: Seven vs. Dodgers, six vs. D-backs, six vs. Giants
Games vs. >.500 teams in 2020: Seven
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: 10

The Padres’ early-season schedule seems favorable enough. Their seven April games against the Dodgers are their only games against teams who finished .500 or better last season until mid-May. But things might get tricky from April 9-25 when San Diego plays 17 games in 17 days -- including all seven of those games against LA. The Padres are still mulling the possibility of using a six-man rotation during that stretch. -- AJ Cassavell

ROCKIES

Home/road split: 15 at home, 13 on road
Games in division: Seven vs. Dodgers, six vs. Giants, seven vs. D-backs
Games vs. >.500 teams in 2020: Nine
Games vs. playoff teams in 2020: Nine

It’s busy early -- games on 10 of the first 11 and 16 of the first 17 dates -- but favorable for the Rockies. They play 15 of the first 21 at Coors Field, and this early portion is light on 2020 postseason squads. -- Thomas Harding