The San Francisco Giants will pick up right where they left off from Game 7 of the 2014 World Series - with Madison Bumgarner on the mound in opposing territory.
Bumgarner will face Josh Collmenter of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET. The matchup will feature the second game between National League West division opponents after the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres began at 4 p.m. ET.
San Francisco is coming off their third World Series title in five seasons, but they still have a score to settle since they haven't won the NL West since 2012. They may have a tougher time doing so in 2015 because they lost Pablo Sandoval via free agency and will be without Hunter Pence (fractured forearm) for probably the first month of the season. Third baseman Casey McGehee will replace Sandoval and Gregor Blanco will step in for Pence, which are two offensive downgrades.
However, Matt Cain will return to the rotation after missing most of 2014 because of elbow surgery and the Giants will get their first taste of Jake Peavy for a full season. Fellow starter Tim Lincecum will begin the year on a fresh note in the rotation after being demoted to the bullpen during the second half of last season and staying there throughout the postseason. The team also welcomes the newly signed Nori Aoki, who will start in left field, and second baseman Joe Panik, who is getting his first Opening Day start after being called up in the middle of last season.
This slightly revamped Giants club will take on the new-look Diamondbacks. Arizona finished with the worst record (64-98) in the MLB in 2014 thanks to a slew of injuries to top players. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (broken hand), outfielder Mark Trumbo (broken foot) and starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Bronson Arroyo (both of whom underwent Tommy John surgery) all missed large portions of the season.
The team has looked elsewhere for help and hopes outfielders A.J. Pollock and David Peralta can contribute after promising stints in 2014. Additionally, prospects Jake Lamb (third base) and Nick Ahmed (shortstop) will be getting the start on Opening Day thanks to successful campaigns in the minors that earned them the call for a handful of games on the major league roster last season.
However, the team's biggest offseason investment, Yasmany Tomas, will start the season in Triple-A. The D-Backs want him to play third base and he still needs some work on his defense after 24 spring training games.
These two clubs will likely provide interesting stories as the season progresses.
You can check out the live stream of tonight's game here as well as the live radio broadcast here.
