Three-ish Giants predictions on opening day

It is, once again, the greatest time of the year. Expect to hear from me more frequently. A few Giants predictions for you to mull over in the hours leading up to first pitch in San Diego:

• Starting pitching is going to keep the Giants in contention this year. Last season the rotation’s* 4.12 ERA ranked 10th in baseball, this year it’ll finish top five. I’m incredibly curious how this Jordan Hicks experiment is going to work out. He sure looked good against the A’s this week—but maybe I would too.

*Hard to call it a rotation when John Brebbia and Ryan Walker started every three days. By year’s end the opener will feel like a distant memory.

• The Giants’ 20-year streak without a 30 home run hitter will continue. Jorge Soler has a chance to put this ridiculous run to an end but I’ll believe it when I see it. Last year he hit 36 in Miami. Five years ago he hit 48. This spring he hit zero, which means nothing unless it means everything.

• After one playoff appearance in the last seven seasons, the Giants will squeak into the postseason as the third wild card team. And with Logan Webb, Blake Snell, and Robbie Ray (??) fronting the rotation, they’ll move onto the Division Series. Hold your breath from there. Playoff baseball is returning to San Francisco.

• Bonus prediction on your way out: The Giants haven’t had a 20-game winner in 31 years, since Bill Swift and John Burkett both reached the mark. That’ll change this season when Webb reaches 20 in the season-ending series against the Cardinals. He received the worst run support in all of baseball last year (with the worst defense in baseball behind him). This season is going to be quite different from last.

Enjoy the games.