Sergio Romo

With Opening Day just around the corner, the San Francisco Giants are looking to redeem themselves after a 76-86 record in 2013.

The Giants have won two out of the last four World Series, but there are some serious question marks about their 2014 club.

Can their starting pitching return to old form? Will Pablo Sandoval have a productive season? Can their defense improve?

Here are five bold predictions for the Giants in 2014. 

In the top of the sixth inning Monday night, the Colorado Rockies knocked out San Francisco Giants' starter Madison Bumgarner. They coaxed five walks out of him on the night and cut the Giants' 3-0 lead to 3-2 against him.

When Brian Wilson went down in the first week of the 2012 season, many Giants fans panicked. Some lost hope for the whole year. 

After all, the Giants didn't have any proven ninth inning options, and the last several World Series champions, including the 2010 Giants, had proven closers. 

After keeping the core of their championship team together by re-signing free agents Jeremy Affeldt, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, the latest rumors pertaining to the San Francisco Giants mostly surround the periphery of the roster.

When the San Francisco Giants took Ryan Scoma in the 36th round of the 2009 amateur draft, the perpetual underdog from the Bay Area faced yet another uphill climb.

Baseball isn't quite the National Football League or the National Basketball Association where you can start looking for that job in sales or coaching if you don't get snapped up early.

But even the pearl doesn't make an extensive habit of rewarding those kids drafted in the waning rounds of its seemingly interminable entry event.

It seemed all but over. The Giants were leading 4-1 with two innings to go.

San Francisco has one of the best bullpens in baseball, but there came the Atlanta Braves, and in the blink of an eye, the game was tied.

It marked the second time that night a team came back from a 4-0 deficit to win the game, as the Braves eventually won 5-4 in 11 innings thanks to a home run by Rick Ankiel.

Now the series moves back to Georgia tied at one.