Dodgers Opening Day 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions

The smell of fresh blades of grass cut hours before the first pitch. The sight of the leadoff batter grinding his spikes into the batter's box. All of that will finally become a reality at Dodger Stadium on Monday when the San Diego Padres come to town.

Coming off a disappointing finish to the 2014 season by losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers hope to make another run at the NL West title. It would be LA's third consecutive division crown, but the Dodgers have much higher aspirations than winning the West.

New names are scattered throughout both NL West rivals' rosters, but the stars remain the same for the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw returns to the mound a year after winning the NL Cy Young and MVP awards, and Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez will fill the middle of the lineup.

Will that be enough against a completely retooled Padres franchise? Prior to the first game of the season, here's a look at the full schedule and prediction for the Dodgers' Opening Day matchup.

Game Information

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

When: Monday, April 6

Start Time: 1:10 p.m. PT

TV: Fox Sports San Diego

Live Stream: MLB.tv

Prediction

"Big Game James" against the reigning NL MVP. That's exactly what Dodgers fans will feast their eyes on when James Shields toes the rubber against Kershaw on Monday.

For any Padres faithful who hoped to see a dip in production from Kershaw this year, it simply isn't going to happen any time soon. By all indications from spring training, the Dodgers ace will still be just as dominant this season, via MLB:

Kershaw was forced to miss last year's Opening Day due to injury, but his 2013 outing was one of the most memorable performances of his career. Not only did he pitch a shutout against the San Francisco Giants, Kershaw also drilled a home run.

Yeah, that's a little taste of what the Padres can expect on Monday.

Aside from their obvious strength on the bump, the Dodgers still have the bats to produce on offense. Puig and Gonzalez are joined by new faces in Howie Kendrick and Jimmie Rollins, among other veterans.

Even with all those big names in the lineup, the biggest buzz surrounds a rookie. Joc Pederson will finally get his chance to shine at the MLB level this season following a stellar spring. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle put Pederson's production into perspective:

While he's hoping to carve out a huge role with the Dodgers this season, expectations for the rookie are at Puig-like proportions. Outside hope for Pederson still doesn't touch his belief in himself heading into the season, according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times:

"

I think I have the highest standards for myself than anyone else out there. It's not really pressure. It's baseball. It's something that I want to be really good at. ...

That's something you dream about as a kid, playing in the big leagues. I'm doing anything I can to be able to make that dream come true.

"

Between the turnover for the Dodgers and the Padres, both franchises will still be working out the kinks on Opening Day. Thanks to the chemistry already built for LA, it has the upperhand against San Diego.

The opening series could trigger a season-long battle between the two teams for the NL West crown. Throw in the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants, and this has the makings of the best division in baseball. Expect the Dodgers to set the tone on Monday with a long season ahead.

Prediction: Dodgers 7, Padres 2

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