PEORIA, Ariz. -- From the day the D-backs surprised the baseball world by signing right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract, Arizona fans have wondered who would start Opening Day.

Would it be Zac Gallen, who has pitched for the D-backs since coming over at the Trade Deadline in 2019 and has started the past two Opening Days for Arizona? Or would it be Burnes, who has started the past three Opening Days, the first two for the Brewers and last year for the Orioles?

Fans are not alone in wondering. Even manager Torey Lovullo has said it was one of the first things that popped into his head when GM Mike Hazen called to tell him the deal with Burnes was done.

“I have a hard decision to make,” Lovullo said.

And he hasn’t made it yet.

That doesn’t stop people from asking him or from trying to figure out if, when Burnes and Gallen pitch, which one of them lines up for Opening Day.

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For the record, Gallen will make his first appearance of the spring Monday afternoon against the Guardians at Salt River Fields. If you do the math with him starting every fifth day, then it would line him up to start Opening Day.

And if you do the same with Burnes, he would start the second game.

But before you draw any conclusions, keep in mind that there are off-days during the spring, and it would be easy to flip a game here or there and suddenly Burnes lines up for the opener.

“There’s some wiggle room, so we can bounce some things around,” Lovullo said. “So don’t look into that.”

Starting on Opening Day carries a little extra cache for a pitcher, as it tends to be the team’s ace and facing the opponent’s top starter. But of course, once the season gets going and different teams have different off-days, it rarely continues to line up that way.

Randy Johnson has started the most Opening Days in D-backs history with six straight from 1999-2004, and Brandon Webb is second with four.

While Lovullo continues to sweat the decision, he doesn’t think his two pitchers are doing the same.

“It’s going to be a hard decision for me,” Lovullo said. “It’s going to be a hard conversation for me. For them? I don’t think so. I think they’re both professional and they both understand the working dynamics of what’s going on with this ballclub, and for the sake of team spirit, I think they’ll understand. But I’ve got to figure that out. And I will.”

Time for Montgomery
D-backs left-hander Jordan Montgomery has yet to throw a bullpen this spring due to a flexor strain in his left index finger that he said he injured in his final pre-Spring Training bullpen session.

Montgomery is scheduled to throw a bullpen Tuesday, and because he had been built up a bit through bullpens he threw before reporting to camp, he said he doesn’t expect there to be any issue with being ready for the start of the regular season.

“I agree,” Lovullo said. “I think there was a big build up, and I think he's been continuing with the range of motion, doing what he can without putting the ball in his hand. So I don't think it's going to be playing a lot of catch up. He seems like he's very committed to this whole entire process, and we'll get him on the mound with plenty of time to stretch him out.”