The Chicago Cubs played their final spring training game stateside on Tuesday afternoon before their official start of the season, falling 9-7 to the Milwaukee Brewers. While there will be another chance for a tune up after the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before their domestic Opening Day on March 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks,

The Cubs arrived at Spring Training with a pair of runways to Opening Day. The North Siders had to map out plans for the mid-March trip to Japan, while also weighing roster construction for the domestic opener at the end of the month.

Staging Opening Day in Japan speeds up some personnel decisions that can typically wait until the end of March.