The A's are scheduled to wrap up their Southwestern leg of the preseason today against the Chicago Cubs at Hohokam Stadium in sunny Mesa, Arizona. Starting for the Cubs is Jon Lester, whom Athletics fans might remember from their team's tragically ill-fated AL Wild Card matchup against the Royals in 2014.

Previously scheduled starter Aaron Brooks, whom I'd written a nice little summary paragraph about in preparation for this preview, appears to have been scratched in favor of Mike Fiers, who has also been tapped to start the A's regular season opener in Tokyo. Fiers was one of the brightest spots in the A's cobbled-together rotation during the latter part of last season, and we should hope his success continues as the quality and stability of the rotation remains a concern heading into the 2019 season.

Since yesterday's game against the Padres was canceled due to rain, the A's remain 10-8 going into today's contest; a win against the 11-8 Cubs would put Oakland ahead of Chicago in the Cactus League standings and give the A's a chance to finish the day tied for second place behind the Padres. Game is at 1:05 PM PDT and will broadcast in the Bay Area on KTRB 860 AM. Let's go Oakland!