PHOENIX -- The 2019 exhibition schedule begins where the 2018 regular season ended, with the Brewers at the Cubs.

Saturday’s Cactus League opener in Mesa, Ariz., won’t exactly be played with the same intensity as that Wrigley Field showdown in October, when the Brewers beat the Cubs in a tense Game 163 to claim the National League Central crown. On Saturday, starter Chase Anderson is scheduled to pitch one inning, and the players who populated the top of the lineup and pitched the final innings will be absent.

Those scheduled to see action are Zach Davies in relief of Anderson, catcher Manny Piña, first baseman Eric Thames and utility men Cory Spangenberg and Tyler Saladino. Oh, and Bob Uecker and Jeff Levering, too -- they will have the call on the Brewers Radio Network.

“We’re moving on to the next phase,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ll start slowly with everything.”

Here are some things to watch as the Brewers get back to baseball:

1. How will the rotation shake out?

Anderson, Davies and the other pitchers set to work against the Cubs on Saturday are scheduled to work an inning apiece, so it will take some time before the Brewers’ intentions are clear. Big picture, they expect to draw from a wide field of “initial out-getters” beyond Jhoulys Chacín, the staff workhorse a year ago, so it’s best to not get too hung up on the initial Opening Day rotation. Anderson and Davies have a foot in the door because of experience, and Jimmy Nelson is in if he’s healthy. Then it’s the group of young pitchers – Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta – who impressed last season and will surely play a role this season, but all three also have Minor League options and can be shuttled back and forth to Triple-A San Antonio in the interest of depth.

One starting pitcher worth watching in camp is non-roster invitee Josh Tomlin, who spent time analyzing his stuff over the winter and will get a chance to be this year’s Wade Miley.

2. What about the bullpen?

Again, try to think of this group in terms of the whole season and not just who makes the Opening Day roster. After relying on the bullpen so heavily down the stretch last year, and because relievers need only limited innings to get ready for the season, the Brewers plan to slowly ease their core bullpen arms into Cactus League action. So we won’t see the likes of Corey Knebel, Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress for some time. Matt Albers, too, because “he’s on the team,” Counsell said on Friday. Alex Claudio is in as another lefty alongside Hader, and Junior Guerra is out of options so he is probably in the bullpen, too.

But there’s another group of arms with options, like Jake Petricka, Bobby Wahl, Adrian Houser and Taylor Williams competing for the final spot or two on the initial 25-man roster, and the Woodruff/Burnes/Peralta trio could figure in the bullpen, as well. The Brewers will definitely have to make some decisions there.

3. Can a Moose migrate?

He won’t play the opener against the Cubs, but Mike Moustakas also won’t need weeks of practice at second base before getting into games there. The Brewers took a similarly direct approach last spring when they exposed Ryan Braun to first base.

“There’s no reason to wait,” Counsell said. “As much as we shift, he’s already played second base. The only way to go faster is just more reps. More reps means being out there and putting him in different situations. He wants to experience plays. We were talking about this about Ryan at first base; you almost want to make the mistakes and have the decisions when you’re out there, because that just means you’re learning."

Travis Shaw will see some second base in camp, too. At some point, the Brewers will choose which of those players will man second and third base. All parties believe it’s best to set a regular second baseman and third baseman before the regular season, rather than switching them around along the way.

A handful of other position players will get exposure to different spots, as well. Spangenberg will play some shortstop and outfield. Saladino will man the outfield. Ben Gamel will get looks in center field, where he has Minor League experience.

“We have questions, certainly,” Counsell said. “There’s a group of players where it’s just, ‘Get them ready for the season.’ That group, we will treat differently this spring. Everybody else, you try to get something out of Spring Training that’s positive. Tweak something or try to improve something a little bit.”

That process begins Saturday.