The Pittsburgh Pirates envision themselves as contenders for a playoff spot with the trade deadline on the horizon.

Sitting one game out of a wild-card spot in the National League, the Pirates will look to improve their standing at the expense of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Arizona has lost two in a row and is the team holding that final wild-card spot in front of Pittsburgh. Four other teams are within three games of the Diamondbacks as the major league trade deadline looms on Aug. 3.

“We have the resources to win games and be playing baseball in October,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “We have to go do our jobs, and I don’t think anything’s changed. We believe this team is capable of doing that. We gotta continue to do the work to actually make that a reality.”

Ryan O’Hearn did his part on Sunday, celebrating his 33rd birthday by belting a grand slam in an 8-7 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

Esmerlyn Valdez launched his 14th homer in 37 games and Shawn Ross also went deep for the first time while playing in his second career game.

“Amazing, especially with my family here, my mom and dad,” said Ross, who is from Puerto Rico. “They come to the States (to see my play) once, I was really happy for that. Really emotional.”

Brandon Lowe collected three hits and scored two runs in the win. He went 5-for-9 with two solo homers to help Pittsburgh win two of the three meetings against Arizona in early May.

The Pirates will send Mitch Keller (6-7, 4.90 ERA) to the mound on Monday against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly (8-8, 5.12) in a battle of right-handers.

Keller struggled in his first two starts in July before scattering three hits over five scoreless innings on Wednesday, albeit in a no-decision against the New York Yankees.

“I’m trending in the right direction,” Keller said. “I don’t think I have it all figured out yet but a lot of positives, for sure.”

Keller, 30, picked up the win in his last encounter against Arizona, yielding two runs on four hits in six innings of a 4-2 win on May 7. He is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in six career appearances (all starts) versus the Diamondbacks.

Kelly answered a five-start losing streak in June by going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA thus far in July. He permitted two runs on five hits in five innings of a 15-5 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, we can take the momentum of the baseball we’ve been playing at home and take it on the road and squeak out some wins,” Kelly said. “That way we can put ourselves in a good place to be on the right side of the ball for the deadline.”

Kelly, 37, is 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) against the Pirates.

Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte each belted a solo homer and Gabriel Moreno drove in a pair of runs in Arizona’s 10-7 setback to the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Cooper Lutkenhaus, at 17 the youngest competitor by four years, became one of the youngest USATF outdoor champions when he captured the 800 meters in a time of 1 minute, 43.48 seconds.

The Texas high school senior was third at the halfway point but ran 25.32 over the final 200 meters to rally for victory.

The victory took place on Sunday, the final day of competition at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Ichan Stadium in New York.

“My plan was to move with 200 (meters to go),” Lutkenhaus said after the race. “… I kind of went back to last year, and I was like, 200, 250 out, that’s when we’re going to really push, and that’s what I did today.”

Lutkenhaus is the current U.S. and world champion in the indoor 800 meters.

In the men’s 200 meters, four-time defending world champion Noah Lyles sprinted out to a lead at the halfway point but eased up into the stretch. American indoor record holder Garrett Kaalund earned his first gold, crossing the tape in 20.04.

“I just felt a grabbing sensation. I was like, ‘Yeah, this is the time to stop. There’s no reason to push this,’ ” Lyles told NBC Sports. “It was a somewhat of a cramp. I’m fine. I just need to get stretched out, get some electrolytes in my system, but I’ll be good.”

Vincent Ciattei, who captured silver in the 1,500 meters on Saturday, ran a blistering 54.36 in the final 400 meters to capture the 5,000 title in 13:46.75. Ciattei was seventh with 600 meters remaining, but edged Cooper Teare (13:46.88) at the wire.

Chris Nilsen, the 2021 Olympic silver medalist and American indoor record holder, captured his fourth career USATF outdoor men’s pole vault gold. He cleared 5.82 meters (19 feet, 1 inch) in his first attempt and held on for the victory.

Jordan Geist led after every round and earned gold with a final throw of 22.33 meters (73-2 3/4) in the shot put. Geist earned silver at the 2026 World Indoor Championships.

Christopher Robinson dominated the men’s 400 hurdles, recording a season-best time of 47.61 and winning by nearly one second over James Smith II, who set a personal best with a time of 48.53.

To wrap up the meet, reigning world champion Cordell Tinch edged Bradley Franklin in the 110 hurdles. Tinch outleaned Franklin, beating him by .004 seconds with a 13.00 mark.

On the women’s side, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden cruised past the field in the 200 meters, posting the world’s third-best time in 2026.

Jefferson-Wooden, who won three gold medals (100, 200, 4×100) at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, won by over a half-second, crossing the tape in 21.69. Cambrea Sturgis (22.22) earned silver, while Camryn Dickson (22.58) captured bronze.

Valarie Sion led after every round of the discus competition and topped the field with a throw of 69.54 meters (228-2) in the fourth round to win her eighth consecutive USATF title. Cierra Jackson improved with each round, but her penultimate throw of 67.40 (221-1) was only good enough for second place.

“Every year it has felt like such a different challenge,” Sion said. “I loved it being her in New York, it was a new environment. This field was so competitive, by far the most competitive of I’ve ever been a part of.”

On her final jump, Olympic and world champion Tara Davis-Woodhall appeared to capture the long jump, but her effort of 7.16 meters was taken down due to a protest and ruling of a foul. She finished third with a leap of 6.90 meters (22-7 3/4) in the second round, behind champion Alyssa Jones (6.96; 22-10) and runner-up Monae’ Nichols (6.92; 22-8 1/2).

Emily Mackay, who earned bronze in the 1,500 meters on Saturday night, made a strong late move to win the 5,000 meters. She was nearly even with Shelby Houlihan with 120 meters left, but ended up winning by nearly two seconds (14:55.82).

Nia Akin, who won 800 meter USATF outdoor titles in 2023-24, ran 14.06 over the final 100 meters to capture a third title with a mark of 1:59.25. Akins, who won back-to-back crowns in 2023-24, was near last place at the halfway mark, but nearly broke the one-minute mark in the final 400 meters (1:00.06) to set a season-best time of 1:59.25.

Vashti Cunningham earned her eighth USATF outdoor gold in the women’s high jump, besting Charity Hufnagel. Both competitors cleared 1.92, but Cunningham had fewer misses at lesser heights to triumph.

Anna Cockrell, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, won her first USATF outdoor title in the 400 hurdles, posting a winning mark of 52.94.

–Field Level Media

The Battle for the Ohio Cup resumes Monday night as the Cincinnati Reds host the Cleveland Guardians in the opener of a three-game series.

Cleveland captured the final two games of the three-game set the Guardians hosted in mid-May. The Guardians can re-capture the Ohio Cup if they can duplicate that feat on the road.

The Reds return home feeling good about their recent play after a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 10 innings on Sunday. The win capped off a strong 6-3 road trip coming out of the All-Star break, giving the club three consecutive road series victories.

The Reds will look to their ace to continue their modest momentum in their return home. Right-hander Chase Burns (12-1, 2.42 ERA) takes the hill for Cincinnati for the second time since signing a seven-year, $105 million extension and for the second time since skipping the All-Star Game due to a tweaked groin.

Set to make his 20th start of the season, Burns has racked up 124 strikeouts over 107 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a meager .204 batting average. Relying primarily on an elite 98-mph four-seam fastball paired with a devastating 91-mph slider, the 23-year old All-Star has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 19 outings this year.

Last Tuesday in Seattle, he earned a 4-2 win, laboring a bit while throwing 91 pitches over five innings. But still he held the Mariners scoreless and earned his 11th consecutive winning decision, the longest such streak by a Reds pitcher since Tom Browning and John Franco each won 11 straight in 1985.

“I told him there’s going to be a day where he goes out and throws two more innings. It’s just not now,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of pulling Burns after just five innings. “He competes really well. I didn’t think he had his best fastball, but his slider is still such a weapon.”

Burns took the decision in stride.

“Just knocking off some rust. Just getting back in the groove of things,” Burns said. “I was excited to get back out there. I didn’t get to pitch in the All-Star Game, so I was hungry to get back out there.”

In Sunday’s win in St. Louis, solo home runs from Elly De La Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes kept Cincinnati close, but it was the 10th-inning heroics that secured the rubber match. All-Star rookie Sal Stewart delivered a clutch, go-ahead pinch-hit single to split the tie before Nathaniel Lowe broke the game open with a two-run single.

Cincinnati’s super utility man Spencer Steer left Sunday’s game in the fifth inning with right wrist pain after taking an awkward swing. X-rays were negative.

The Cleveland Guardians are looking to turn things around after a tough weekend in Florida. The Guardians were shut out 1-0 by the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep and extending their losing streak to five games. Despite a stellar performance from starter Parker Messick, who allowed just one run over 7 2/3 innings, the offense was stifled, managing only one hit.

“He was unbelievable,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of Messick, as the team struggled to find offensive momentum, scoring only three runs over the weekend series.

Cleveland will counter Burns with right-hander Slade Cecconi (4-7, 4.60), making his 21st start of 2026 and sixth career start against Cincinnati. Cecconi is 0-3 with a 4.05 ERA lifetime against the Reds, allowing 12 runs and 22 hits in 26 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media