Close games have become a regular occurrence for the Pittsburgh Pirates early in the season.

As long as they win their fair share, they will not mind at all. After a pair of one-run victories, the Pirates go for a sweep of their home-opening three-game series when they face the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.

“These guys have bought into the team aspect,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “These guys are ready on the bench. Just the way they’re buying into the team concept and finding a way to win.”

Three of Pittsburgh’s five wins so far have been by one-run margins.

The Pirates 3-2 victory Saturday came after they scored the tying run in the eighth inning and getting the winning run on Nick Yorke’s game-ending double in the ninth.

“He hasn’t been consistent (at the plate),” Kelly said. “For him to be able to do that, it was an awesome at-bat.”

Highly-regarded Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin is 1-for-6 with an RBI and a walk over his first two games.

The Orioles take solace in the fact that they have been on the cusp of winning several times when things ultimately turned.

“I think we’re competing really well,” Baltimore reliever Ryan Helsley said. “Sometimes baseball doesn’t go your way. Both sides are trying to win. I thought we played a good game (Saturday), just obviously didn’t work out in our way. We got another chance (Sunday), and we got a lot of baseball left and we just have to go get ’em and turn the page.

“It’s obviously frustrating not winning games, and to lose a game like that when you lead the whole way just adds to it. Hopefully we can learn from it and move on.”

The Orioles have lost four of their last five games.

“I think we have a lot of really good players in here and they’re just trying to put it all together and hopefully (Sunday) everything aligns,” Baltimore outfielder Dylan Beavers said.

Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (0-1, 3.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for Pittsburgh in the series finale. He worked six innings in his first outing of the season Monday at Cincinnati, but there was no offensive support in the 2-0 loss as he allowed both runs on four hits and four walks.

Ashcraft is in his second big-league season. Last September, he gave up one run in three innings of middle relief in a no-decision at Baltimore.

The Orioles will send right-hander Chris Bassitt (0-1, 8.31 ERA) to the mound. He didn’t complete the fifth inning in last Monday’s start vs. the Texas Rangers.

Bassitt is 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in six career starts vs. the Pirates. Those outings included 46 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings.

It’s possible that Baltimore left-hander Cade Povich could be available for mound duty after he arrived at the ballpark Saturday as part of the taxi squad.

The Orioles have faced only right-handed starters, so that has meant plenty of opportunities for lefty-hitting Samuel Basallo. But his options are not limited.

“We feel comfortable with Basallo handling left-handed pitching, especially him being 21, and his ceiling that he could be,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs were not going to waste an opportunity to take batting practice Saturday, even after their scheduled game at the Cleveland Guardians was postponed due to impending thunderstorms.

They wrapped up the session before heavy rains arrived and even got in some on-field work. The teams now will play a traditional doubleheader on Sunday.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt knows how the weather can change quickly in the city.

“It’s Cleveland, so we know how the weather goes,” Vogt said. “Today, I was out in the yard playing Wiffleball in shorts and a T-shirt before coming to the ballpark because it was 80 degrees and beautiful.

“When we saw the forecast, we all agreed that we wanted to play both (Sunday), instead of messing around with Chicago having to make another trip here later in the season.”

Cleveland will start right-hander Slade Cecconi (0-1, 12.46 ERA) in the opener and left-hander Parker Messick (1-0, 0.00 ERA) in the second game. The Guardians have won two straight, including a 4-1 victory Friday in their home opener over the Cubs.

Chicago is sending right-hander Edward Cabrera (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound in Game 1 and left-hander Shota Imanaga (0-1, 7.20 ERA) in Game 2.

“Imanaga tunnels the ball really well,” Vogt said. “We’ve seen him a couple of times over the last few years and we know when he’s executing, he’s tough.

“We’ve got to lay off the split and can’t go chasing him underneath. We have to try and get him up in the zone and hopefully go to work.”

The Cubs placed 2025 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton on the injured list Saturday. He only threw 17 pitches and one scoreless inning Friday before leaving with right forearm discomfort. Left-hander Riley Martin was recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

Horton’s next start was slated for Wednesday, but manager Craig Counsell could opt for a bullpen game.

“Cade is very important to us,” said Colin Rea, who pitched 3 1/3 innings immediately after Horton was lifted. “Hopefully, he caught it early, and hopefully it’s nothing too bad and he doesn’t miss too much time.”

Martin, who is set to make his major league debut, has spent six years in the minor leagues, compiling a 24-13 record and 3.76 ERA in 174 appearances (three starts).

Counsell was scheduled to speak with reporters in the dugout Saturday but opted not to do so once the game was called off. Cubs players were already stretching and went through with their activities.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who committed to attend Vanderbilt before turning pro, did joke with the media about his basketball skills. The 24-year-old said he could have been a a sixth-year senior for the Commodores in the NCAA Tournament.

Cecconi has not faced Chicago, while Cabrera lost his only start against Cleveland, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings last Aug. 14 while with the Miami Marlins.

Imanaga is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA in two career starts against Cleveland, allowing five homers in 10 1/3 total innings. Messick will pitch against the Cubs for the first time.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages might have been overlooked during spring training on a star-studded roster, but his hot start has everyone taking notice.

Pages is hitting 15-for-30 (.500) with three homers for the Dodgers, who look to complete a three-game series sweep of the host Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Pages slugged a three-run homer among his three hits in the Dodgers’ 10-5 victory on Saturday. The 25-year-old has homered in back-to-back games with multiple hits in five straight games.

“He’s having a great start,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that what we’re seeing is he’s taking professional at-bats. He’s controlling the zone. He’s fighting when he gets two strikes. He is hitting to all fields. Right now, he’s showing he’s a complete hitter. And that’s really good to see.”

Roberts is monitoring the status of star shortstop Mookie Betts, who exited in the middle of the first inning of Saturday’s game due to right lower back pain and was replaced by Miguel Rojas.

Roberts said Betts would have an MRI exam on Saturday night and will likely miss the series finale.

Even if Betts is out for an extended period, the Dodgers boast a loaded lineup that finally appears on track and has homered six times in the last two games.

“I think pitching against us would suck, for sure. Glad I don’t have to do it,” Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow said. “I think talking to other guys even on other teams, there’s just no break. There’s no ‘Pitch around this guy to get to this guy,’ because everyone is good at baseball. It makes it really hard. It’s nice to be on this side of it.”

Washington has lost four straight and been outscored 23-11 in the first two games against Los Angeles. One bright spot has been the play of shortstop CJ Abrams, who has homered in three straight games and has 12 RBIs through eight games.

Los Angeles will send right-hander Roki Sasaki (0-0, 2.25 ERA) to the mound in the series finale for his first career appearance against Washington.

The 24-year-old Sasaki allowed one run on four hits over four-plus innings in a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians last Monday. The outing marked a step forward after Sasaki posted a 15.58 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in spring training.

Washington will counter with left-hander Foster Griffin (1-0, 3.60), who allowed two runs over five innings in a 13-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last Monday.

The 30-year-old Griffin impressed in his first appearance in the majors since Sept. 22, 2022. He spent the last three seasons pitching in Japan.

“I felt very confident going in with the changes that I made in Japan as well as the scouting report we put together,” Griffin said.

After his promising Nationals debut, Griffin faces another challenging matchup in his first career appearance against the Dodgers. Washington manager Blake Butera said his starter won’t be easily rattled.

“He’s like a tactician out there,” Butera said. “Just the way he thinks through how he wants to attack hitters, he’s like a silent assassin. He’s a pretty quiet guy, but you see he’s always paying attention to what’s going on so he’s never really surprised at any moment.”

–Field Level Media