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Dallas heads to Phoenix on Wednesday night for a 10:00 PM matchup at Mortgage Matchup Center, and the two teams are playing for very different reasons. The Mavericks enter at 25-53 and are mostly evaluating young pieces down the stretch, but Cooper Flagg has turned that process into something worth watching every night. Phoenix comes in at 43-35, sitting seventh in the West and still trying to firm up its postseason position. That alone makes this a meaningful home spot for the Suns. Dallas did just beat the Lakers behind another big Flagg game, but the overall trend still matters more than one result. The Mavericks have dropped nine of their last 11 and are on the second night of

San Diego and Pittsburgh finish their series Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park, with first pitch set for 12:35 p.m. ET. The Padres are 5-6 after dropping Tuesday’s game 7-1, while the Pirates are 7-4 and have now won six of their last eight. The listed starters are Michael King for San Diego and Mitch Keller for Pittsburgh, and this one looks a lot more like a low-scoring, pitching-shaped game than a full breakout offensive spot. The weather matters a bit too. Reuters’ preview for today’s game notes below-average temperatures again in Pittsburgh, and this series has already been played in difficult early-April conditions. That usually points toward cleaner pitching scripts if the starters are in command, which matters here because

Kansas City and Cleveland close out their series Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field, with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m. ET after the weather-driven schedule shift earlier in the week. The Royals are 5-6 after losing Tuesday’s game 2-1, while the Guardians are 7-5 and trying to keep the momentum from that walk-off win. The probable starters are Cole Ragans for Kansas City and Joey Cantillo for Cleveland, which matches the latest reports for today’s game. This looks like a true cold-weather AL Central game. Tuesday’s game was played in temperatures in the 30s with wind chills in the 20s, and Reuters noted the cold has been a real factor in this series. That usually matters more for pitchers’ feel

Milwaukee and Boston finish their three-game set Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET. The Brewers are 8-3 and still sitting near the top of the NL Central, while the Red Sox are 3-8 and trying to turn one win into something a little more stable after Tuesday’s 3-2 victory snapped a three-game skid. The listed starters for today are Shane Drohan for Milwaukee and Sonny Gray for Boston, and that matchup matters because it is a different setup than the one the market saw Tuesday night. Boston’s win Tuesday was narrow, and it came with some help from Milwaukee losing the zone in the sixth. Trevor Story’s two-run double was the big swing,