PITTSBURGH — This wasn’t exactly to the level of last year’s Easter disaster, when the Orioles lost 24-2 and then-manager Brandon Hyde decried the performance as “embarrassing,” but this performance sure wasn’t good, either.

It began with an onslaught against right-hander Chris Bassitt, who allowed 10 of the 15 batters he faced to reach base. It continued with the first ejection of manager Craig Albernaz’s career — it took nine games — and it ended with an 8-2 loss to complete the Pirates’ sweep of the Orioles.

“I mean, today’s [game] stinks,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “Obviously, this series wasn’t our best.”

This time of year is fickle. Baltimore has played only three series, so the sample is small and there is every possibility the team resurrects itself before long.

There are three days in Chicago against the White Sox, after all. But, if last season proved anything, it’s that wins and losses are weighted the same — they don’t mean more or less based on when they occur.

The Orioles are 3-6, and while left-hander Trevor Rogers has been a bright spot, there have been few other flares thus far. Bassitt has struggled in both of his starts, and Sunday’s outing immediately unraveled.

“It looked like he just wasn’t sharp,” Albernaz said. “He had misses, was in bad counts, command wasn’t there. With Bass, he’s reliant on command, and that’s his calling card. He didn’t have his command, and that’s what we saw today.”

In the first inning, Bassitt was fortunate for Alonso’s quick reflexes at first base. Alonso snared a liner — one of his several standout plays Sunday — and stepped on first to double off Oneil Cruz. Yet Bassitt uncorked seven straight balls before former Oriole Ryan O’Hearn lofted a 3-0 fastball to deep center field.

The four-pitch walk from Bassitt to begin the second was a sign of what was to come. Soon the bases were loaded with no outs, even though Jake Mangum attempted a sacrifice bunt. Mangum beat it out anyway, and Cruz added more pain for Bassitt when he lashed a 111.8-mph comebacker off his leg.

After a few warmup tosses, Bassitt remained in the game to concede a sacrifice fly before a two-run double from O’Hearn.

That would be it. Through two outings, Bassitt has allowed 10 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Bassitt, who said his leg is fine, was succinct in his postgame analysis of himself: “Too many walks, hit two batters.” When asked why there was such a lack of command, he said: “We’ll find out. I don’t know.”

Silver linings don’t count for much in a loss — especially in a series sweep — but left-hander Cade Povich’s 5 2/3 innings out of the bullpen were a massive lift for a club that flies next to Chicago for a three-game series. Povich was recalled Sunday to replace injured right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo.

Povich was expected to start Monday in Chicago, but that opening in the rotation will likely be filled by right-hander Albert Suárez instead. (Albernaz said the Orioles have “no idea yet.”) That left Povich to keep this game in Pittsburgh at least respectable, and he did so.

“That was huge,” Albernaz said. “It’s a tough situation for him to come in and do what he did, but he saved the ’pen and set it up for the next series.”

Povich entered in the second inning and cruised until he faced Cruz for the second time. His 90.9-mph fastball on the inner third of the plate was lambasted to center field for a two-run homer. But, beyond that blast, Povich worked around three walks and allowed the bullpen to rest for the next series. The southpaw threw 87 pitches.

“I knew there was a chance today,” Povich said. “My job was to be down there and be ready when my name got called and try to help the guys out.”

The early deficit would’ve made it a challenge to mount a comeback, although the bats didn’t perform miracles. The Orioles struck out 14 times — their fourth time with a double-digit strikeout total in nine games — and they didn’t walk once. Baltimore’s two runs were courtesy of Alonso’s double in the fourth and Jeremiah Jackson’s single in the seventh.

Little else worked for Baltimore, and the Orioles have lost five of their last six games.

“Obviously, a slower start to the season than we wanted, just all aspects — offensively, defensively, pitching, just all of it,“ infielder Blaze Alexander said. ”I’m a big believer it’s going to turn around. We have too much talent in this locker room for it not to turn around. Hopefully, it happens here real soon.”

This article has been updated.