Criticizing Paul Skeens sure isn't easy.

And when you look closer at the things that you think you might be doing wrong,

you find out why it isn't easy.

Good morning to you.

Good Thursday morning.

I'm Dan Kovachovich of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports.

This is Daily Shot of Pirates, presented by the North Shore Tavern.

Comes your way bright and early every weekday.

If you're into football and or hockey,

I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Penguins in the same place that you found this.

Ah, yeah, Astros 11 Pirates 9 last night in Houston.

The visitors blowing a four run lead in the eighth inning all after two outs.

Mason Montgomery goes out there, strikes out the first two guys he sees.

Only four outs remain to protect a four-run lead.

Montgomery loses it.

Gregory Soto comes in again an inning early because of all the ineptitude in front of him.

I happen to think his pitches were mostly on the mark, but he didn't get the results.

In between them, Montgomery and Soto would each get charged with three earned runs

before them, Johann Ramirez, which is charged with two earned runs.

This is what this team is all about right now.

This team is all about this abominable bullpen. And I'll be

getting to that in the J1Q portion of today's program. But I really felt like investing this one

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