Something's still kind of missing.

And I'm okay with the 7 and 5 start.

I'm okay with certain components of it, collectively and individually.

Something is still missing.

Maybe it's some one morning some one. Good Friday morning.

I'm Dan Kovachovich of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports, and this is Daily Shot of Pirates,

presented by our friends at the North Shore Tavern, home of steak on a stone.

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.

Pirates and Cubs open up a three-game set at Wrigley Field today at 220 p.m. Eastern time.

A chance to maybe start solidifying some things in addition to purging some demons at the risk of over-dramatizing any series that takes place in early April.

But let's be real, especially if you've been there in person and you hear that bleeping Go Cubs Go song that now that I just said the title, it's going to be embedded in your brain

for the rest of your morning.

It's time to start beating the Cubs.

It's time to start beating the Brewers. It's time to start beating the Brewers.

It's time to start being a lot better inside the Central Division.

And for any of that to occur, it's time for this offense to find some consistency.

What's been the case so far has been that the offense has either looked awesome or it's looked

awful, which is a big upgrade, obviously, from where it was in 2025 when it was relentlessly awful.

You like this version.

This is better.

But for the offense to take the next step, and in turn for the team to take the next step, it's got to be something or somebody that wasn't

...