Anytime a team loses an important player for an extended stretch, the focus tends to turn who would replace that player, meaning like a specific individual.

That's really not how it should work. Good morning to you. Good. Tuesday morning. I'm Dan Kovachovich of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Pirates

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Pirates are in St. Louis for a three-game series that begins tonight.

It's a 7.45 p.m. Eastern time first pitch at Bush Stadium.

Mitch Keller, basing the lefty, Matthew Liberatory.

And the team will, of course, be without Ryan O'Hern.

Who's quad injury over the weekend will have him out roughly four weeks. So if you want to isolate on who needs to

step up, well, that's going to be Jake Mangum, because Mangum's going to get the bulk of those

outfield reps. He's been activated from his own stint on the IL. In 31 games, he's got a 253 average. No home runs, couple doubles. He's just in general,

one of those good team guys, and he should be able to keep the replacement factor for O'Hern

healthy amount above zero.

He's a good ball player.

But his 613 OPS isn't going to be close to replacing O'Hern's 827, never mind the power

and other variables.

And the same would apply to Billy Cook if he ends up out there,

Jostinson Garcia, if he comes up, O'Hern is this team's number two hitter behind Brandon Lough.

There's no one bat that's going to make up that difference, certainly not over the course of a month.

So what I'm going to do today is try to cobble together

three players who really could make a difference, put together. And I mean aside from those who'd

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