Hi, guys. Welcome to Double Shot of Pirates. I'm Dan Kovach of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports.

If it looks like an unusual setting for me, that's because I'm in Newark, New Jersey,

getting ready to cover the Penguins game tonight against the Devils in which they can win a Stanley Cup playoff berth.

To talk about playoffs as it relates to this here team, it's a little bit of a different discussion.

And that's not to cast doubt on them the way everybody cast doubt on the penguins.

In fact, if anything, it almost feels like you have to temper things down a bit for everybody

when you're talking about the pirates because, you know, pirates.

And because there's a lot of season left,

and a lot of people got really, really, really, really excited

about the off-season, again, the polar opposite of what happened with the penguins.

So what happens is the season begins.

Everybody looks at it and everybody goes huh

what's left here you know how have how have things gone how have they looked compared to

what i thought they would and then of course they signed connor griffin for nine years and 140

million here's the deal the start that they've had they signed Connor Griffin for nine years and 140 million.

Here's the deal.

The start that they've had so far, both good and bad,

has been at least in my eyes, plenty okay enough.

Plenty okay enough. How does that sound? I mean, let's skip past everything and go straight to the standings and see that the pirates are seven and five. They're a game behind the Reds.

And actually, they're a half game behind the Reds. One game behind the Reds and actually the half game behind the Reds one game behind the Brewers

and the Cubs who are going to be their next opponent are in the last place but the whole

thing is so tight eight and four to six and six that's top to bottom they They got through this, okay.

...