10 AM: The Pirates have a clean slate for the rest of the season; last night's win was needed to maintain hope

It was huge for perception sake that the Pirates won last night. It took too long, but Cherington got his man. Most of the other competitors did more. Joe will grade the Buccos from here on out with a clean slate. The return of Cruz should be massive. There's still concerns about the rotation. Skenes is still the key to the rest of the season. Cherington gets a B. We listen to the drive-thru call with Dan Zan and then we hear from that caller. There's still some criticism that Cherington didn't have more money with which to work. Don Kelly had a good night last night. The fans went from ready to throw in the towel after Sunday to excitement after last night.