A lot to talk about with the Pirates on a Monday morning. They swept the Brewers at PNC Park and saw some encouraging stuff from the offense, the bullpen and Paul Skenes. What happened at the Futures Game? And what did the Pirates do in the MLB Draft that stands out? Jason Mackey breaks it all down here.

The Pirates are 10 games into a stretch of 22 straight against teams .500 are better. What have we learned? Furthermore, what's going on with Mitch Keller and Dennis Santana? The Pirates have shown a lot of fight, and their offense is really good. But they have to find a way to stabilize the bullpen. Jason Mackey breaks it all down here.

Jared Jones had a perfect game going through six innings, but Pirates manager Don Kelly took him out. Was that the right call? What was really to blame in the Pirates' 3-0 loss? Also, Ben Cherington talked before Wednesday's game. Jason Mackey takes a closer look at some of the GM's comments on injuries, the trade deadline and the performance of specific players.

Ryan O'Hearn had himself a day. Not only that, it came after unfortunate news for Konnor Griffin, and it helped Paul Skenes get his first win since May 12. It turned around a dour day for the Pirates, furthering O'Hearn's strong leadership. Jason Mackey takes a closer look at O'Hearn's huge game, as well as what went right for Paul Skenes.

The MLB Draft begins this weekend, and the Pirates have four of the top 51 picks. Pirates senior vice president/assistant general manager Kevan Graves appeared on the Pirates Insider Show and discussed the team's approach, as well as what recent success has meant for confidence in making those selections. It's also a Paul Skenes Day and a crucial one at that.

The Pirates stayed in the fight. In the process, they showcased what it will take to properly handle this current 22-game stretch against teams .500 or better. Konnor Griffin was incredible. The bullpen got it done. And the offense -- on this entire road trip -- showed how it can beat opponents a variety of ways. Jason Mackey breaks it all down here.

The Pirates were again struggling to hit with runners in scoring position ... until Esmerlyn Valdez came through in a big way. Again. What has he added? What makes him different? Jared Jones and Carmen Mlodzinski formulated some excellent pitching, and the Pirates split a series with the Phillies. Jason Mackey breaks it all down here.

Paul Skenes struggled against the Phillies, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over four innings. What bugged Skenes? Should there be greater concern considering the Pirates have now dropped his past nine starts? Also, Seth Hernandez and Edward Florentino were selected to the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Jason Mackey breaks it all down here.

The Pirates' struggles against left-handed pitching continued, this time against Cristopher Sanchez. What did he do to give them problems? Bubba Chandler was solid through six innings, though he didn't like the way his outing ended. Still, what did Chandler think about his work in June? Finally, Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez have a special relationship. Jason Mackey breaks down the game and that story here.

The Pirates earned their most resilient win of the year on Monday in Philadelphia. What did Esmerlyn Valdez do? How did Braxton Ashcraft steady himself? And what did the Pirates offense show about its approach all year? Jason Mackey breaks down all of that, as well as Endy Rodriguez's big home run in the ninth inning.