Stephen J. Nesbitt: Thanks for dropping by. The Pirates knocked around Yordano Ventura and Royals pitching for 10 runs last night and won, 10-7. Jordy Mercer was ruled out for six weeks with an MCL sprain, but Travis Ishikawa made the pain go away for a night by hitting two doubles and a two-run homer. It was a fun game of baseball. And this will be a fun chat. Drop your questions in the hopper, and we'll get going at noon.
Guest: Was the play that injured Mercer dirty?
Stephen J. Nesbitt: By now you've probably heard the Pirates will be without the left side of their infield, SS Jordy Mercer and 3B Josh Harrison, until early September.