A mixed review

 Well, OK. So maybe the kid isn't the next Bob Gibson. Not yet, anyway.

This just in from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, where my always underwhelming Cruds lost to the Cubs yesterday in phenom Paul Skenes' major-league debut, but not because of the Phenom:

The kid can bust the fastball.

And, the bullpen is trash.

The first we kinda already knew, but yesterday pretty much confirmed it. Skenes gave up six hits and three earned runs in four innings' work in the 10-9 loss, but he also struck out seven and cracked 100 mph on the gun 17 times. So he's got that going for him.

And the bullpen?

Gloriously Cruddy.

After Skenes departed with no one out in the fifth inning, see, it took three more arms  for Pittsburgh to retire the side. Before they did, however, those three arms had issued six bases-loaded walks. Six. It was the most walked-in runs by a major-league team (or, in this case, an alleged major-league team) in 65 years.

Sixty-five years! Good lord, Ike was still president then. Sputnik was a thing. So were hula-hoops, Bill Haley and the Comets and big honkin' cars with big honkin' tailfins.

The names of the perpetrators of this historic buffoonery?

They were Kyle Nicolas, Josh Fleming and Colin Holderman. Together, in the fifth, they walked six batters -- including three on 12 straight balls by Nicolas.

(And, no, before you ask, I don't know where the Cruds found these guys. In the beer line at PNC would be a good guess. Or maybe waiting for a sandwich at Primanti's.)

In any case, the Phenom showed flashes of Phenomhood, and also flashes of being just 21 years old. And so, on balance, he's probably not going to turn out to be Kyle Nicolas, Josh Fleming or Colin Holderman.

Good enough for now.