DAVE: The Astros traded away Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, and they got better.

JIM: It's amazing how that happens, huh? The Pirates did that too. The Pirates traded away Adam LaRoche and they got...oh wait. Well, they got the first part right; they traded away Adam LaRoche.

I was amazed and dumbfounded by many things in that article about the Pirates you posted on your blog the other day. But the thing that stuck out to me the most was 15 wins on the road. How can a team only win 15 road games the entire season? That has to be close to some kind of record. I can't imagine a team winning less than that.

So the question becomes: why such a big disparity in the Pirates' home and away records?

DAVE: That's a great mystery. Since PNC Park opened in 2001, I believe the Pirates have generally had better home records than on the road. That has often been used as the argument for going to see the Pirates play at PNC, because despite how bad they have been over the years, there was always close to a 50/50 chance that you would see them win at home. This season, I think, is the team's worst road record in its history (several of those milestones set this year). I also think that I heard that 15-66 is the record, so by winning last night, they will not tie the all-time mark for worst away records. They suck.