The Twins in 2017 had the strange distinction of finishing with a better road record (44-37) than home record (41-40), which could be viewed two ways:
Their lack of success at home kept them from an even better season … or their road record was the key to at least grabbing a wild card berth.
In any event, it stood to reason that if the Twins could improve at home in 2018 they would have a real chance to contend in the AL Central.
That was a nice theory, but … the Twins this year are 39-29 at Target Field — plenty good enough to compete and a pace to finish 46-35 at home.
On the road, though, they entered Wednesday with a 24-46 record — losses in nearly two of every three games.
Their team ERA is more than half a run higher on the road than at home, and their team batting average is 26 points lower (.232 vs. .258) on the road. Even more telling on the hitting side: Their road OPS is .677, and at home it's .761.
Granted, this is a more traditional split than last year's better road than home performance. The majority of teams in every league, including MLB, have better home records than road records as a rule.
But among the many things that have gone wrong for the Twins in 2018 — and it seems like there's a new one every day — their road regression is a culprit in a disappointing season.
