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 on the road.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.