Despite being swept by the New York Yankees this week, the Minnesota Twins have been the best American League club over the last 40 days, going 21-10 to stay close to the AL Central-leading White Sox.

The Twins were on a 21-7 run when they visited Yankee Stadium this week. They were swept convincingly by the Yankees, which not only continued a trend of poor performance in the Bronx in recent years, but added to their overall struggles on the road in 2008.

Whether the Twins stay in the hunt may be decided by how the pitching staff fares away from the Metrodome. That’s especially true for the Jekyll-and-Hyde bullpen, which has the worst road ERA in the majors.

Twins’ ERA Breakdown, 2008 (with MLB ranks)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Home. . . . . . . .Away
Overall ERA. . . . . . . . . . . 3.22 (4th). . . . 5.59 (29th)
Starters ERA. . . . . . . . . . 3.88 (12th). . . .5.35 (22nd)
Bullpen ERA. . . . . . . . . . .1.92 (1st). . . . .6.02 (30th)