FORT MYERS, FLA. – Pablo López wrapped up an encouraging spring camp on Saturday with a reasonably efficient four-inning start against … hmm, who was it again, Pablo?
Twins’ Pablo López satisfied with final tuneup outing before Opening Day
Pablo López, an All-Star righthander, put in 53 pitches in four innings and further refined his slider before starting against Kansas City next Thursday.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 24, 2024 at 1:03AM
“I’m not sure. The Boston Red Sox, but a minor league team,” López guessed. “A Class A team?”
Close. It was the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston’s Class AA team in the Eastern League. But the identity of the hitters didn’t really matter, because he knows who he will be facing next: the Kansas City Royals, on Opening Day next Thursday.
“It’s a special day. I take great pride in” opening the season for the Twins for the second year in a row, López said. “I’m just as excited as the first one. I’m also sure I’m going to be just as nervous, just as anxious as the first one. That’s something that never goes away.”
The All-Star righthander was satisfied with his camp finale, delayed a day by Friday’s thunderstorms, and said he’s “ready to throw 120 or more” pitches in Kansas City. He is in excellent health, he said, as long as his middle fingernail doesn’t act up again and prevent him from throwing his slider, as it did last week.
“I made sure to get it today because it had been awhile without the feeling for it. I wanted to make sure I mixed it in today,” López said. “It was good to have it again, and to remember that it’s a good pitch, a good pitch to get ahead with [or] put guys away.”
López threw 53 pitches Saturday and said he learned — well, relearned — an important lesson, too.
That’s because he left a fastball in the middle of the strike zone on a 2-2 pitch at one point, his lone real mistake of the outing. It cleared the fence in left-center, a two-run homer.
“Sometimes as pitchers, we think of 2-2 counts as an action pitch, that it needs to be in the zone because I need him to swing at it,” López said. “It’s something I should have considered better, because especially with the weapons I have for 3-2, it’s still another opportunity. I need to remind myself, if I get to 3-2, it’s not the end of the world.”
Etc.
• Matt Wallner hit a two-run homer and Carlos Correa drove in two runs with a double, but the Twins (8-17-3) lost for the 13th time in 14 road games this spring after falling 8-6 to the Red Sox on Saturday at JetBlue Park. Chris Paddack gave up nine hits and three runs in 4⅔ innings, totaling five strikeouts.
• Carlos Santana was supposed to serve as the Twins designated hitter against the Red Sox, but he was scratched due to an illness before the game. He should be ready to play Sunday or Monday.
Robust competition is likely for righthander Roki Sasaki, whose agent suggests a “smaller, midmarket” team might be a good route to take, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are said to be the favorites to land him.
