Twins Video
Box Score
Pablo López: 5 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Home Runs: Harrison Bader (1)
Bottom 3 WPA: Pablo López (.199), José Miranda (-.185), Carlos Correa (-.112)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
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It’s here. It’s finally here, and only an hour and a half late. The long winter silence gave way to the greatest two words in the English lexicon: Play ball. A time for purple prose, nostalgia, and swearing at our favorite players, whom we haven’t seen in real action for months. Nothing else in life will ever beat it.
Pablo López earned first-game honors for the third straight season. Somehow, all three starts have come in the state of Missouri. Fate is a funny thing. While those previous starts were successes, this one was laborious. He pitched… a lot. Too much, really. St. Louis’s hitters refused his attempts at subterfuge and, in fact, punked the one who usually tricks: twice, the Venezuelan was caught unable to handle a stealing runner at first base. The first set up the game's opening run; the second preceded a disastrous two-run homer off the bat of Lars Nootbaar.
The Cardinals added a fourth and final run in the 3rd, after which López settled in marvelously. Getting through the first inning or two was his bugaboo throughout last season. Sadly, it doesn't look like he's found the remedy for that problem yet.
Starting against López was Sonny Gray, his former partner in crime. In 2023, they worked as one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. Now, Gray remains one of the trickiest pitchers in baseball. “Yeah, that’s what he does,” this author thought, following a number of his offerings on Thursday. Fastballs sliced the corners as breakers dipped and dotted just outside the zone—enticing all the same, they were, and Twins hitters often bit. He ended the game as the superior hurler.
But, he wasn’t perfect. With a man on first, one of those classic Gray off-speed pitches found too much of the zone, and Harrison Bader—making a homecoming against the team that drafted and developed him—drove the pitch out to left field. So much for a glove-only signing.
Following Gray's sixth-inning exit, Minnesota rallied for a third run, thanks to an RBI double from Willi Castro.
That very rally was somewhat bittersweet, though, as St. Louis’ center fielder, Victor Scott II, robbed Ty France of a potentially game-tying knock smacked deep into the right-center gap. This one is not to be confused with France’s other potentially game-tying knock smacked deep into right-center caught by Scott just two innings later. So it goes.
A Nolan Arenado homer in the bottom of the eighth capped the scoring, and the Twins, despite some minor drama created by Bader in the ninth, fell to the Cardinals in 2025's season opener. They'll have to be a bit more ready when the first pitch is thrown Saturday.
Notes:
Thursday saw Harrison Bader's first career homer against his old team, the Cardinals.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. stole his first career MLB base.
Trevor Larnach reached base three times in a game for the first time since September 25th, 2024, which isn't as impressive a stat as this author expected it to be.
Post-Game Interview:
What’s Next?
The Twins and Cardinals will enjoy a free Friday before returning to action on Saturday. Joe Ryan will start opposite Erick Fedde with first pitch coming at 1:15 PM.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
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