Pablo López pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, and Jhoan Duran bounced back from a tough game to secure the save as the Minnesota Twins ended their four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
López (13-8) gave up six hits, struck out three, and didn’t walk any batters. The 28-year-old right-hander extended his career-best streak of innings without allowing a run to 20 2/3 and secured his fourth win in his last five games.
Even though López had one of his lowest strikeout counts of the season, he managed to get 14 outs with ground balls, which was part of his strategy.
“We knew going into the game that some hitters don’t strike out much. But if you make good pitches, you might get quick outs,” López said. “It just needs to be quality.”
López recorded the first two outs in the eighth inning before giving up a single on his 100th pitch.
After Twins manager Rocco Baldelli visited the mound but decided to keep López in, López allowed another single. Griffin Jax came in and struck out Daulton Varsho to end the inning.
“I wanted to give him a chance to finish the inning,” Baldelli said. “But once there were runners on first and second with two outs, I thought it was better to bring Griff in. He did a great job.”
Duran, who struggled in the last game, managed to get through an inning with a leadoff single and earned his 19th save in 21 opportunities.
Kevin Gausman (12-10), who had won six of his previous seven starts, gave up two runs on four hits and walked four in 5 2/3 innings, leading to his loss. He fell to 1-5 with a 6.61 ERA against the Twins in his career.
