Pablo López extends scoreless streak to 21 innings in 2-0 Twins win over Blue Jays

Remember when Minnesota Twins fans were worried about starting pitcher Pablo López as recently as the start of last month?

He carried an ERA well above 5 for most of June and into the All-Star Break. Since then, he’s posted a 1.91 ERA across 51.2 innings in his last eight starts — the fourth-lowest ERA in MLB over that span by pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched. Only two others have even thrown that many innings since the All-Star Break and López’s ERA is better than both.

Minnesota’s ace was dominant on Friday night, retiring the first 12 Toronto Blue Jays batters in a 2-0 Twins win at Target Field. He struck out only three but scattered six hits over 7.2 shutout frames, giving most of the struggling bullpen a rest.

Griffin Jax got the final out of the eighth before Jhoan Duran closed out the win in the ninth.

The Twins needed that effort, too.

While Minnesota has had Kevin Gausman’s number throughout his career — he entererd Friday’s game with a 6.94 ERA over 12 regular-season starts vs. the Twins — he was strong in this one.

Gausman went 5.2 innings, giving up four hits and four walks but yielding only two runs. Both came in the fifth, as Jose Miranda doubled, Carlos Santana singled him home and, after a Ryan Jeffers walk and a perfect sacrifice bunt by Austin Martin, Willi Castro drove in Santana on a sacrifice fly to left.

The win snapped the Twins’ four-game losing streak and helped them keep pace with Cleveland, staying 3.5 games back of the division-leaders. They also moved just a game back of Kansas City thanks to a Royals loss.

The Twins and Blue Jays will do it again on Saturday. Rookie Zebby Matthews (1-1, 3.00 ERA) is set to start on the bump for Minnesota against ex-Twin José Berríos (13-9, 3.72 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m.