Reynaldo Lopez’ first start of the 2020 season went about as badly as it could.
And the White Sox’ rubber game of a three-game series against the AL Central defending champion Twins couldn’t have started any worse.
Lopez allowed a grand slam to Jake Cave in the first inning, a shot that left Eloy Jimenez shaken up enough that he had to leave the game with light-headedness Sunday. Lopez would leave the game with right shoulder tightness.
After Lopez exited, reliever Gio Gonzalez, signed as a free agent to shore up the pitching staff, got clobbered for five more runs in the second.
The Twins and right-hander Kenta Maeda led 9-0 after two innings, quickly taking the air out of a hot, humid afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.
After retiring the first two batters, Lopez sandwiched walks around a double by Nelson Cruz before Cave connected on an opposite field homer to left, putting the Sox in a 4-0 hole. Jimenez backed into the wall hard and was down on his back on the warning track for several moments before getting checked by trainers. Jimenez would leave in the second inning.
After the homer, Luis Arraez singled and when Marwin Gonzalez worked a full count, Lopez backed away from the rubber as trainers came to the mound. Gio Gonzalez entered, making his Sox debut, and struck out Gonzalez with one pitch.
After posting a 3.91 ERA over 32 starts in 2018, Lopez pitched to a 5.38 ERA in 32 starts last year. The Sox hopes of contending in 2020 have been tied to a Lopez turnaround.
Lopez has been healthy and dependable since the Sox acquired him in the Adam Eaton trade in 2016. If Lopez misses his next start, Gonzalez is a likely replacement in the rotation. But Gonzalez got clobbered by the Twins, too.
Lopez’ fastball velocity averaged 94.3 mph, a mile or two per hour below what he pitched with last season.
The Twins sent 10 batters to the plate in the second. Jimenez came out during the second inning after he appeared to move slowly toward Eddie Rosario’s double to the left-center field gap. The left fielder appeared to lose his feel for where the wall was on the home run.
Cruz homered for the second time in two days, a 430-shot to center field against Gonzalez, to make it 10-0 Minnesota.
