Twins' Pablo López struggles to escape first innings unscathed

LOS ANGELES — For a guy whose job description is "starter," Pablo López is certainly having trouble getting started these days.

The problem has afflicted the righthander all season, but reached its low point on Monday. López surrendered three hits, including back-to-back home runs, in the first inning on Monday, and while the Twins rallied late in the game, the pitcher was still feeling responsible for the 9-8 loss afterward.

"I want to say how well the offense and the bullpen crew responded. I put us in a difficult spot," López said. "I'm very aware of how the first inning has been for me. It's about time I turn the corner on the first inning."

Yes, if Will Smith and Max Muncy taking advantage of López's let's-play-ball jitters was an isolated incident, there would be nothing remarkable about it. But the fact that the pattern is a persistent one, that it's so out of character for a righthander whose record thus far is mostly stellar, seemed to bother him.

The three Dodgers runs on Monday bring López's total to nine this season, in nine starts, with 15 runs scattered in all other innings. That's a 9.00 ERA in the first inning, and 3.00 the rest of the time.

And for a guy whose underlying numbers are so good, it's amazing just how much damage opponents have done in the first inning. López retired the Royals in order in the first inning of his debut in March, but has allowed a batter to reach base in each of his next eight starts, and allowed a run in five of them.

Opposing hitters are batting .395 against López, with an on-base percentage of .454 and a slugging percentage of .711, in the first inning.

"Obviously I've tried searching for things, tried searching for the real reason behind it. I haven't been able to find anything," López said. "The first inning is very important because it's the inning you use to set the tone for the game. And that's my responsibility. I need to be better in that first inning, just to let the offense and bullpen know I'm going to set the right tone and do everything I can to win the game."

José De León's phone was on vibrate, so he didn't wake up when the first call came around 2 a.m. A few minutes later, the landline phone in his Columbus, Ohio, hotel room rang, but De León's flustered roommate, Oliver Ortega, picked it up and hung up right away.

What, Toby Gardenhire must have been thinking, you don't want to go to the major leagues?

But when the St. Paul Saints manager tried again, De León answered and received the news he has been waiting more than two years to hear: He's back in the big leagues. Even better, he joined the team at Dodger Stadium, where he made his debut as a Dodgers prospect in 2016.

"Yeah, it's definitely full circle," De León said. "I was thinking about that last night, how cool it is that when I come back to the big leagues, it's in the place that saw me grow as a player and a person. It's pretty special."

De León has been a starter throughout his career, but has been pitching in both roles in St. Paul. "I've been kind of a swingman, honestly," said De León, who earned his first professional save in April. "It was cool to have a save, then start a game two days later."

De León was summoned, following a night in which the Twins' best relievers were used extensively, after righthander Jorge Alcala was unable to complete his throwing program earlier this week because of discomfort in his forearm. The Twins cautioned that the strain appears to be in the extensor muscle, not the medial ligament, which sometimes is the precursor to an injury that requires surgery.

Alcala will return to the Twin Cities on Wednesday to undergo further examination.

When Trayce Thompson pinch ran for J.D. Martinez at first base in the 10th inning on Monday, Christian Vázquez had a quick reminder for pitcher Jhoan Duran: This guy likes to get a running start to second base if the pitch count is running down. "He said, 'you can pick him off,'" Duran said.

Sure enough, Duran waited till the clock was running down, then whirled and fired the ball to Alex Kirilloff at first base. Thompson took a step toward second base, then dove back, but was easily picked off, the first such out of Duran's career.

Score one for the scouting reports.

"It's cool, and it happens, in more subtle ways, more often than we think because we don't talk about it all the time," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Simply paying attention and watching tendencies, it's certainly a big part of our game."

Brock Stewart also recorded his first career pickoff in the sixth inning, nabbing Miguel Vargas.

Royce Lewis provided plenty of offense — three hits (including a home run), four RBI and a stolen base — as the St. Paul Saints edged the host Columbus Clippers 6-5 in 10 innings. Patrick Murphy got the victory with two innings of scoreless relief.