Twins' Pablo Lopez: Returns to form in win

Lopez (5-5) earned the win in Friday's 6-1 victory over Houston, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

Lopez appeared to be in the form that led him to a seventh place finish in the 2023 AL Cy Young race. The Minnesota right-hander generated an impressive 17 whiffs en route to his six punchouts while lowering his season ERA to 4.84 in 67 innings. The lone blemish on his evening was the 348-foot solo shot Alex Bregman hit into Houston's Crawford Boxes in the fourth inning. Lopez faces a difficult test in his next start -- he's lined up to face a formidable Yankees lineup in New York next week.