Pablo Lopez named Twins' starting pitcher for Opening Day

When the Twins face the Royals in Kansas City on Opening Day, they'll send right-hander Pablo Lopez to the mound as their starting pitcher. Minnesota named Lopez their Opening Day starter on Friday, effectively meaning he is No. 1 in the rotation, ahead of the Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and others. 

Minnesota acquired Lopez in the trade that send beloved batting champ Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins. 

Lopez, 27, was 10-10 last season with a 3.75 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 180 innings. He is under team control for two more seasons. He made 32 starts last season and has a 3.94 ERA in 510 career innings at the MLB level. 

Lopez is back with the Twins at spring training after pitching for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic. In his lone start, Lopez held Puerto Rico to one run on two hits in 4.2 innings. His fastball topped out at 97 mph. 

The Twins and Royals open the season Thursday, March 30 at 3 p.m. CT.