Twins pitcher Pablo López wields a new tool for taking on lefthanded batters: a second changeup

Pablo López knows lefthanded hitters have always been the biggest challenge of his career, and the disparity has been even greater this year.

So he’s found a new weapon to utilize, especially against a lefty-heavy lineup like the one the Orioles send out.

A changeup.

But not the changeup he’s always used. “He’s throwing two of them now,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of the team’s Opening Day starter, who struck out 11 of the 18 Orioles he faced in earning his third victory Tuesday night. “He’s not just switching it up. He’s actually adding more to his arsenal.”

The difference may seem subtle to fans in the stands or watching on TV. But in the batter’s box, or catching the pitch? It’s pretty obvious.

“It’s the new fad. One is the one he’s used his whole life. One moves a little more,” said catcher Ryan Jeffers. “I’m not gonna give away all the tips and tricks, but yes, he has two now. They move differently.”

It’s López’s way of countering the platoon split that sometimes causes him trouble. Lefthanders have a .640 OPS against him, while righthanders have struggled to a .404 OPS this year, with only three extra-base hits, none of them home runs, in his six starts.

“Honestly, Pablo, he’s a thinker, and he’s always going to continually find ways to attack things that he wants to do better,” Baldelli said. “Rarely do you get a chance to prove just what those adjustments are made of because you don’t face very many seven- and eight-hitter lefthanded lineups.

“These lefthanded lineups have been a little more challenging for him at times, but the way he’s attacked them the last two outings, he looked fantastic. I don’t think he could throw the ball too much better against this type of lineup.”

José Miranda is eager to get back on the field, so his season can be known for his hitting and not the circumstances of his freak injury.

“I mean, I think everybody knows that [story] already,” the infielder said. “I was grabbing a case of water, literally, at Target. It fell out of my hands, and I tried to grab it. It just pulled my [fingers] back. I had a strain in [his palm]. It was really bad, especially at night. When I got back home, I couldn’t even close my hand.”

The injury, occurring the day after he was optioned back to Class AAA St. Paul, lingered for nearly four weeks, making the incident even more painful.

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“I thought it would be something quick. The moment I tried swinging again [a week after the original injury] it didn’t feel good — ‘Oh, it’s not going to be quick,’ ” Miranda said. “We shut it down after that.”

Miranda expects to be activated from the minor league injured list as soon as Thursday. He knows, after a 6-for-36 start to the season, that he has to prove he’s not only back physically but at the plate, too.

“I think [about] 36 at-bats — that’s nothing,” Miranda pointed out. “Knowing myself, when I get hot, I get hot. … It’s hard. It’s a game of adjustments.”

Keeping a good attitude while with the Saints will be key.

“I just see it as baseball. You see [Rangers outfielder] Joc Pederson — he’s been in the league for 12 years, and he just went through a slump, 0-for-41,” Miranda said. “It’s a game of ups and downs. You just have to keep trusting yourself.”

The flu that has gone around the Twins’ clubhouse over the past week has changed the pitching rotation. Joe Ryan was sick Wednesday, so the Twins will start Bailey Ober in his place for Thursday afternoon’s series finale with the Orioles.

Mike Ford hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning, driving the St. Paul Saints past the Buffalo Bisons 8-7 at CHS Field. It was Ford’s seventh home run of the season.