The matchup certainly suggested a potential pitcher’s duel between the two men who led the Twins’ rotation last season, Pablo López and Sonny Gray.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo López delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Trevor Larnach did his best to make sure that wasn’t the case on Saturday night.

Larnach welcomed his former teammate back to town by blasting a pair of home runs, helping the Twins to 6-0 victory on a night where López outdueled Gray by throwing seven scoreless frames.

In his final season in Minnesota, one in which he finished second in Cy Young Award voting, Gray allowed just eight home runs in 184 innings. In 141 2/3 innings this season, the starter has now given up 20.

No. 19 came in the third inning when, after Austin Martin doubled and Willi Castro walked, Larnach got ahold of a cutter and sent it out to right field.  In his next at-bat, the outfielder hit his second home run of the game 419 feet out to center field. It’s the first multi-home run game of Larnach’s career.

In his return to Target Field, Gray, who departed in free agency this winter after two years with the Twins (72-57), lasted six innings and gave up five runs — the other run that Larnach was not responsible for came in the third on a Max Kepler groundout that plated Royce Lewis. Matt Wallner later homered after Gray’s departure.

That was plenty of run support for López, who appeared to be amped up for his start against his former teammate. López averaged 96.4 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball, which was 1.6 mph faster than his season average. He also got 21 swings and misses, a season best.

He had to work through some trouble — twice he pitched around leadoff doubles, and once he stranded a pair of runners in scoring position — but certainly flashed his dominant stuff in a nine-strikeout effort.

The Cardinals (64-65) managed just four hits off López as the Twins’ top starter strung together his second consecutive scoreless outing.