Blue Jays: RHP Kevin Gausman2023 stats: 12-9, 3.16 ERA, 185 innings, 237 strikeouts, 1.18 WHIPGausman won’t win a Cy Young Award this season, but he’ll receive votes for the third consecutive year because that’s just who he’s become: an ace. He’ll dice you up with splitters and catch you snoozing with a 95 mph heater at the top of the strike zone.But here are two worries. First, the Blue Jays have failed Gausman in the run-support department this season, scoring just 3.55 runs per nine innings behind him. (That number was 5.53 for Yusei Kikuchi, 5.13 for Chris Bassitt and 3.99 for José Berríos). And then there’s the other worry: The Twins might have his number. Gausman beat them May 26 but walked five in 5 1/3 innings — which can happen against a patient lineup like theirs. Then, on June 11, they teed off on him for six runs (seven hits, four walks) and chased him in the fifth inning. You can be sure Gausman will be guarding against free passes and against tipping his pitches in Game 1.Twins: RHP Pablo López2023 stats: 11-8, 3.66 ERA, 194 innings, 234 strikeouts, 1.12 WHIPThe Twins so badly wanted to add a front-line starter this past offseason that they traded away a batting champ (who then pulled a Benny Kauff) to get López. It worked out for both sides. López averaged just over six innings per start this season, and he allowed three earned runs or fewer in 22 of 32 outings. He has always had impeccable command, and, like Gausman, he has the composure and the putaway pitches to get himself out of jams with strikeouts.I mean, look at all that red. López added almost a mile-and-a-half of velocity on his fastball this season, up from 93.5 mph to 94.9 mph. Four of his five pitches graded out as above-average this season: The four-seamer, sweeper and sinker each rated at plus-6 in Run Value, and the changeup was plus-4. López is particularly tough on right-handed hitters (.597 OPS), who see the full five-pitch mix and are completely lost against López’s sweeper, batting a collective .173 against that pitch.Continue reading for a full Game 1 preview.