Pablo López is excited to pitch against his former teammate Sonny Gray on Saturday night, sure. But what he really wants to do, well, he won’t have the chance.

“I wish I was hitting against him,” López lamented.

The duo faced off against each other twice in 2019 while they both pitched for National League teams, and both pitchers are hitless against each other. But they’ll have to fill their competitive itch against each other on the mound only now, and it’s a matchup that both pitchers, who fronted the Twins’ rotation last season together, are looking forward to.

López and Gray, who signed a three-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals after pitching for the Twins for two seasons, will face off Saturday in a game beginning at 6:10 p.m. at Target Field.

“I got to learn from him, and now going up against him is going to be fun to just have that extra competitive edge going against Sonny, who we all know is a tough competitor, one of the toughest guys out there,” López said. “It’s going to be a really fun challenge to go head-to-head against him.”

Gray, who has a 3.91 earned-run average currently in his first season in St. Louis, is anticipating it as well.

“I have nothing but the most respect for Pablo. I thoroughly, thoroughly, throughly enjoyed working with him last year,” Gray said. “We both brought so much out of each other, I would say. Having another guy like him on the staff that was as dominant, it made me better. I’d like to hope that I was able to help him and make him better. But he definitely made me better.”

Gray’s impact is still felt within the Twins’ clubhouse, where he mentored younger members of the rotation, like Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, both of whom praised him as a leader.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gray, now 34, showed younger pitchers that there is a level and a trait of determination and focus necessary to succeed that he thinks brushed off on younger pitchers.

And while Gray said he was told upfront by the front office early in free agency that they did not have the resources to re-sign him, he looks back on his time with Minnesota fondly.

“This was a really good place for me and my family for two years,” Gray said. “We loved our time here.”

Buxton progressing

Byron Buxton was initially hoping to avoid the injured list entirely. Then, he was hoping to be back after 10 days, on the first day he was eligible.

Neither happened, but the Twins’ center fielder, who is dealing with hip inflammation, has accepted that that’s best both for him and for the team.

“(I was) not rushing it but just trying to get back at 10 days,” Buxton said. “One of those things that just didn’t work out. Just staying positive. Understanding if things didn’t work out in 10 days, it’ll be better at some point.”

Buxton said he has been feeling better, though he said he’s still feeling the inflammation when he runs. His swing feels fine and defense and throwing both feel good. So now, it’s just getting over the hurdles of running, even if he isn’t 100 percent.

“It’s that point in the season where you aren’t going to be perfect,” he said. “So it’s just more about the toleration of what I can take.”

Buxton said he hopes to avoid going on a rehab assignment. Earlier in the week, head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said the decision on whether he needs to play in rehab games would be at “a player’s discretion at this stage.”

At this point, with the Twins currently in possession of a wild card berth and in the hunt for the American League Central Division title, Buxton understands the importance of every game — which is he why he understands why missing some now might be better overall in the long run.

“One of those things where, don’t try to do anything crazy,” Buxton said. “We are where we are in the season and there’s no place I’d rather be than to be playing. But it’s also that point in not trying to go out there too quick and have another setback.”

Briefly

Alex Kirilloff (back) started a rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A St. Paul, and Brooks Lee (biceps) will play on Saturday in St. Paul, Baldelli said. “They’ll both be in the lineup on the 25th, and then they can go from there. They’ll keep playing. They’re not going to be immediately activated at that point.”

The only thing head coach Kevin O’Connell was willing to confirm this week heading into the preseason finale between the Vikings and Eagles is that Jaren Hall will start at quarterback in Philadelphia, then Matt Corral will eventually take over down the stretch.

In other words, Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens will not be playing, which makes sense given the fact that they’re the only healthy quarterbacks on the roster.

It’s safe to assume there will be a good amount of players joining Darnold and Mullens on the sidelines. There’s no sense in playing any of the established players at this point. Not with so many position battles still hanging in the balance with less than a week before the initial 53-man roster is due.

“We have a lot of things we’ll have to let work itself out via competition,” O’Connell said. “The game will still be a part of the evaluation process.”

Here are five storylines to watch in the Vikings preseason finale:

How does Jaren Hall look?

This is the last chance for Hall to make a statement that he belongs.

Though he fills an important role behind Darnold and Mullens, especially with J.J. McCarthy on injured reserve, Hall is likely on the fringe of making the team with the way things are shaping up elsewhere on the roster.

As the Vikings decide between which players to hold on to, and which players to move on from, there’s a chance they cut Hall with hopes of sneaking him onto the practice squad. The risk there is Hall could be claimed off waivers by another team.

How are things going to play out? That remains to be seen. If Hall puts together a solid effort, however, he might make himself too valuable to expose.

Which receivers sit out?

Aside from Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Vikings could decide that every receiver has to suit up. That has been the case so far throughout the exhibition slate.

That said, if somebody like Jalen Nailor, or even somebody like Trishton Jackson, is in street clothes on the sidelines, it would serve as a pretty good indicator that they have made the team. The same goes for Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield.

Never mind that it seems antithetical to being in the NFL. Not playing in the preseason finale is a good thing.

Which cornerbacks step up?

Not counting Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr., there are maybe a couple of spots up for grabs among the other cornerbacks in the room.

Te biggest riser over the past couple of weeks has been Dwight McGlothern. The undrafted free agent has made a number of plays throughout training camp, to go along with an interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown last weekend against Cleveland.

If the Vikings want to keep McGlothern, they might have to move on from somebody like Fabian Moreau or Akayleb Evans to do it. There are also a number of depth players that will presumably be competing for a couple of spots on the practice squad.

Those decisions could come down to who plays better in the preseason finale.

Is this it for Lewis Cine?

The ship might’ve already sailed on Cine despite his impressive performance last weekend against Cleveland. He finished with 10 tackles, a sack and an interception while playing every snap on defense.

Were the Vikings simply trying to showcase Cine with hopes that another team would trade for him? Perhaps.

That said, if Cine has a similar type of impact in the preseason finale, the Vikings could decide to hold on to him.

What does Kevin O’Connell say?

It was announced this week that the Vikings will have O’Connell mic’d up during Saturday’s game.

This is a fun thing the Vikings have been doing throughout the exhibition slate with Jefferson and Harrison Smith also partaking at different points.

Though he’s unlikely to give away any trade secrets, it will be interesting to hear from O’Connell with live action going on in front of him.

Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine (6) celebrates his sack against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders

When: 5:55 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: Apple TV Season Pass
TV: KMSP Ch. 9
Radio: KSTP-AM 1500
Weather: 82 degrees, partly cloudy, 10 mph northwest wind
Betting line: MNUFC plus-155; draw-240; Seattle plus-155

Series history: The Loons are 1-12-2 all-time in MLS play against Seattle, with the lone win coming in July 2021 in St. Paul. MNUFC lost 2-0 at  Lumen Field in league play on June 15.

Form: MNUFC was knocked out of Leagues Cup group stage on July 30, while the Sounders were sent home in the quarterfinals Aug. 17. The Loons were sent home, in part, due to a 2-0 loss at Seattle on July 26.

Quote: Loons Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad was impressed with head coach Eric Ramsay’s ingenuity during the nine-match winless rut into mid-July.

“What stood out for me is the patience, the openness to try things and just do the best with what you have versus having this attitude of, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad,” El-Ahmad said. “Because when you lose and you lose and you lose, it’s very easy to just kind let that mentality bring you down. Misery loves company.”

Absences: Tani Oluwaseyi (hamstring) is out. He has been progressing in his rehab, but Ramsay said next week’s game at San Jose is a more likely return date for the Canadian striker. New Argentine midfielder Joaquín Pereyra (work visa) has not yet arrived in Minnesota.

Look-ahead: Besides Pereyra, four other newcomers might make their MNUFC debuts: striker Kelvin Yeboah, center back Jefferson Diaz, right back Matus Kmet and left back Anthony Markanich.

News: MNUFC2 midfielder Loic Mesanvi, 20, has signed a first-team contract with MNUFC through the 2025 season, with two club options for 2026-27. The Lakeville resident has been energetic in his four appearances with the first team this season. Now he will get a chance to show he belongs full-time.

Projected XI: In a 5-2-3 formation, LW Bongi Hlongwane, FW Tani Oluwaseyi, RW Robin Lod; CM Wil Trapp, CM Hassani Dotson; LWB Joseph Rosales, CB Micky Tapias, CB Michael Boxall, CB Jefferson Diaz, RWB Sang Bin Jeong; GK Dayne St. Clair.

Scouting report: Seattle dominated possession and scoring chances in their Leagues Cup match last month. That, of course, was aided by Dotson’s red card in the 65th minute. But for the Loons to capture all three points, they need to gain more control of the ball and not rely on the counter attack.

Prediction: Ramsay’s teams have been so hamstrung by absences in both matchups with the Sounders this season. Outside Oluwaseyi, he has a full roster and a handful of reinforcements from the transfer window. It still isn’t enough in a 1-1 draw.

By JEFFREY COLLINS

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has set a Sept. 20 date to put inmate Freddie Eugene Owens to death in what would be the state’s first execution in more than 13 years.

South Carolina was once one of the busiest states for executions, but for years had had trouble obtaining lethal injection drugs due to pharmaceutical companies’ concerns that they would have to disclose that they had sold the drugs to officials.

The state Legislature has since passed a law allowing officials to keep lethal injection drug suppliers secret and, in July, the state Supreme Court cleared the way to restart executions.

Owens, who killed a store clerk in Greenville in 1997, will likely have the choice to die by lethal injection, electrocution or by the newly added option of a firing squad. A Utah inmate in 2010 was the last person to have been executed by a firing squad in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

The prisons director has five days to confirm that all three execution methods will be available. He must also give Owens’ lawyers proof that the lethal injection drug is stable and correctly mixed, according to the high court’s 2023 interpretation of the state’s secrecy law on executions that helped reopen the door to South Carolina’s death chamber.

Owens, 46, will then have about a week to let the state know how he wishes to be killed. If he makes no choice, the state will send him to the electric chair by default.

A lawyer for Owens didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The justices didn’t specify how much information has to be released but they have promised a swift ruling if an inmate challenged the details in the disclosure.

South Carolina used to use a mix of three drugs, but now will use one drug, the sedative pentobarbital, for lethal injections in a protocol similar to executions carried out by the federal government.

Owens can ask Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for mercy and to reduce his sentence to life without parole. No South Carolina governor has ever granted clemency in the modern era of the death penalty.

South Carolina’s last execution was in May 2011. The state didn’t set out to pause executions, but its supply of lethal injection drugs expired and companies refused to sell the state more if the transaction was made public.

It took a decade of wrangling in the Legislature — first adding the firing squad as a method and later passing a shield law — to get capital punishment restarted.

South Carolina has put 43 inmates to death since the death penalty was restarted in the U.S. in 1976. In the early 2000s, it was carrying out an average of three executions a year. Only nine states have put more inmates to death.

But since the unintentional execution pause, South Carolina’s death row population has dwindled. The state had 63 condemned inmates in early 2011. It currently has 32. About 20 inmates have been taken off death row and received different prison sentences after successful appeals. Others have died of natural causes.

Along with Owens, at least three other inmates have exhausted their regular appeals and a few more are close, meaning the death chamber could be busy to close out 2024.

The recent state Supreme Court ruling that reopened the door for executions found that the state shield law was legal and both the electric chair and firing squad were not cruel punishments.

The South Carolina General Assembly authorized the state to create a firing squad in 2021 to give inmates a choice between it and the same electric chair the state bought in 1912.

Supporters of the firing squad, including some Democrats reluctant about the death penalty, said it appears to be the quickest and most painless way to kill an inmate.

Owens killed store clerk Irene Graves during a string of robberies in 1997. He has been sentenced to death three separate times during his appeals.

After being convicted of murder his initial trial in 1999 but before a jury determined his sentence, Owens killed his cellmate at the Greenville County jail.

Owens gave investigators a detailed account of how he killed his cellmate, stabbing and burning his eyes, choking him and stomping him while another prisoner was in the cell and stayed quietly in his bunk, according to trial testimony.