Xcel Energy is modifying its controversial proposal to charge customers significantly more for electricity they use during peak times of the day.

Minnesota’s largest electric utility had proposed charging variable rates to better reflect the actual cost of delivering electricity during high-demand periods, reduce strain on the electric grid and potentially eliminate the need to build new power plants.

Xcel said its goal was to get customers to shift their electricity use to off-peak periods when energy is more affordable to generate and deliver. It planned to enroll all residential customers in the time-of-use rate program unless they chose to opt out.

But the proposal met with pushback from some Xcel customers and consumer advocates. They said the price difference between peak and off-peak rates was too large, and some customers might not be able to change their energy use to avoid higher bills.

The initial proposal would have charged roughly seven times more for using electricity during summer peak hours than off-peak periods.

In a filing with the state Public Utilities Commission, Xcel said after collecting feedback, it’s modifying the plan and making it voluntary for customers to opt in, instead of the default.

Its new plan shortens the peak period and shifts it later to 7-10 p.m. weekdays, instead of 3-8 p.m. as originally proposed. There’s also smaller price difference between peak and off-peak rates.

Electricity will still be cheapest from midnight to 6 a.m., when there’s an abundance of available wind energy.

Xcel says it plans to educate customers about the time-of-use rate program and its potential benefits.

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The Twins had runners on the corners and one out in the first inning. They came away with nothing. An inning later, they had the bases loaded with just one out. They scored just one run.

The Twins were unable to take full advantage of their early chances and simply had no chances late, quieted by starter Andre Pallante, who threw seven innings, in a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener Friday night at Target Field.

Stretching from the third inning to the bottom of the ninth, Cardinals (64-64) pitchers retired 16 straight Twins (71-57) batters, most of whom grounded out in a slow night for the offense. Matt Wallner became the first baserunner since the early innings when he drew a walk to lead off the last frame.

“We needed to have many more good at-bats today than we had,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It was hard early on because we had bases loaded, we had first and third, we had opportunities to do some things. There’s so many different ways for us to score when we’re in those spots. We just couldn’t find it today.”

Cardinals hitters had no such problems.

Rookie David Festa was unhittable during his first turn through the lineup, striking out four. But the second time through, he gave up three hits and was eventually chased from the game.

Festa lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing a run in the top of the third inning to tie the game and another pair of runs on a Lars Nootbaar double in the fourth inning that gave St. Louis the lead for good.

“I thought they just did a great job of working at-bats,” Festa said. “I didn’t get a lot of first pitch, second-pitch outs. … I don’t think it had anything to do with the second time around more than just battling and putting together really good at-bats.”

The short start pressed bullpen that has had a tough go of it lately into action early.

The Twins got 1 1/3 scoreless innings from Caleb Thielbar before Jorge Alcala, pitching in his first game since allowing five runs to Texas last weekend, gave up a leadoff home run to Brendan Donovan in the sixth inning and then slogged through the rest of the inning, issuing a pair of walks.

Trevor Richards, in his second inning of work, gave up another pair of runs as the Cardinals pulled away in the eighth inning. One of those runs scored on a bases-loaded walk. In total, Twins pitchers issued nine walks.

The Twins’ lone run in the loss, which dropped them behind the Kansas City Royals to third place in the American League Central division, came in the second inning when Austin Martin beat out an infield single with the bases loaded, bringing home catcher Ryan Jeffers for a lead they held just briefly.

“It became kind of a … battle for our bullpen to just keep us where we’re at,” Baldelli said. “We did it for a little while but ultimately we couldn’t make up the deficit.”

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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.”