Five key takeaways from the Twins’ season-opening sweep of the Royals

Starting pitching. Lineup depth. Defense. Base running.

Those are the four areas the Twins focused on improving in the offseason, and all four were on display in a season-opening three-game sweep of the Royals in Kansas City that included back-to-back shutout wins to begin a season for the first time in team history.

Let’s look at some of the highlights and key takeaways from a 3-0 start that has the Twins sitting alone atop the AL Central after opening weekend.

Starting strong

Starting pitchers Pablo López, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan combined to allow just one run over 16 1/3 innings, impressive early returns from a rotation the Twins have banked on being significantly improved this season.

López threw 5 1/3 shutout innings Thursday, using overpowering raw stuff to overcome shaky fastball command. He averaged 95.1 mph with his fastball, up from 93.6 mph for the Marlins last season, and the new “sweeper” breaking ball he learned this spring is already getting swings-and-misses, like his elite changeup. It’s easy to see why López got the Opening Day assignment for his new team.

Gray’s five shutout innings Saturday were more of a struggle. He seemed to lack fastball command, relying heavily on off-speed pitches in his first two trips through the Royals’ lineup. Gray issued four walks versus just one strikeout and had jams with multiple runners on base in the second, third and fourth innings, but he wriggled out of trouble all three times with a lot of defensive help.

Ryan gave up a solo homer to Edward Olivares in the second inning Sunday to snap the pitching staff’s season-opening scoreless streak at 19 2/3 innings but later settled into a groove on the way to six innings of one-run ball. He allowed only two more hits, struck out six and made good on his spring training plans to rely less on his fastball, throwing 20 split-changeups and 16 sweepers.

Now the baton is passed to Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda, the two members of the rotation with health question marks. They’ll kick off a three-game series against Luis Arraez and the Marlins in Miami, with López scheduled to face his old teammates in the finale Wednesday.

State of the lefty bats

Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff are on the injured list, Max Kepler was 0-for-13 in his return to the leadoff spot and Nick Gordon went hitless in the series as well, but Trevor Larnach and Joey Gallo picked up the slack for the Twins’ left-handed hitters in Kansas City.

Larnach went from fighting to make the team in spring training to batting cleanup in each of the first three games, and the 2018 first-round pick responded by going 5-for-11 (.455) with three walks and a lot of good, patient plate appearances. His ability to work counts and drive pitches to the opposite field have always stood out. Now he just needs to stay healthy.

Gallo was held in check through the first two games, going 0-for-6 with four strikeouts, but Sunday the Twins got their first taste of the…