MINNEAPOLIS -- In Pablo López's first start since signing a four-year extension that will keep him at the head of the Twins’ rotation, he got a taste of what Opening Day weather typically looks like in the Upper Midwest -- and it didn’t make for a pleasant experience.

With the game-time temperature more than 20 degrees colder than anything else he’d ever experienced in his six-year Major League career, López turned in his shortest start for Minnesota, allowing five runs in four innings in a 10-4 loss to the Nationals on Saturday afternoon at Target Field.

The Twins have now dropped six of their last seven games, but López refused to use weather as an excuse following the game.

“I'm not going to sit here and say it didn't feel cold, but at the same time, it's one of those things where it's my job to make an adjustment, adapt, and go out there and make pitches,” López said. “Same temperature the Nationals hitters were dealing with, and they had a plan. They executed their plan. They capitalized on mistakes I made.”

The offense has been cold enough that there has been little margin of error for a Minnesota pitching staff that has otherwise been one of the best in baseball -- and López’s execution lapses against the Nationals took that margin away, accounting for his first start this season in which he could not pitch into the sixth inning.

“We’re not playing well,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I mean, that we knew. Every guy in that room knows that we’re not playing the way we need to. Most of the games haven’t necessarily been like this, though. This was a challenging game on both sides of the ball for us.”

López struggled to find outs from the very start, as he hit Minnesota native Alex Call to open the game and allowed a double, single and walk before finally gritting through three strikeouts in a 28-pitch first inning. López didn’t fare better in the second, when he hit another batter, issued another walk and allowed another pair of hits.

Whether it was the 35-degree cold at first pitch with wind or just an overall lack of feel -- and likely a combination of both -- López saw the velocity of all of his pitches down 1-2 mph, with noticeably diminished break on his new sweeper. And a contact-happy Nationals offense made him pay on an abundance of fastballs, with ground balls and line drives finding holes in the infield all afternoon.

“It's just overall a pretty forgettable outing, especially after last night,” López said. “The team was counting on me to go here and try to even the series out. Well, I did the opposite of that. I didn't really give the team a chance to win, and then didn't really help the bullpen out, either.”

López’s five runs allowed on eight hits and two walks were his most since a start against the Mets on Sept. 22, 2022, nine starts ago.

Though Baldelli saw some things he liked in the offense as it knocked nine hits and saw Byron Buxton continue breaking out of his slump with his third homer of the season, he also noted the hitters look like they’re “in between” the fastballs and breaking balls in zeroing in on their pitches at the plate. And that has led to outputs of four or fewer runs in five of their six losses in this stretch.

Minnesota has totaled 16 runs in its six losses to the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals in this stretch, including four on Saturday in a game started by Washington right-hander Chad Kuhl, who entered with an 8.59 ERA. That’s an average of fewer than three runs in those games -- though Minnesota pitching has often kept the team in those contests.

“It’s an execution thing,” Baldelli said. “Our plans are good. It’s about going out there and actually doing it when the game starts.”

With the return of Jorge Polanco, Joey Gallo and Max Kepler to the starting lineup in the last week, this is now very close to the team the Twins hoped to field at full strength this season on both sides of the ball, with their long-term ace on the mound looking to put an end to the skid.

They just haven’t found it yet.

“It's just one of those things where you turn the page and tomorrow, the preparation for my next one will start,” López said. “Game one, day one starts tomorrow.”