Make It Official! Twins 13, Diamondbacks 6: Festa Earned First MLB Win with a Lot of Help from his Friends

[Seth Stohs]

David Festa made his much-anticipated MLB debut on Thursday afternoon, and he had his offense behind him, giving him plenty of run support. The Twins finished a series win in Phoenix! 

Image courtesy of Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Box Score
SP: David Festa - 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (78 pitches, 53 strikes (67.9%), 6 whiffs)
Home Runs: Byron Buxton (7)
Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.109), Willi Castro (.101), Royce Lewis (.080)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Happy Festa-val Day!!  
Everyone’s using the Festavus meme, but we’re going with Festa-val Day!

Turns out, he had a Jack Morris game, to some degree. Jack Morris was known, when he got into the Hall of Fame, as having the highest ERA of all Hall of Fame pitchers. Morris would say he didn’t care about his ERA, just that his team got the win. He would pitch to the scoreboard instead of just trying to limit runs. 

Well, certainly in a big-league debut, David Festa was not trying to pitch to the scoreboard, but his overall line is not really all that indicative of what he did. In fact, all of the Diamondback damage off of him happened in that fourth inning. Ketel Marte homered, but then Festa recorded the first two strikeouts of his career. That was followed by five straight hits which almost put Festa’s day at an early end. 

Because they had the big lead, they could be more patient. Most important, Festa was throwing strikes and not hurting himself with walks. He managed to get through the fourth inning and then the fifth inning which allowed him to earn his first MLB Win. 

I know the Win statistic for individuals has lost its luster in the analytical age… but I guarantee a player’s first MLB win is pretty meaningful. 

By the numbers
Of Festa's 78 pitches, he threw 33 four-seam fastballs (42%), 26 sliders (33%), and 19 changeups (24%). His fastball averaged 95.8 mph with a max of 96.9 mph. His slider averaged 87.1 mph with a max of 88.3 mph. The changeup was thrown at an average of 88.9 mph with a max of 90.6 mph. 

I was actually impressed that at no point did Festa look like he was overthrowing. He has touched 100 mph in the minor leagues and frequently hits 98. Clearly with the lead and run support, he prioritized throwing strikes. We know that his stuff can be better. His Triple-A numbers tell us that he will have much more swing-and-miss stuff. Of his 78 pitches, he had just six whiffs. 

Also, pitching in a more "normal" game would likely help. Yes, every pitcher will tell his offense to just keep scoring, but the Twins had three straight very long innings, and I don't know that Festa sat down even once in that time. Getting through the first big-league start is a big deal. Once he is able to relax a little and throw more freely, I believe we'll see even more velocity and more sharpness on the slider. 

Offense Remains Red Hot in the Desert! 
After a scoreless first inning, the Twins put a six-spot on the board in the second inning. They showed really good patience, laying off the Jordan Montgomery pitches below the zone. They didn't hit everything real hard, but they found the holes. Correa reached on catcher's interference. Royce Lewis reached on a fielder's choice and error which scored two runs. Jose Miranda hit a sacrifice fly. Carlos Santana crushed a double. 

Montgomery came out to start the third inning too. Byron Buxton reached on a ground ball to shortstop. 

Then he scored on a Willi Castro triple. Margot had another sacrifice fly to make it 8-0. Montgomery's day was over with 74 pitches and just eight outs. 

In the fourth inning, Byron Buxton had a lengthy at-bat. He got a fastball on the outer half of the plate and crushed it, 471 feet, to center field. The three-run homer gave the Twins an 11-0 lead.  

After the D-Backs scored four in the fourth, the Twins took two back. Royce Lewis doubled to left and Miranda hit another sacrifice fly. 

Buxton had three hits and three RBI. Willi Castro had two hits including his fifth triple. Santana 's double was his 14th. Margot went 2-for-5.

Margot Continues to Rake
While a lot of Twins fans watched Manuel Margot struggle early, Rocco Baldelli stood by him. He continued to play against lefties. He pinch hit against lefties. Eventually, it started paying off. Over his past 25 games, Margot is hitting .306/.389/.452 (.841). 

Santana Streak Continues
While a lot of Twins fans watched Carlos Santana struggle early, Rocco Baldelli stood by him. For the most part, he played everyday at first base. He has more than proven himself defensively and should receive strong consideration for a Gold Glove. In his past 31 games, Santana is hitting .337/.427/.574 (1.001) with nine doubles and five homers. He also has 15 walks to go with 11 strikeouts. The 37-year-old has been remarkable. 

Taking Full Advantage of His Shot
Since May 15th, Jose Miranda has played in 37 games. He has hit .315/.362/.548 (.910) with nine doubles, a triple, and six home runs. 

On June 3rd, many assumed Miranda would be the one sent to Rochester when Royce Lewis returned to the roster. Instead, the Twins sent down Edouard Julien because he had been struggling. In 20 games since then, Miranda is hitting .328/.397/.552 (.949) with seven doubles and two homers. 

Remember when Byron Buxton was Struggling?
Since June 6th, Buxton is hitting .355/.397/.645 (1.042) with four doubles, a triple, and four home runs. 

Really Willi?
And Willi Castro has just been so good defensively wherever he's played. However, he has earned his shot near the top of the lineup. In his last 20 games, he is hitting .338/.433/.597 (1.030) with nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs.  

But Then… 
Carlos Correa has been absolutely on fire for over a month. And now we, as Twins fans, can only hope that we get to see him hit again sometime in the next month. He began the day going 1-for-1 with two walks, but in his fourth plate appearance, a Bryce Jarvis, tailing fastball ran in on him and drilled him in the wrist region.  

Correa stepped out of the batter’s box, raised his arm and didn’t even try to shake it. Instead, he looked into his dugout and shook his head. 

Certainly we will learn more about the extent of the Correa injury in the coming hours and days. There is no question that if he is lost for any significant time, it would not be good for the Twins. Correa not only has been playing well, hitting well and fielding well, but he is the clear leader on this team. 

The initial in-game report from the Twins was that Correa has a right wrist contusion. X-Rays on his wrist were negative, which of course is positive. Certainly more testing will be done, but if they can avoid an IL stint, but it would be wonderful. Over 50 games since May 1, Correa has hit .319/.380/.521 (.901) with 13 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs. 

Of course, some may want to jump to point out that if the Twins do need to put Correa on the Injured List for an extended period of time, it would likely mean that Brooks Lee would get the call to the big leagues. We can be excited about that later. For now, I think we can all hope that Correa isn’t hurt as bad as it looked like it could have been. 

What’s Next? 
The Twins leave the desert and head to the oft-rainy northwest to take on the Seattle Mariners in a three game series.   

Fri 8:40 pm: RHP Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Logan Gilbert (5-4, 2.71 ERA)
Sat 9:10 pm: RHP Pablo Lopez (7-6, 3.05 ERA) vs RHP Bryce Miller (6-6, 3.90 ERA)
Sun 3:10 pm: RHP Joe Ryan (5-5, 3.31 ERA) vs TBD (7-3, 3.42 ERA)

The Twins will get a day off on Monday before coming back to Target Field.  

Postgame Interviews 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet 

	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	THU	TOT
Funderburk	0	0	0	0	34	34
Alcalá	0	0	19	0	0	19
Okert	0	0	0	19	0	19
Thielbar	0	0	0	0	19	19
Sands	0	0	9	0	9	18
Jax	15	0	0	0	0	15
Staumont	0	0	0	5	0	5
Durán	0	0	0	3	0	3

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[bowserthedog]

I think there's an issue with your Pablo Lopez ERA

 

[Patzky]

All the good feels went away with one pitch.

[Joe A. Preusser]

No, no.  I'm pretty sure Pablo's ERA is correct.

[BH67]

An airing of postgame thoughts without grievance:

Correa appears bruised, but there’s no fracture. Whew.

Buck’s OPS has jumped 89 points in just four games. Seven players in today’s starting lineup have a season OPS of .760 or higher. The Twins had a 1.260 team OPS through five innings today. Can this last against better pitching in Seattle?

Delighted that Festa could complete five innings. Good innings for Thielbar and Funderburk as well, and they needed them.

The Twins have given Farmer considerable leeway, yet he’s making the Leeway to Minnesota arrive much sooner.

Go Royals tonight! (Any win over Cleveland is welcome.)
 

[MMMordabito]

You could just go with Festa Day.

Festa actually means what many on here are trying to make it mean with the word play.

[DocBauer]

Three really good innings from Festa, one bad inning, and then another solid inning to finish 5 and get a win in his ML debut. I'll take it all day long! You've got nerves, you're on the road, you have to sit for some long innings, and you still come out on top and are good for 4 out of 5 debut innings. Again, I'll take that.

The Twins are a solid team that might actually be getting better. And I still don't think they're where they could be yet. Still a little too much inconsistency from a few arms. But they're on a 90+ win pace which makes the horrible start and "giving" away some games here and there all the more painful. 

But this is a good team and a fun team to watch. Imagine how much fun they might be the second half if they can ratchet up the consistency even a single notch?

[bean5302]

Think I counted 6 swinging strikes in 78 pitches, good for 7.7% for Festa. Lots of foul balls in the zone which speaks to Festa's movement, but AZ missed on a couple meatballs and some 4 seamers which were in the heart of the zone. Festa gets the win, and hopefully, he gets past any jitters.

It'd be even better if Festa's number and name were stitched on in the middle of his jersey rather than looking like they were off to the side...

[bean5302]

So glad to hear Correa's wrist was bruised and negative on the X-Ray for breaks. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if he has to miss a couple games. Minnesota hitters have been drilled an MLB leading 55 times this year (tied with CLE). Getting sick of it.

[Aggies7]

Well done on the HBP to make a statement. Sooner if possible next time. Everyone survived and the message was sent. Have to stand up for yourself sometimes.

[bighat]

Kyle Farmer trying to hide in the 9th hole goes 0-for-5. Brooks Lee, now. Put the kid in the OF if needed, just get him up and Farmer out. 

Festa with the "W". Nice. 

Buxton en fuego. He runs hot and cold and when he's hot you gotta just sit back and enjoy it. Good for him. 

Let's take 2 of 3 in Seattle boys. 

[David HK]

These dang day games happen in the middle of the night for me, so I catch up later on.   Usually listen to the away broadcast, unless they're the Yanks, and Bob Brenly of the Dbacks team did not disappoint!  They were really digging the "Slim Reaper" nickname, but the highlight was when Hank got drilled by Jeffers' foul ball.  Brenly:  "In Sopranos speak, he got him in the fleshy part of the thigh." 🤣  I nearly spit-taked my morning coffee... 😂😅😂

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, bowserthedog said:

I think there's an issue with your Pablo Lopez ERA

 

A big issue

[mikelink45]

3 hours ago, bowserthedog said:

I think there's an issue with your Pablo Lopez ERA

 

Maybe 5.11 would be more accurate

[yeahyabetcha]

1 hour ago, bighat said:

Kyle Farmer trying to hide in the 9th hole goes 0-for-5. Brooks Lee, now. Put the kid in the OF if needed, just get him up and Farmer out. 

Festa with the "W". Nice. 

Buxton en fuego. He runs hot and cold and when he's hot you gotta just sit back and enjoy it. Good for him. 

Let's take 2 of 3 in Seattle boys. 

So bring Lee up to take Farmer’s outfield starts??

[Dman]

A pretty typical Festa outing minus the K's.  Almost unhittable to start and then the next times through the order lot's of trouble.

I didn't care for the pitch sequencing at all.  Granted I am no expert but watching him when effective at AAA he was down and in or away and up and in at the top of the zone.  When he stays to the edges and gets strikes he can tempt them by going out of the zone for swing and miss.  The Home Run was a change up right down the middle and they had him with two strikes.  His change up anywhere near the middle is the last thing he should throw there. The slider at the bottom of the zone would have been better.

To their credit Arizona got hits on him off some pretty well placed pitches but they went middle way, way too much.  His stuff doesn't play there. It plays at the bottom or top.  I guess they were probably going for weak contact and quick outs but it turned into 4 runs.

Still just nice to see him out there.  He has the stuff to be effective I think it just needs to be placed better.  As lot's of others noted early on in the season he needs better command and control to make the next jump.

[Jocko87]

Buxton hit a ball 456 ft and an infield single with a sprint speed of 31.8 f/s in the same game.

[stringer bell]

It's crazy to see players' ups and downs over the course of the season. Right now Max Kepler and Royce Lewis are having problems squaring up balls, but during the Twins twelve game winning streak, Kepler was getting key hits every game. Lewis came back from injury and looked like he was going to hit a long ball every game or two. Ryan Jeffers started hot, but has cooled. Byron Buxton had a long period of minimal offense, but this last week or two, he looks like a player of the week candidate. Carlos Santana has come on after looking like he was finished in April.

No one player has carried the team for the season or even a month at a time. April's successes become subsequent month's struggles or vice versa.

[UK Twin]

Not sure what the biggest positive out of this game was:

1. Correa escaped serious injury

2. Buxton is hitting the cover off the ball right now

3. Correa escaped serious injury

4. Buck beating out an infield single that no one else could have done

5. Correa escaped serious injury

6. Lewis snapped his hitless streak

7. Correa escaped serious injury

8. Festa looks a very good prospect

9. Correa escaped serious injury

[UK Twin]

TBH it's a minor miracle that with the amount of times Twins hitters have been hit by a pitch that none have done any serious damage. None of them have been deliberate but try telling that to the hitter who gets plunked! 

[UK Twin]

Twins have handled Buck much better this year. Obviously the surgery he had in the off season was successful in getting him back in CF. But importantly they put him on the IL earlier in the year when he tweaked his knee and let him rest it properly. He may need another stint at some point but he needs to be in CF, not DHing. Even when he's not getting hits, he's in a much better place than last year. 

[bighat]

8 hours ago, yeahyabetcha said:

So bring Lee up to take Farmer’s outfield starts??

No, he takes Castro's outfield starts. 

Castro takes Farmer's infield starts. 

Where'd you go to college? 

[yeahyabetcha]

1 hour ago, bighat said:

No, he takes Castro's outfield starts. 

Castro takes Farmer's infield starts. 

Where'd you go to college? 

I apologize for not being as brilliant as you.

How many career starts has Lee had at 2b and in the outfield??

 

[Riverbrian]

17 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Margot Continues to Rake
While a lot of Twins fans watched Manuel Margot struggle early, Rocco Baldelli stood by him. He continued to play against lefties. He pinch hit against lefties. Eventually, it started paying off. Over his past 25 games, Margot is hitting .306/.389/.452 (.841). 

Lets not be a Margot Kidder.

Those numbers you post are his numbers since May 27. 

72 PA's - 62 AB's over that span. 

32 PA's - 28 AB's vs Left handed pitching:

.429/.469/.649 (1.112)

40 PA's - 34 AB's vs Right Handed Pitching

.206/.325/.294 (.619)

Still facing more right handers than left handers. 

I'm not really in a Margot mood right now.

Unless he lost that ball in the ceiling. That McCarthy 258 foot lazy fly ball for a single should have been caught by simply continuing to move his feet. Wouldn't even needed to dive for it... he could have just run under it... like a routine play from a routine outfielder.

It would have been the third out in the 4th inning.

It cost Festa 3 earned runs. 

His 4th inning would have been (should have been) HR, K, K, 1B, F9. 1 Earned Run

 

[Riverbrian]

You will all be happy to know that I'm stealing the broadcast of Twins games now. Should be able to watch the games going forward. 

I've always been law abiding... I pay my taxes... I clear the table after supper. I'm sure my mother would be proud of the criminal I have become. 

The Twins have turned me into a Pirate. 

[Jocko87]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

You will all be happy to know that I'm stealing the broadcast of Twins games now. Should be able to watch the games going forward. 

I've always been law abiding... I pay my taxes... I clear the table after supper. I'm sure my mother would be proud of the criminal I have become. 

The Twins have turned me into a Pirate. 

[Doctor Wu]

Remember when Byron Buxton was Struggling?
Since June 6th, Buxton is hitting .355/.397/.645 (1.042) with four doubles, a triple, and four home runs. 

Man, I sure hope this is not just a mirage, or a quick 3-week resurgence. It would be AMAZING to have this sort of performance from Buxton for the next 3 months. 

[TwinsDr2021]

The Diamondbacks played one of the worst games I have ever seen defensively to the great benefit of Festa, thanks Dbacks 😀.

Festa looked pretty darn good for 3 innings and with the time he had between innings it was even more impressive. Not the best start, not the worst start but pretty decent with lots to look forward to.

Congrats Kid on your first win, and hopefully many more to follow.

[Doctor Wu]

5 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

The Diamondbacks played one of the worst games I have ever seen defensively to the great benefit of Festa, thanks Dbacks 😀.

Festa looked pretty darn good for 3 innings and with the time he had between innings it was even more impressive. Not the best start, not the worst start but pretty decent with lots to look forward to.

Congrats Kid on your first win, and hopefully many more to follow.

Hey, it's a beginning. I remember watching the debuts by Tom Glavine and John Smoltz back in the day, and those weren't blemish-free by any means. Who knows what the future holds, but it's a good start for Festa. 

[Craig Arko]

18 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

Man, I sure hope this is not just a mirage, or a quick 3-week resurgence. It would be AMAZING to have this sort of performance from Buxton for the next 3 months. 

4 months would be better.