Braves 5, Twins 1: David Festa Deals, but Bullpen and Bats Fold Again

[Steven Trefz]

On paper, the Twins had no chance of winning Wednesday night's contest against the Braves. Dominant Chris Sale faced rookie David Festa and a slumping Minnesota squad that had lost seven straight games to the Braves. Luckily for the Twins, Festa matched Sale pitch for pitch, but unfortunately the Twins' bullpen and bats once again couldn't match the Braves.  Here's how the game on paper came to life.

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: David Festa - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (88 pitches, 58 strikes (66% Strikes))
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar -.275, Christian Vazquez -.174, Carlos Santana -.096

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Twins in Trouble? Or Right on Track?
On Wednesday evening, the Twins came into the series finale having lost seven straight games to the Atlanta Braves, and seven of their last nine overall. Rocco Baldelli shared a pre-game interview that called the current moment a mixture of "right where we want to be" and "not at all where we want to be." 

Braves are Holding an Ace, the Twins Play a Wild Card
The Twins faced a daunting challenge, with the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winne.r Chris Sale on the mound for the Braves, while the Twins were countering with unpredictible rookie David Festa. The top of the first inning Jorge Soler welcomed the rookie rather rudely, and took a Festa fastball 431 feet to the bullpen to stake the Braves and Sale a 1-0 early advantage.

And then...all of a sudden there were a pair of aces on the mound. Sale mowed down the first nine Twins that he faced in order and it looked like one run was all he was going to need. Then the crafty veteran faced some traffic on the bases, when Manuel Margot led off the fourth inning with a single, and Ryan Jeffers followed with a bloop ground-rule double to right just out of the reach of Soler. Sale struck out Jose Miranda, walked Carlos Santana to load the bases, and then added a Willi Castro strikeout and a Christian Vazquez ground out to end the threat.

Meanwhile, between the second and sixth innings, Festa matched Sale pitch for pitch...and then some! Festa only surrendered one hit while striking out six across those frames. While Festa was keeping his team in the game, Sale was continuing to wiggle in and out of danger. In the bottom of the sixth, Margot led off with a ringing double to right, but was inexplicably erased while "sort of" trying to score on Jeffers single in the next at bat.

Not Folding Yet!
Much like Monday night's rally that was always going to fall short, the Twins kept on fighting against Sale in the bottom of the sixth. The mis-play on the bases stung immediately when Miranda laced a single to left. With runners at first and second, Santana popped out, and it looked like the bad habits and luck of the past week were going to keep on haunting the Twins. Luckily, this time the Twins' All-Star Castro stepped up and delivered a single to tie the game at 1-1. The rally ended here, and Festa sprinted out to take the mound once again in the top of the seventh for the first time in his career.

No Lucky Seven for Twins Pitching
Festa's seventh inning lasted all of one batter, as he issued a leadoff walk to that aforementioned thorn in our side Soler. Baldelli played the averages, and brought in lefty Caleb Thielbar to face lefty Matt Olson. The odds weren't in the Twins' favor on that one, as Olson rocked a double to the wall in right, scoring Soler all the way from first to make it 2-1 Braves. Ramon Laureano was next up to the plate, and he is a right handed hitter. And hit it right handed he did, for a single to right that plated Olson to extend the lead to 3-1. Eventually, Jorge Alcala replaced Thielbar in hopes of securing the final two outs of the seventh, and those hopes were raised when Alcala made an amazing bare-handed fielding play to snag Laureano at the plate. The next defensive play managed to end all hope, however, as Margot twisted and turned his way into misplaying a deep fly ball to left off of the bat of Luke Williams. Fly out for out number three turned into a two-run "double," and all of a sudden it was 5-1 Braves.

Do the Twins Have any More Comebacks Up Their Sleeves?
The only silver lining to be found was in the fact that Atlanta's bullpen had been just as taxed as the Twins' bullpen of late. Luke Jackson and his 8.31 ERA greeted the Twins in the bottom of the seventh, Edouard Julien came in for Kyle Farmer, and he drew a walk. Big boppers Matt Wallner and pinch-hitting Trevor Larnach took called third strikes, and Margot grounded out to quickly lower Jackson's ERA. The Twins also folded in the eighth and ninth innings, and were left searching for something...anything to bring back the laughing and winning Twins of yester-week. 

What’s Next? 
The Twins look to rebound against an underperforming Toronto Blue Jays team. The Twins send out RHP Pablo Lopez for the last Pablo Day of August (12-8, 4.26 ERA) in hopes that he will continue to build off of his dominant start against the Cardinals. The Blue Jays send RHP Kevin Gausman (12-9, 4.10 ERA) out for revenge against a Twins squad that burned him for seven runs in three innings back on May 11th. Twins fans will remember that the Blue Jays eventually won that contest, and the Twins definitely remember it. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm CT.

Postgame Interview 

 

Bullpen Usage Sheet

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUES	WED	TOT
Durán	16	25	0	19	0	60
Henríquez	0	0	32	0	19	51
Jax	19	12	0	10	0	41
Blewett	0	0	39	0	0	39
Sands	0	26	0	6	0	32
Tonkin	0	0	0	0	25	25
Thielbar	0	0	0	8	16	24
Alcalá	0	0	0	8	8	16

 

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[tony&rodney]

Festa was terrific. I'm not sure how much longer the Twins can roll with Festa, Woods Richardson, and Matthews but I'm impressed.

[USAFChief]

Second and third, no out, 3-5 hitters due up. Zero runs.

 

1st three hitters of an inning get base hits...resulting in no runs, 1 out, 2 on. Thanks, Tommy, yet again. 

Festa hasn't been asked to throw a pitch in even the 6th inning ALL YEAR, yet Rocco sends him out for the SEVENTH immediately after tieing  the game. Leadoff walk, Thielbar implosion, Margot does a Delmon-zee impression for 2 insurance runs. 

Dregs of Atlanta's pen cuts through Twins like Sherman through Georgia to the sea.

What'd I miss?

 

[Galen]

Is there a specific stat for:

Runners scoring from 2nd & 3rd with less than 2 out?

Or

Moving runners up with less than 2 out?

Twins can't be much better than the White Sox in those categories. 

[Colbeh]

Tough loss. Ice cold offense. Burnt bullpen.

But man are we spoiled with a healthy starting staff next year. Lopez, Ober, Ryan, SWR, Festa, Matthews and possibly Morris.

Let Varland and Paddack do damage in the bullpen with Jax, Duran, Sands, and Alcala(?). Hope for a healthy return of Topa/Stewart and see what Winder has in him the rest of the year. Just need that coveted lefty.

Also saying this, praying that ownership doesn't slash payroll to Pirate's standards.

[ashbury]

6 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

like Sherman through Georgia to the sea.

Didn't watch the game.  Guess I'm glad I didn't. No positive takeaways from this game whatsoever.

[darwin22]

30 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Festa was terrific. I'm not sure how much longer the Twins can roll with Festa, Woods Richardson, and Matthews but I'm impressed.

What other options do they have but to keep "rolling with" Festa, SWR and Matthews?

[USAFChief]

10 minutes ago, ashbury said:

 No positive takeaways from this game whatsoever.

Festa looked really good I thought.

Wallner continues to look like the best Twins hitter, against Sale no less.

[chpettit19]

13 minutes ago, Galen said:

Is there a specific stat for:

Runners scoring from 2nd & 3rd with less than 2 out?

Or

Moving runners up with less than 2 out?

Twins can't be much better than the White Sox in those categories. 

Twins score a runner from 3rd with less than 2 outs 53.5% of the time. Tied with Atlanta for 7th best in baseball. Advance a runner from 2nd with 0 outs 49.2% of the time. 9th worst in baseball.

[Galen]

6 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Twins score a runner from 3rd with less than 2 outs 53.5% of the time. Tied with Atlanta for 7th best in baseball. Advance a runner from 2nd with 0 outs 49.2% of the time. 9th worst in baseball.

Thank you...it feels worse than that.

[Dman]

Absolutely awesome to see Festa go 6 and dominate.  These rookie pitchers have really held the team together this year.  Have to agree with @USAFChief on sending a guy out that they don't generally trust the second time through let alone a third or fourth.  I guess the confidence in the pen is soooo bad Baldelli felt he had no choice?

Anyway this team is officially in freefall right now.  The baseball gods are toying with them.  Hopefully the players focus and get things moving in the right direction, but getting Correa and Buxton back can't happen soon enough IMO.

[tony&rodney]

14 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

What other options do they have but to keep "rolling with" Festa, SWR and Matthews?

Oh, I want them to pitch every turn. I wonder if they can manage to maintain their effectiveness. I believe they can but three rookies having full strong Septembers would be something. Right?

[chpettit19]

6 minutes ago, Galen said:

Thank you...it feels worse than that.

Yeah, I have to remind myself to go check how they're doing on certain things compared to the league as a whole because watching everyday can make it feel like they're terrible with baseball being such a game of failures offensively. 

[Jocko87]

Festa started the 7th for one batter only.  One last righty, then setup perfect for the lefty reliever.  

Looked great, in theory. 

[chpettit19]

4 minutes ago, Dman said:

Absolutely awesome to see Festa go 6 and dominate.  These rookie pitchers have really held the team together this year.  Have to agree with @USAFChief on sending a guy out that they don't generally trust the second time through let alone a third or fourth.  I guess the confidence in the pen is soooo bad Baldelli felt he had no choice?

Anyway this team is officially in freefall right now.  The baseball gods are toying with them.  Hopefully the players focus and get things moving in the right direction, but getting Correa and Buxton back can't happen soon enough IMO.

I assume the plan there was Festa was getting 1 guy in the 7th no matter what. Didn't trust Thielbar against the power righty and was hoping Festa could get him and then turn it over to the pen. Certainly didn't work. Not sure if it was a good or bad plan, or if it's refreshing to see Rocco break from his norms or not. But I'd guess that was the plan. And it definitely didn't work.

[howeda7]

Get Lee, Varland and Winder up ASAP. They're immediately you're 3rd and 4th receivers. Sign Smyly and Taylor. Cut Farmer, Margot and Thielbar. Enough with terrible veterans. If you're going to sink at least do it with the kids.

[knothole61]

48 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Didn't watch the game.  Guess I'm glad I didn't. No positive takeaways from this game whatsoever.

Funny...you just sent me to YouTube to listen to "the Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

[Jocko87]

15 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

Get Lee, Varland and Winder up ASAP. They're immediately you're 3rd and 4th receivers. Sign Smyly and Taylor. Cut Farmer, Margot and Thielbar. Enough with terrible veterans. If you're going to sink at least do it with the kids.

I’m wondering if they are a bit stuck by the expanded roster date.  Never mind the suggested DFAs, they won’t happen, but it feels like they are trying to avoid sending someone down and waiting the 10 days to get them back.  

There has to be something other than just rehab keeping Lee down at this point. 

[Jocko87]

56 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Festa looked really good I thought.

Wallner continues to look like the best Twins hitter, against Sale no less.

Really liking what Wallner is doing, he seems to have a bit of red-ass too.  Couple times he has barked at guys in the last few games.  

I wouldn’t like that guy mad at me. 

[cmoss84]

You send Festa out hoping to God you get an inning. An out. Because your bullpen...has not been trustworthy.

[Althebum82]

No matter what happens, we are stuck with Margot.   

At this stage of the season, probably Farmer as well.

And while this game he was not the fault of Thielbar, he just keeps reinforcing what an albatross he has been for this team as we diddle around with other relievers being roster cuts and additions instead of him.

Welcome to the fairly successful but still underachieving 2024 Minnesota Twins.

News about Correa and Buxton has been far from effusively positive.  I have come to expect that they will not be making contributions of any significance if they return.  Ugh.

Lee, on the other hand, is 4 for 15 in his four games in St Paul with 2 doubles and a home run.  I do hold out hope for him still, along with the dominating bullpen appearance by Varland tonight.

Eight game losing streaks are gonna happen.  But man, it sure makes it hard to find a rainbow while the rain keeps falling.

 

[Jocko87]

Also, as the resident optimist, I have to say I'd rather be dealing with the current issues than the young pitchers being in over their heads.  What we are going through is fixable.

Festa progress is exciting.

[AKTwinsFan]

The owners need to either invest in the team to WIN to FILL the seats up or SELL to someone who WILL. 

[cmoss84]

21 minutes ago, AKTwinsFan said:

The owners need to either invest in the team to WIN to FILL the seats up or SELL to someone who WILL. 

Would be sweet if we could have ownership like the Packers.

(Puked in mouth saying that)

[Blyleven2011]

Festa goes 6 plus innings and was  probably the highlight of the game  , 

Theilbar and acala can not be counted on  , theilbar just hasn't figured it out , acala has looked bad since allstar game  , the bullpen in the spring was supposed to be  the best on paper in the league  ( yes i know injuries happen ) ...

Can't keep running the bases and running into outs , Watkins  got to go as he stumbles with the right decision  to send a runner to home ...

Even soler scored from first on a double ,  he is slow a foot , looked like a train trying to run the bases  but he scored ...

The continuation of no clutch hitting  is frustrating  , it is definitely a reflection on the coaching as the hitters aren't adjusting to the situation  ...

We need new changes for 2025 in coaching , a new spark cause the players haven't even learned how to strike a match ...

Did the Twins ever have a lead in any of the games against Atlanta  ...

Pathetic 

[Peter]

Ugly series glad it’s over!!! Much needed day off!!! Not worried-corea/buxton/lee will be back this weekend-we have full team. Winning streak starts this weekend-time to get at it and take division!!! Forget football-We can’t give up on twins-they need our support more then ever!!!!

[TwinsDr2021]

5 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Did the Twins ever have a lead in any of the games against Atlanta  ...

The answer to that is no, they said it last night on the broadcast

[Whitey333]

Plain and simple truth is the Twins stink and they have stunk pretty much since the all star break.  We have two highly overpaid guys wallowing on the injured list.  They definitely do not seem very anxious to come and play.  I think it's Buxton and Correa.  Who?

[JD-TWINS]

9 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Second and third, no out, 3-5 hitters due up. Zero runs.

 

1st three hitters of an inning get base hits...resulting in no runs, 1 out, 2 on. Thanks, Tommy, yet again. 

Festa hasn't been asked to throw a pitch in even the 6th inning ALL YEAR, yet Rocco sends him out for the SEVENTH immediately after tieing  the game. Leadoff walk, Thielbar implosion, Margot does a Delmon-zee impression for 2 insurance runs. 

Dregs of Atlanta's pen cuts through Twins like Sherman through Georgia to the sea.

What'd I miss?

 

Watkins sending Margot with no outs was a fireable offense……could not believe it with the poor jump Margot had ……out by 10-15 feet. NO OUTS - Watkins void of thought/reason??? Desperate?

Team’s pitching could have been perfect and still can’t win the game without scoring runs.

I thought having Festa pitch to start the 7th was a right v. right deal and then bring Thielbar to face Olsen. His stuff hadn’t diminished as he only threw about 6-7 pitches in prior inning. He walked the 1st guy but not a terrible strategic move IMO. Thielbar gave up the double on a great piece of hitting by Olsen……ball was 4-5” below the zone and he crushed it…….I was pissed at Thielbar but the replay showed it wasn’t a bad pitch, maybe not sharp enough but really good location, on paper.

Margot’s blunder was on a ball that’s not an easy play for anyone but he took a mediocre route and it hit his glove - gotta make that play.

Still, we couldn’t/can’t score!!!

[JD-TWINS]

23 minutes ago, Peter said:

Ugly series glad it’s over!!! Much needed day off!!! Not worried-corea/buxton/lee will be back this weekend-we have full team. Winning streak starts this weekend-time to get at it and take division!!! Forget football-We can’t give up on twins-they need our support more then ever!!!!

Is there substantiation of anyone coming back Friday - or is this just wishful thinking? I’m in Cincinnati and don’t see local stuff from Tribune or CCO.