Twins 2, Angels 6: Festa Falters Early and Twins Unable to Rebound

[Nate Palmer]

The team meeting on Sunday was not enough to change Monday. Starter David Festa faltered early and the Twins dropped their fourth straight game.

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: David Festa: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (66 pitches, 41 strikes (62.1%)
Home Runs: Kyle Farmer (4)
Bottom 3 WPA: David Festa(-0.213), Royce Lewis (-0.091), Ronny Henriquez(-0.084)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

After a weekend of losing and a team meeting, the Minnesota Twins were set to rebound at home against the struggling Los Angeles Angels. Everything seemed to create a perfect atmosphere for the whole team to shake things off and get back to the business of winning. The one rookie starter who has continued to find success, David Festa, was on the mound to start the night. The only question was whether the Twins would put it all together and add to the win column again. 

Early on, Walks Haunted
While Festa’s rookie counterparts have been faltering down the stretch, the right-hander seemed to be getting stronger as his MLB appearances have continued. Festa did have his struggles Monday against the Angels, as he led the game off with a walk to Taylor Ward. A ground-rule double and a single followed, allowing both Ward and Zach Neto to score and giving the Angels an early 2-0 lead. 

In the third inning, Festa issued another walk. This time it was to Nolan Schanuel. Schanuel did not have to work hard to go first to home, as Brandon Drury worked a nine-pitch count until he got a high and in fastball that he was able to turn on for his fourth home run. That doubled the Angels lead to 4-0.

Willi Castro left the game due to illness, and in his place came Michael Helman. In Helman’s first plate appearance during the third inning, he hit a double to lead off the inning. It took some time, but with two outs in the inning, Carlos Santana was able to come through with a single that gave Helman enough room to score from second, cutting the lead down to 4-1. 

In the next inning, Kyle Farmer came to the plate and took a rip on a hanging curveball. The Twins brought Farmer to town, in part, because of his performance against left-handed pitchers. While it hasn’t been easy for the utility infielder in 2024, he showed off that stroke for his fourth home run in this game and successfully helped the Twins cut the initial lead in half.

Big Bullpen Innings Needed Again
After the Twins put some runs on the board, the pitching also settled into a groove. Festa finished out his outing with two scoreless innings before being relieved by Ronny Henriquez. Henriquez had a very good fifth inning, which included picking Ward off of first base when he connected with Santana. The sixth inning turned ugly again. With Henriquez still on the mound and Logan O’Hoppe on first, Niko Kavadas took Henriquez deep to gain their lead back making the score 6-2. 

Next up for the bullpen was Michael Tonkin. Tonkin tossed as perfect of two innings as the Twins had seen all night from one of their pitchers. The veteran righty did allow one hit and one walk but struck out three batters while holding the Angels scoreless. The Twins have to be hoping that Tonkin can continue to provide these sorts of innings down the stretch.

Scott Blewett came in for the ninth and looked set to cruise effortlessly through the inning. A hit-and-hit batsman did make the inning a bit interesting, but Blewett still got through the inning, tossing only 13 pitches. The zeros put on the board by the bullpen when they did come were not enough, as the bats were not able to erase the total deficit—leaving the Twins with their fourth loss in a row.

What’s Next?
Tuesday night at Target Field will be another Pablo Lopez deal. Lopez has returned to his dominant form and has found great success with his fastball. The Twins will need a win from him to help hold their playoff spot. The Angels will counter with Griffin Canning. Canning has tossed over 150 innings but does sport an ERA north of 5.00. 

Postgame Interviews

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Henríquez	0	13	0	0	29	42
Blewett	0	0	0	19	13	32
Tonkin	0	0	0	0	31	31
Sands	0	0	0	30	0	30
Durán	12	0	17	0	0	29
Jax	13	0	8	0	0	21
Thielbar	0	19	0	0	0	19
Alcalá	0	0	0	11	0	11
Varland	0	0	0	0	0	0

 

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[h2oface]

Turn out the lights...........

[thelanges5]

How does this all happen at the same time? 

 

[Parfigliano]

Im searching for positives....Pablo tomorrow and get to face a RHP.

[Schmoeman5]

Don't worry. ITS coming. And when IT comes, we'll all feel better. Does IT come with codeine? I need to feel better.

[Irishman]

Twins are already cooked and done.   

[IndyTwinsFan]

14 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Turn out the lights...........

In my mind, they've already been off for a couple of weeks or so.  Problem is, nobody seems willing or able to find or reach the switch turning the lights back on.

[Parfigliano]

7 minutes ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Don't worry. ITS coming. And when IT comes, we'll all feel better. Does IT come with codeine? I need to feel better.

I find indica gummies helpful

[Vanimal46]

Attendance of less than 15k in September when they are leading the wild card playoff race. Kinda says it all, no? Apathy is spreading far and wide for the Twins…

[MMMordabito]

[Vanimal46]

20 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

How does this all happen at the same time? 

 

Lee and Lewis are on demotion worthy slumps but we have run out of names to replace them. 

[Blyleven2011]

24 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Im searching for positives....Pablo tomorrow and get to face a RHP.

Has blewett , blown it yet , the answer is NO ...

that's a positive  ...

[S Bart]

6 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Lee and Lewis are on demotion worthy slumps but we have run out of names to replace them. 

Well,,,how about the kids making up 40% of the team's payroll ...The Twins did not spend money on any additions.....they were running around the field today prior to the game. 

Injured Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton getting closer to returning to the Twins' lineup (msn.com)

[USAFChief]

30 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Attendance of less than 15k in September when they are leading the wild card playoff race. Kinda says it all, no? Apathy is spreading far and wide for the Twins…

Leading the WC race?

Clinging to the final WC spot, you mean.

 

The Twins have only themselves to blame for sagging interest. They've practically engineered it, starting last fall.

 

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, S Bart said:

Well,,,how about the kids making up 40% of the team's payroll ...The Twins did not spend money on any additions.....they were running around the field today prior to the game. 

Injured Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton getting closer to returning to the Twins' lineup (msn.com)

Let’s hope they come back. It’s our best chance to hang onto a wild card spot and win a playoff series. Without them, and Lewis/Castro/Miranda/Lee slumping, this is the expected outcome. 

[S Bart]

18 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Attendance of less than 15k in September when they are leading the wild card playoff race. Kinda says it all, no? Apathy is spreading far and wide for the Twins…

Note to Pohlad Family. You have to spend money (obtaining new players that might help at the end of the season to make the playoffs), to earn money (filling the seats at Target Field). Take cues from the Royals who took that approach (e.g. Tommy Pham who hit the Twins well last weekend).

[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, S Bart said:

Note to Pohlad Family. You have to spend money (obtaining new players that might help at the end of the season to make the playoffs), to earn money (filling the seats at Target Field). Take cues from the Royals who took that approach (e.g. Tommy Pham who hit the Twins well last weekend).

You’re not going to get any disagreement from me. My tinfoil hat theory is Joe Pohlad had the aspiration of spending more for a better team… He appears to be the lone living baseball fan in the Pohlad family. Then he got cut off by Jim and the board this year. 

[Vanimal46]

10 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Leading the WC race?

Clinging to the final WC spot, you mean.

 

The Twins have only themselves to blame for sagging interest. They've practically engineered it.

 

https://www.mlb.com/standings/wild-card/league

If calling it clinging to a 3 game lead makes you feel better go for it. You can’t describe it without including the word lead. 

Your 2nd paragraph, yep. Pretty clear people have moved on after being cut off from TV access for multiple months this summer. 

[tony&rodney]

Hitting is all about feel and confidence, both of which are MIA. 22-38 this month in 9 games.

The Twins went 14-14 in August and they often looked rough. From the 18th of August onward though, the Twins have stumbled.

September will be huge for many players, the manager, and the front office. I would be very surprised if a collapse does not bring about major changes. 18 games to go and there is plenty on the line.

[h2oface]

59 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Lee and Lewis are on demotion worthy slumps but we have run out of names to replace them. 

Lewis showing shades of Danny Valencia, only Valencia stayed on the field more. Came on like an all-star for the the last half of his first season, started kinda strong the next year, and faded away. I hope "I don't do slumps" can get it together. And Lee looks totally overhyped, with supposedly having such great baseball IQ, and throwing the ball all over the place when he has no play. 

[knothole61]

Man...they really look like they're just going through the motions at this point. And Lewis is probably the saddest spectacle of all. It's not just his lack of production, it's the truly subpar at bats he's been taking. He has a ton of potential and is still an exciting young player, but he's reached a point now where the pitchers have the book on him and he needs to be able to adjust to that. Lewis, it may truly be said, has never met a neck-high fastball he didn't like.

Please pardon my optimism, but all need not be lost. If Rocco can find a way to rally his seemingly lethargic troops, there's no reason we can't move ahead of KC in the wild card race by season's end. IF (big IF) Correa and Buxton can return in a week or ten days and play themselves into shape by October 1st, then our chances look much better. In addition to the potential offensive benefits their presence would provide is the fact that Correa anchors the infield and Buxton the outfield defensively. It is hard to overestimate how much the Twins have suffered without their gloves in play. In addition, I'm convinced that Correa, when playing, provides a significant emotional boost to the team as well. He's a natural leader with a high baseball IQ and significant playoff experience.

At this point, give me a chip, a chair, a chance, and Correa.    

[nokomismod]

The winning starts tomorrow with Pablo leading the way. If this team is going to do anything the rest of the year, some of the young pups needs to step up.

[S Bart]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

You’re not going to get any disagreement from me. My tinfoil hat theory is Joe Pohlad had the aspiration of spending more for a better team… He appears to be the lone living baseball fan in the Pohlad family. Then he got cut off by Jim and the board this year. 

Hmm.. I was unaware of that Pohlad situation. Interesting that the headline on their website at the moment centers on hawking $9,00 seats for the upcoming games.

I am still keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they could limp into the playoffs. 

[sluap2]

great summary!

[cmoss84]

Our AAA and AA guys might combine to play better then our Twinkies right now.

Still, we are 3 games up. And the pendulum always swings...right??

[mark sills]

everyone thinks we needed to spend more money at trade deadline . The problem is we thought we needed better pitching, but the real problem is lack of offense. 

[Doctor Wu]

Looking for the REAL Royce Lewis. Where has he gone? Man, I hope he snaps out of this slump ASAP! Along with another half-dozen betters that can't seem to put the ball in play. 

[LewFordLives]

Two AAA teams going at it. I don't know why anyone would expect a different result.

[killebrewlover]

Stick a fork in 'em.  They're done....

[Whitey333]

Twins just plain stink.  They are 5-16 in their last 21 games and playing very poorly.  Even Atteberry and Gladden are having trouble trying to blame it on bad luck and bad umpiring.  Twins will win Tuesday with Lopez .