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

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