Make It Official! Twins 9, Reds 2: Flipping the Script

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: David Festa: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (72 Pitches, 40 Strikes, 55.5%)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana (22)
Top 3 WPA: Santana (.252), Brooks Lee (.224), Ryan Jeffers (.162)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):

The Twins were teetering once again, following two rough losses to a mediocre Reds team. Their stars, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, returned over the weekend, but couldn't overcome major blowups from Jorge Alcalá and Louie Varland. Prime Barry Bonds wouldn't have helped, either. Today, both players were given the day off to get them as fresh as possible for Monday's pivotal series in Cleveland.

Early on, it looked like David Festa was going to throw a gem. He was locating, and his stuff looked electric, aside from throwing the first pitch right off of a cyst on Jonathan India's elbow. India quickly pulled a Torii Hunter and stole second and advanced to third on a groundout from Elly De La Cruz. He tried to come home on the contact play, but was gunned down by Royce Lewis for the second out. Festa then struck out TJ Friedl on a nasty changeup to end the frame.

He got three more easy grounders in the second, but then struck out Noelvi Marte, India and De La Cruz in convincing fashion in the third. The second time through the lineup, however, was not as crisp as far as location. He left a changeup up to Tyler Stephenson and a slider on a platter to Spencer Steer in the fourth. Stephenson lined a sharp single and Steer lined a triple hard off the scoreboard for the game's first run. Ty France then delivered a sacrifice fly to double the deficit.

That looked tragically difficult to overcome, since this lineup has struggled against non-Angels pitching in recent weeks. Opposing Festa was the Reds' first-round pick from last year, Rhett Lowder. The rookie was selected two picks after the Twins took Walker Jenkins, so Reds fans are pretty jazzed about the guy, and he looked great. It is odd to see pitchability be a carrying trait for a young pitcher, but Lowder was as-advertised, pitching to all quadrants of the strike zone with a darting two-seamer, fading change and sweeping slider. The Twins made some hard contact in the first, including a Lewis 108-MPH single, and a Trevor Larnach 112-MPH lineout to end the inning.

But that's how the script has been lately. They couldn't get anything going for a while following that promising first inning, and Festa didn't end up getting the final out in the fourth. Determined not to give up the big hit and big inning that has plagued the Twins lately, Festa tried to be too fine and walked his last two batters. He exited with the bases loaded, and ask Zebby Matthews or Simeon Woods Richardson how that has gone lately. Fortunately, in this case, Ronny Henriquez induced India to hit a grounder up the middle that Kyle Farmer made a nice play on, and that I would feel queasy imagining Edouard Julien attempting.

The Twins quickly got things going in their half of the fourth. Lewis led off with another sharp single, and Carlos Santana got him to third with a single of his own. With no outs, the Twins could afford to be conservative with their baserunning, but Lewis had no interest in that- Larnach dribbled a ball up the first base line, and first baseman Ty France gloved it, stepped on first and then threw to home to get Lewis in a rundown, a crushing double play. Fortunately, Willi Castro flipped a single on the next pitch, scoring Santana and getting something out of the inning.

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The Reds greeted Henriquez in the fifth with consecutive singles from De La Cruz and Stephenson. However, De La Cruz got greedy trying to stretch a bleeder up the middle into a double, and was thrown out by Castro, with an athletic, spinning tag from Brooks Lee securing the out. Henriquez was able to turn that good fortune into a scoreless inning, and the Twins were through five with only two runs allowed.

The Twins finally chased Lowder in the sixth, as the young righty appeared to tire, allowing a sharp lineout to Lewis and a double to right from Santana, followed by a walk to Larnach. Tony Santillan came in, struck out Willi Castro and got ahead of Ryan Jeffers 0-2. Jeffers hung in against some tough pitches and eventually got hold of a hanging slider, roping it to left for a game-tying double.

That brought up the struggling Lee, who looked bad on a couple of swings en route to a 2-2 count against the high-octane Santillan. He ended up getting on top of a high fastball, though, lacing it into center field for a game-breaking two-run single.

Cole Sands had entered the game in the sixth and delivered a scoreless frame with two strikeouts. He returned for the seventh, and that inning started forebodingly, as De La Cruz walked and was looking for his 100th career stolen base (he has not played two full seasons yet). Sands did a decent job of varying his delivery and De La Cruz got a mediocre jump. Jeffers threw high, but Farmer tagged the speedy Reds shortstop on the backside, and the out was called after a coach's challenge. Sands then struck out Stephenson (who is a menace when healthy) on a fastball in on his hands, and Steer popped out to end the inning.

Santana added some insurance in the seventh. After Lewis drew a two-out walk, the Twins first baseman lifted a Justin Wilson cutter off the facing of the second deck in left field.

Larnach followed with a ringing double off the lefty, Castro was hit by a pitch, and Jeffers singled to load the bases back up for Lee, who now has only three hits in his last 28 at-bats. All three have produced multiple RBIs, as Lee cleared the bases from the left side with a line shot down the first base line that ended up a triple. Not since Brandon Inge was still hobbling around for Detroit has a less productive hitter produced so many big hits in such a short time.

Jorge Alcalá threw two scoreless innings to seal the victory after bleaching his hair. He did look less tense, although the lead was established by the time he came in.

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Stray Notes:

-Matt Wallner hit leadoff and had some excellent at-bats with nothing to show for it.
-The Twins have suffered significant player injuries against the Reds in recent years. In 2020, Buxton was hit in the head by a Lucas Sims pitch and his presence in the postseason that year was depressing as a result. In 2021, Buxton was just returning from a hip injury and got hit on the hand by Tyler Mahle and missed two more months. In 2023, Correa sustained the rupture in his plantar fasciitis in Cincinnati, while Lewis strained his hamstring which put his postseason status in doubt.
-Larnach was really laboring around the bases today, with his turf toe injury still lingering. He barely made it to second on his seventh inning double.

What’s Next: Pablo Lopez (15-8, 3.88 ERA) faces off against the Guardians' Matthew Boyd (2-1, 2.18 ERA). Teams have thought they could "fix" Boyd for a decade now, and wouldn't you know it, the Guardians may have actually found something in him just in time to prop up their rotation for the stretch run. The Twins need a series win in the four game set in the worst way, not to catch Cleveland, but to maintain their tenuous hold on the sixth wild card spot.

Postgame Interviews:
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