Twins Video
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 |
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now