A 13th-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, Festa throws three above-average pitches: fastball, changeup and slider. He generated 16 swings and misses Tuesday and all three pitches were responsible for at least four whiffs.
Since the All-Star break, Festa has posted a 3.14 ERA through his last eight outings with 50 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched deep into games, the biggest knock against his performance, but he’s delivered quality innings for a shorthanded Twins rotation.
Santana gave the Twins their first hit off lefthander Jeffrey Springs when he hit a towering solo homer to open the second inning, launching an inside fastball to left field that somehow didn’t hit one of the catwalks stationed above the field. It was his 19th home run of the season, one shy of matching the team lead.
The Twins failed to capitalize on some of their early opportunities against Springs. They left two runners on base in the second inning when Michael Helman lined out to center in his first major league at-bat. Two more runners were stranded in the third inning.
Springs retired 10 of his last 11 batters — an infield single for Helman’s first career hit was the exception — and he completed six innings for his longest start of the season.
