Festa has one of his best-ever starts, while Brooks Lee gets it done on the O and on the D.
Young Mr. Festa, pitching in his 20th MLB start against a team with MLB’s fifth-best OPS, gives up TWO measly hits and walks nobody with six Ks in 5.2 innings. Not bad at all, youngling! Brooks Lee continues improving his game, and Buxton (again) proves why he deserves to be an All-Star (and please only bat once and don’t play in the outfield). Inning-by-inning notes.
1: Oh, this started? I’d been listening to the rain delay material of the radio, which focused on some guy who just got promoted in the minors. Yeah, yeah, whatever. The interesting thing is that Brian Dinkelman is the team manager! BRIAN DINKELMAN, BABY! The Dink abides. He’s down there in Witchita helming the AA squad. I was still processing this when someone sang the anthem, which as always makes me wish it was just a high school band instead, and the Twins all made outs really quickly. I guess the Tigers did, too. This is gonna be Battle of the Network Stars Rookie Starters and I’m leaning toward giving Detroit the edge, but we’ll see.
2: I am jolted out of my Dinkelman reverie by Atteberry bringing up… The Electric Horseman. Huh? What? The 1979 Robert Redford / Jane Fonda movie that made pretty good money and nobody I know has ever seen it? Wiki summarizes the gist as such: “The film is about a former rodeo champion who is hired by a cereal company to become its spokesperson, and then runs away on a $12 million electric-lit horse and costume he is given to promote it in Las Vegas after he finds that the horse has been abused.”
What does this have to do with the Twins? Who is the electric-lit horse in this scenario? Byron Buxton, stuck playing for a mediocre team? Twins fans, stuck following one? I missed the connection. I’m sure there WAS one. Festa plunks a guy and the guy goes first-to-third on a single by Dillon Dingler whose first name should be Bling, and Festa get out of it ‘cuz the Tigers have a guy in their lineup now batting .188.
3: The Twins have a guy batting .175, who comes up with Harrison Bader on second and one out. This gentleman walks, which is the ideal possible outcome. Buxton grounds into the FC, Bader to third. Trevor Larnach hits a ball hard and a fielder catches it easy. Well, at least the Twins have ONE hit now.
4: And one run now. Two two-out doubles, courtesy of the law partners at Wallner and Lee. Everything I said about David Festa wuz WRONG he is the next Randy Johnson and will explode many birds. Twins 1-0
5: Byron Buxton belts one to the back row. That’s a bad thing in a singing performance but a good thing in a swinging performance.
David Festa is the next Justin Verlander now and will pitch until he’s 50. Twins 2-0
6: Good news/bad news situation. Good news: Sawyer Gipson-Long gets one out, is replaced, the Twins chase the next guy from the game. Bad news: they only get one run. Brant Hurter certainly dd, going wild pitch, walk, RBI, HBP. But Carlos Hernández replaces Hurter and fans Harrison Bader with the bases loaded and one out, leaving Mr. .175 to save the day. Mr. .175 now Mr. .172. The RBI is courtesy of one “gotta RBI already” Brooks Lee.
Festa gives up his second hit and is yanked for Danny “Electric Charge” Coulombe. Festa only at 75 pitches, but he’s not used to going this deep into games so it was probably for the best. Coulombe does the job. There was a pretty nifty Brooks Lee play, too. The guy is having himself a NIGHT. Twins 3-0
7: Second Twins steal of the game! Willi Castro earlier, Buxton here. You love to see some running, the Twins are second-to-last in MLB in that category. (Last is Detroit, and they’re tied for MLB’s best record, so…) Buxton gets to third with one out, and… the Twins put on the squeeze? Right on! You SHOULD play to get that extra run in the later innings. Castro places the bunt correctly, “Ball in play, run(s) scored.” Amusingly, from the mlb.com “Film Room,” the clip is labeled this way:
Sorry, label-generating bot, that’s not correct.
Oop, we’ve got trouble right here in Motor City. Louis Varland goes strikeout, single, walk. A grounder to third is ALMOST a double play but Bling Dingler beats out the return throw. Varland still gets out of it, though. Good Guardadoing, Louis. Twins 4-0
8: Nothing for the Twins, so onto CAPT. Jax, USAF. He gets Javier Báez (having his best season in four years) but gives up a double to Colt “.45s” Keith; Willi Castro’s outfield adventures continue, he fall down and Keith goes to third. (Castro switched from second to right after Wallner was pulled in the sixth against a LHP.) Gleyber Torres singles Keith in. Zach McKinstry singles Torres to third. Hold onto your butts, as Sam Jackson said when stuffing Chris Tucker into the trunk in Jackie Brown.
A steal; a strikeout of Riley Greene. Spencer Torkelson, 17 HR on the year… strikes out. Whew! Our side still 4-1
9: Mr. .172 HBP; note to opponents, you should pitch TO guys not hitting well, not AT or AROUND them. That is all. Bux strikes out and there’s a GIDP.
Time for Jhoan “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” Duran. He creates massive drama and tension by… everything going just fine, good night Detroit on nine pitches, Twins win!
Studs: Brooks Lee for 2 RBI and terrific defense. Festa and Bombin’ Byron, too. Duds: raindrops for screwing up our top Kirilloff fan’s baseball night in Atlanta.
Comments of the game go to falcontimmy for “Willie with the proper safety squeeze technique and the important 4th run. Walk, SB, FC, and a safety squeeze bunt; now that is winning baseball!!!” and Foley for “Given the opponent, that’s probably the best start of David Festa’s career. Five scoreless with 9 strikeouts against the Cubs last year is maybe the top competition.” (Also for “Only 10.5 back!” because who are we fooling we’re not catching these guys.) Thanks to everybody on the gamethread as always!
Tomorrow’s game is at 1:10, featuring the very struggling Bailey Ober against a very good Casey Mize. But if Festa did it tonight, Bailey, so can you.
Also: now-bionic Royce Lewis made a rehab start for the Saints tonight, so that’s what that is!