David Festa’s first start in the majors was a blur.
On Wednesday night, when Festa goes to the mound for his second start since his promotion to the Minnesota Twins, the 24-year-old right-hander plans to slow down and savor the moment.
“That was a chaotic day,” Festa said about his debut on the road last Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a 13-6 win. “Saw some family post-game, took some pictures, but then hopped on the flight to Seattle. It was quick. I didn’t get to see them for long.”
The situation is different at home in Minneapolis, where the Twins are hosting the Detroit Tigers. Festa spent the first several months of the season at nearby Triple-A St. Paul.
“I’m still living in the same apartment, so my life off the field hasn’t changed too much, other than I come to Minneapolis rather than St. Paul every day,” Festa said. “That’s a huge relief. Moving from somewhere else would be a pain. There’s a lot going on as it is.”
The Twins will look for two straight wins against the Tigers after rallying for a 5-3 victory in the series opener Tuesday. Manuel Margot and Carlos Correa each homered in the victory, and Royce Lewis ripped a two-run double before he left the game because of left groin tightness.
Minnesota described Lewis’ status as day-to-day, but Lewis did not sound confident afterward. He has dealt with a variety of injuries in his first few seasons as a big leaguer.
“This is out of my control. I have no idea,” Lewis said. “But probably not very optimistic, to be honest with you. I’m praying, but it’s usually always horrible news. So we’ll see.”
Detroit also is dealing with an injury that is forcing manager A.J. Hinch to reorganize his pitching rotation. Veteran right-hander Jack Flaherty initially was scheduled to start Wednesday but will skip at least one turn as he sees a back specialist in Los Angeles.
In Flaherty’s spot, right-hander Keider Montero will make his second career start. Montero is 0-2 with a 9.35 ERA in two games (one start) this season.
Hinch said Flaherty is expected to rejoin the rotation next week against Cleveland.
“The shot that he needed (to ease his back pain), sometimes they take, sometimes they don’t,” Hinch said. “He still was feeling a little bit off, and so another injection was warranted. We were in Los Angeles, the doctor’s right there, so we’re going to give him a couple of days to do that.”
For the Twins, Festa enters Wednesday’s game with a 1-0 record and a 9.00 ERA. He gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings during his debut against the Diamondbacks.
Before his promotion, he was 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 14 starts with St. Paul.
A pair of young Tigers hitters will look to stay hot after homering in the series opener. Justyn-Henry Malloy went 2-for-4 with a homer, his fourth of the season, and Ryan Kreidler finished 1-for-3 with a two-run shot that marked his first homer of the season.
–Field Level Media
