Festa previews new approach: pitching exclusively from stretch

BRADENTON, Fla. ¨C Pitching from the stretch instead of the windup appeared to do wonders for Twins right-hander David Festa in a 5-1 loss to the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at LECOM Park.

Festa threw two scoreless innings ¨C all while pitching from the stretch ¨C while allowing one hit and striking out two. Manager Rocco Baldelli called Festa¡¯s stuff ¡°ideal.¡±

¡°He mixed his pitches well. He was in the zone enough,¡± the skipper said.

It was after his rookie season in 2024 that Festa concluded that he could hold runners on and pitch more effectively from the stretch.

¡°Our biggest moments are with runners on base. Therefore, I¡¯m in the stretch,¡± Festa said. ¡°Doing more reps from the stretch has allowed me to feel more comfortable out there. And then, hopefully, that will allow me to make those big pitches that I need to.¡±

Last year, Festa found himself in a postseason race after the Twins selected his contract from Triple-A St. Paul on June 27. He was put in the rotation when right-hander Chris Paddack went on the injured list because of arm fatigue.

At first, it appeared Festa wasn¡¯t ready for The Show. In his first two starts, he allowed 12 runs in 10 innings. But in his final 12, Festa posted a 3.81 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings.

¡°For me, it came down to a few pitches I was unable to execute in those first two outings, and it cost me,¡± Festa said. ¡°After that, I found a rhythm and made some big pitches when I needed to.¡±

After the season, Festa talked to the coaching staff about pitching from the stretch. They were on the same page, so Festa spent the offseason working on his delivery and on a new pitch, a sinker. He used the pitch only three times in Sunday¡¯s game and allowed his only hit on it, to Pirates third baseman Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes, who singled to right field in the first inning with two outs.

¡°I¡¯ll take it. It was a pretty solid pitch. Good piece of hitting,¡± Festa said about the sinker. ¡°I probably will not throw a lot of two-strike sinkers this year. Obviously, it¡¯s not my best pitch. It¡¯s more just to work on it. The results were good. I thought it came out nicely. I was trying to get it inside on right-handers. I like the execution of the pitch. Just a really good hitter in Hayes. He put it in play.¡±