Festa records a career-high 9 strikeouts as the Minnesota Twins defeat the Chicago Cubs 3-0, cutting their deficit to 3 1/2 games behind the Guardians

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David Festa pitches in the 1st inning

David Festa struck out a career-high nine batters over five innings, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

Minnesota is now 3 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the AL Central lead, marking their closest position to first place since before games on May 18.

In his fifth big league start since debuting on June 27, Festa (2-2) allowed two hits and two walks while throwing 82 pitches, which was one more than his previous high.

“It really just comes down to execution,” Festa said. “I thought I didn’t execute enough important pitches in the first couple outings. There’s been guys on, but I’ve made that important pitch, and I’m just happy about that.”

Festa highlighted the need to stay in control as the lineup goes through the second and third times.

“Another really good outing from him in a packed stadium, in a place with a lot of emotion. He was able to slow it down really good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Came out really sharp. He missed a bunch of bats today.

He had a lot of different things working, and then towards the end of the outing, he held it together really well.”

Royce Lewis goes back to the dugout after the 7th inning

Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax completed the game with Jax earning his eighth save in 12 opportunities.

Royce Lewis drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, and Manuel Margot hit a homer in the fifth off Kyle Hendricks (3-10), who gave up five hits in six innings. Ryan Jeffers added a run with a groundout double play in the ninth.

Matt Wallner followed Lewis’ fly ball in the third with a hit that center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong lost in the twilight. Right fielder Mike Tauchman was unable to react in time, and the ball landed on the warning track.

Trevor Larnach tried to score from first base on what was ruled a double, but Crow-Armstrong threw to shortstop Dansby Swanson, whose relay to catcher Miguel Amaya was in time for the out.

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By Brian Anderson

Hi myself Brian, I am a second-year student at Symbiosis Centre of Management Studies, Noida, pursuing a BBA degree. I am a multi-faceted individual with a passion for various hobbies, including cricket, football, music, and sketching. Beyond my hobbies, I possess a keen interest in literature, particularly fictional books, and channels my creativity into content writing. I am constantly exploring the realms of both business administration and the world of imagination through my diverse pursuits.

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