TAMPA, FLA. – Back on the mound for the first time in 17 days, following a bout of right shoulder inflammation, David Festa struck out seven of the 14 batters he faced at Class AAA last Friday.
It was an impressive return for one of the Twins’ most promising young pitchers, yielding two hits, one walk and one run in 3 ⅔ innings. One of the hits — which turned into the lone run — was a fly ball lost in the sun.
Festa’s shoulder soreness initially flared up between starts for a few weeks, but he felt more shoulder discomfort when he pitched for the St. Paul Saints on May 6, a start in which he permitted three hits and one run in 5 ⅔ innings while striking out seven.
“Waking up, it didn’t feel good,” said the 25-year-old Festa. “It was something I was dealing with. By the time I’d throw, it would feel good, then I’d start the process all over again. That [May 6] outing, it just didn’t feel right throughout the entirety of it. I knew I had to speak up. I know it’s a long year, and I could’ve potentially made things worse.”
There was a part of Festa, he admits, that wanted to push through it. In three big-league starts, he allowed 12 hits and two earned runs in 13 innings (1.38 ERA). When he spoke up about his shoulder discomfort, he knew there was a possibility he could receive another promotion.
Instead, the injury took him out of consideration when the Twins demoted Simeon Woods Richardson, a spot in the rotation that went to Zebby Matthews.
“Obviously, it wasn’t fun dealing with it,” said Festa, who skipped two starts. “I had been pitching well at both levels. The timing of it was frustrating for me, being in a groove, but I knew it was something to speak about because it didn’t feel right.”
Festa, who stopped throwing for only two days when dealing with his shoulder, was encouraged by the way he pitched last week. He knew he was on a strict pitch count, but he felt like he could’ve thrown six innings.
