Twins shut out Cubs, 3-0, for fifth victory in a row

CHICAGO — David Festa isn’t the type of pitcher who shows much emotion on the mound, almost always walking back to the dugout with the same expression on his face.

His performance at Wrigley Field, however, deservedly drew a shout after he struck out Ian Happ with two runners on base in the fifth inning Monday. It was the best start of his brief big league career, after all.

Festa, in his fifth major league outing, struck out nine across five scoreless innings. He paved the path for the Twins to earn a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs, extending the club’s winning streak to five games.

Four Twins relievers — Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax — permitted two hits over four innings to secure the Twins’ sixth shutout victory of the season.

One of the challenges for Festa through his first four career starts was pitching well after his first time through a lineup. Entering Monday, opposing hitters had a .410 on-base plus slugging percentage when they faced the Twins’ top-rated pitching prospect for the first time and a 1.350 OPS when they saw him again.

After giving up a leadoff single in the third inning, Festa walked Happ with two outs in the third inning when the Cubs lineup flipped over. Then he stranded two runners by striking out Michael Busch, an Inver Grove Heights native.

Festa maintained a laser focus during his outing. He forgot the count when Mike Tauchman whiffed on a change-up with two outs in the fourth inning, taking several steps toward the dugout before realizing it was only the second strike of the at-bat. He appeared to ask home-plate umpire Tony Randazzo, “Where was the first pitch?”

It didn’t shake Festa. After another change-up was fouled, Festa struck out Tauchman on a called third strike with an elevated slider. Six of his nine strikeouts came on sliders.

With two outs in the fifth inning, Pete Crow-Armstrong lined a double down the right-field line. After starting Miguel Amaya, the No. 9 batter in the Cubs lineup, with a 2-0 count, Twins pitching coach Pete Maki walked out of the dugout for a mound visit. Festa, focused on his next pitch, stepped onto the pitching rubber and looked toward home plate, unaware Maki was already past the first-base line.

Amaya drew a walk, but Festa struck out Happ with three swings and misses to end the fifth inning and his outing. Festa allowed two hits and two walks against the 19 batters he faced as he worked on the edges of the strike zone and rarely left any pitches over the middle.

Manuel Margot hit a leadoff homer in the fifth inning against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. It was Margot’s first homer against a right-handed pitcher this year, connecting on a change-up on the outside corner.

The Twins took a one-run lead in the third inning after Willi Castro drew a one-out walk and Trevor Larnach followed with a single to center. With runners on the corners and one out, Royce Lewis hit a sacrifice fly to center field.

Larnach cost the Twins a chance to add an extra run. Matt Wallner skied a fly ball to the warning track in right-center field, and Cubs outfielders Crow-Armstrong and Mike Tauchman apparently lost the ball in the lights. The ball dropped for a hit, but Larnach wasn’t running with two outs, barely around second base when it landed in the outfield.

Once Larnach started running it was too late. He received a wave from third-base coach Tommy Watkins, but he was thrown out at the plate by several steps, even when the initial throw from Crow-Armstrong went toward second base.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Twins added an insurance run after Matt Wallner and Max Kepler opened with back-to-back hits. Wallner, who hit two doubles, scored on a double play.