Festa (1-2) took the loss Tuesday as the Twins were downed 2-0 by the Mets, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.
The rookie right-hander put together his best performance so far in the majors, tossing 44 of 68 pitches for strikes, but Minnesota managed only two hits in support of him. Festa has allowed just three runs in 9.1 innings since returning to the 26-man roster last week, but he continues to have trouble keeping the ball in the yard -- a solo shot by Mark Vientos in the fifth inning Tuesday was the sixth homer Festa has served up in 19.1 big-league frames. With the Twins having failed to add any rotation help at the trade deadline, his spot seems fairly secure for the moment, and Festa lines up to make his next start on the road early next week against the Cubs.