Game slips away from struggling Twins in messy, painful fourth

CINCINNATI – The Twins went from cruising to reeling in half an inning on Tuesday night.

And though they came back and briefly regained the lead, the damage was done in a doubly costly fourth inning that led not only to a 6-5 loss to the Reds, but also the removal of catcher Ryan Jeffers from the game.

Jeffers, at least, expressed optimism that the right hand contusion that sidelined him is minor, and he said he intends to play Wednesday at Great American Ball Park.

“The pain was probably too much to keep playing,” Jeffers said, “but no break. Grip strength is fine, so we should be good to go tomorrow.”

But the four-run Reds rally that surrounded his injury left the Twins frustrated, and it was the most costly sequence in their fifth straight loss and ninth in the past 11 games. Minnesota has dropped seven straight one-run games.

The Twins fell to 36-36 on the year, the first time since the morning of May 11 that they have not been over .500.

“It's a very winnable game for us, and we know it,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “Probably a few things we could have done during the game to help ourselves and help our cause. Truthfully, it's a game where we can focus more looking at ourselves and the fundamentals of the game.”

Thanks to a pair of great plays by Byron Buxton – a home run robbery and a solo homer shortly thereafter – and three brilliant innings from starter David Festa, the Twins took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth. By the time the inning was over, things had come unglued.

Festa had allowed four runs (two earned) and been chased from the game, and Jeffers had committed a costly passed ball and suffered the injury that caused his departure.

The performance marked the resumption of a puzzling pattern for Festa, who has made a habit of starting out like gangbusters before enduring a difficult inning that ends his night prematurely. It was the fourth time in 2025 that he has not allowed a run in the first three innings, then been unable to finish the fifth.

On Tuesday, walks were the primary culprit. Festa issued a leadoff walk and a one-out walk in the fourth, then induced a popup before allowing Will Benson’s two-run double on a poorly located fastball. He was nearly out of the inning one batter later, but a strike-three changeup caromed off Jeffers’ glove and allowed Spencer Steer to reach base. Jake Fraley’s two-run single and a hit batter ended Festa’s night.

“I can’t have those two walks there in the fourth inning,” Festa said. “And obviously, they both came back to bite me. Frustrating, especially I thought the first three innings I was going well, and I think I just missed with a few changeups then got behind with the fastball a little bit, and it cost me.”

It has been a pattern through six starts this year for Festa: He mows hitters down the first time through the order, then has trouble after that.

On the year, opposing batters are slashing .180/.226/.340 vs. Festa on their first look at him and .280/.419/.460 on all subsequent plate appearances. He has walked 5.7 percent of batters the first time through the order and 14.5 percent after that.

“I wish there was an easy answer,” said Jeffers, “and I think he wishes there was an easy answer, too. Right now, it’s a little bit of a roller-coaster. … Sometimes with younger pitchers, you ride that roller-coaster. You see the potential in him being a top-tier starting pitcher.”

Still, it’s worth noting that on Tuesday, Festa should have at least finished the fourth. The score was only 2-1 when he got Steer to swing and miss at a two-strike changeup. But the ball got away from Jeffers, Steer took his base and the rally continued.

“I’d love to catch that,” said Jeffers. “It’s hard, but I think he gets out of that inning with two runs there and the inning doesn’t spiral and continue to go. I think there was a lot of compiling factors there.”