Harrison Bader's wild 3-run homer wasn't enough as the Twins fell to the Reds 6-5 on June 18. TJ Friedl's late double sealed the comeback for Cincinnati.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Baseball is a game of inches, and on Wednesday night in Cincinnati, it was a game of a few inches over an outfielder's glove. Harrison Bader's wild, caroming three-run homer gave the Twins a thrilling late lead, but it wasn't enough to stave off a Reds comeback, as Minnesota fell 6-5 in a gut-punch loss that snapped a four-game winning streak.
Harrison Bader delivered a dramatic three-run home run... the ball caromed over the wall off Jake Fraley’s glove.
The game was a see-saw affair from the start. Byron Buxton got the Twins on the board early with a solo shot in the third, and it felt like Minnesota was in control. But the tide turned in the fourth inning. What started as a promising outing for starter David Festa unraveled quickly, and before the dust settled, the Reds had plated four runs. Just when things looked bleak, the offense roared back in the sixth. Bader stepped to the plate and launched a ball to deep right field that Reds outfielder Jake Fraley nearly snagged. Instead, it bounced off his glove and over the wall for a go-ahead, three-run homer. The dugout erupted, but the joy was short-lived. In the bottom of the frame, Brock Stewart couldn't hold the lead, surrendering a two-out, two-run double to TJ Friedl that ultimately decided the game.
The bigger story beyond the final score might be the health of David Festa. The young righty was cruising, holding the Reds hitless through three innings. But a comeback liner in the fourth inning struck his right hand, leading to a diagnosis of a right hand contusion and forcing his early exit. He was charged with four runs (two earned) in 3.2 innings, but the concern now shifts to his availability moving forward. With the rotation already leaning on recent call-up Zebby Matthews to provide stability, another potential injury is the last thing the Twins need. Festa's status for his next start is now very much up in the air.
Festa's injury puts the spotlight squarely on the organization's pitching depth. The emergence of Zebby Matthews as a solid rotation piece has been a godsend, but one man can't plug every hole. The farm system is working to produce the next wave, with pitchers like Dasan Hill and Connor Prielipp showing progress, alongside position players Kaelen Culpepper and Kyle DeBarge. However, the system's top-end talent is currently on the mend, with Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Luke Keaschall all sidelined. The Twins' ability to weather these injuries at the major league level will depend heavily on the next men up.
This one stings. Losing a game you briefly led in such dramatic fashion is always tough, and the injury to Festa adds a layer of concern. But this team has shown resilience before. They'll need to shake this one off, get an update on Festa's hand, and come back tomorrow ready to start a new streak. The season is a marathon, and how they respond to nights like this will define their summer.
