David Festa is looking like a pitching savior the Twins desperately need right now

This time last year it was the Minnesota Twins starting pitching that was carrying the team and keeping its postseason hopes alive. Watching the Twins offense was like trying to light a match in the rain while the rotation offered some coverage, but this year the roles have seemingly been reversed.

Pablo Lopez is having a down year, Joe Ryan is on the IL and Chris Paddack's season might be over.

Meanwhile the offense has been a live wire all summer and is a big reason why the team is knocking on the door of Cleveland for first place in the AL Central. To be fair, the offense pulled itself together late last year thanks to a youth movement that was led by Royce Lewis, and the same thing seems to be happening to the rotation at exactly the right time.

David Festa is looking like the real deal exactly when the Twins need him the most

Coming into the season David Festa was the top pitching prospect in the farm system, but it was unclear when he'd get a chance to debut. Two things expedited that process: Festa pitched lights out at Triple-A and an injury to Paddack opened up a roster spot.

Rather than debut him out of curiosity the Twins called Festa up out of desperation, but it's been a plan that has ended up working out.

Festa's first few starts were rough and he eventually went back to St. Paul, but he returned in late-July and seems as though he'll stick around much longer this time. He allowed a combined 12 runs over ten innings, posting a brutal 10.80 ERA before getting demoted. Since returning, though, Festa has looked much more like a top prospect and has started to find his footing.

His first truly great start came against the Chicago Cubs when he pitched five innings and struck out nine batters while earning the second win of his career. He kept that going on Saturday against the Rangers, striking out six batters in five innings as the Twins won 5-2 and moved within two games of the Guardians for first place.

The win required a comeback, but Festa's performance was a big reason why the game didn't get out of hand to the point where the offense couldn't make up the difference.

Perhaps bigger than the win is the confidence both Festa has moving forward and the team has in him as well. There's no timetable for Ryan's return and if Paddack is done for the season then the Twins are going to need to figure out some internal fixes after not making a trade for a starter at the deadline.

Festa has a long way to go, but he's showing early signs of being a frontline starter down the road and a savior for the rotation down the stretch run of the season.

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