When the Twins lost injured starters Chris Paddack and Joe Ryan after the all-star break, there was concern about how the team would fare with three rookie starters in the rotation.

The early answer is not so good.

David Festa, the Twins’ top-rated pitching prospect, and Zebby Matthews have shown why they could be rotation regulars in the near future. But their inexperience is showing as Minnesota tries to hunt down a second straight American League Central Division title.

In his 10th major league start Monday, Festa allowed four earned runs in four innings on four hits — including Brandon Drury’s two-run homer — and three walks in the Twins’ 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in front of 14,450 at Target Field.

The Twins have lost 6 of 7 and fell six games behind first–place Cleveland in the Central. They also lost a half-game in the wild card race and now lead idle Detroit and Seattle by three games.

Since Festa and Matthews joined the rotation, the rookies are a combined 3-9 with a 5.78 earned-run average.

On the other end, a lineup missing key pieces Carlos Correa (foot), Byron Buxton (hip) and Max Kepler (knee) has run aground. The Twins are 4-11 since Aug. 25, and have been outscored in those losses 69-24. In their past seven games, they’re averaging 10.1 strikeouts and 1.85 runs.

“It’s a long season,” said infielder Royce Lewis, who was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. “If you hit a homer in all 480 at-bats, 500 at-bats, that’d be great, obviously, but that’s never gonna happen. There’s times where you’re going to struggle for a moment at the plate, and right now unfortunately it’s contagious for us, but hopefully we’ll snap out of it tomorrow.”

After reading his team the riot act Sunday in the wake of a 2-0 loss, and three-game sweep, at Kansas City, manager Rocco Baldelli said he was eager to see how his team would respond on Friday. But Baldelli watched his team struggle against Angels left-hander Reid Detmers (4-6), who held the Twins to two runs on five hits — including Kyle Farmer’s solo home run in the third inning.

Detmers walked two and was responsible for eight of the Twins 11 strikeouts.

“I definitely wanted to see more here,” Baldelli said. “Maybe it comes tomorrow, maybe it comes the next day. As long as it comes, we’re going to feel good about that when it comes.”

Festa struggled from the start. The Angels took a 2-0 lead before the Twins recorded an out. Leadoff hitter Taylor Ward drew a walk and moved to third on Zach Nito’s double to right field. No. 3 hitter Nolan Schanuel then brought both runners home with a single to left.

Los Angeles doubled the lead in the third inning when Schanuel drew a two-out walk and came home on Drury’s home run into the second deck in left field to make it 4-0. Baldelli pulled Festa after a scoreless fourth inning.

“I kind of labored the whole outing, so the decision was his and probably makes sense,” Festa said. “But the competitiveness in me made me want to keep going and try to turn it around and give the team some length. Try to get through five and maybe if the fifth inning was quick, potentially go out the sixth.

“But I labored today. Didn’t really have much feel for my pitches. I feel like I hadn’t been in that situation in a good bit, which is a good thing. Just had to battle out there, and then the walks and the home run really cost me.”

Festa (2-6) walked three and struck out four and saw his earned-run average rise to 5.08 in 11 appearances.

“I’m a big David Festa fan. I think he’s capable of a ton. He’s going to do a lot of great things for us,” Baldelli said. “I think finding his release point and what he was looking for, it came and went today. That’s really it.”

The man armed with an AK-47 rifle who terrorized a South Minneapolis neighborhood overnight Friday was identified as Nathan Maelstrom Matz, 40, of Minneapolis.

He was shot by police after he fired the assault-style rifle inside his apartment building and holed up in a stairwell. He is still hospitalized in stable condition at Hennepin County Medical Center. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the officer-involved shooting, said that he is expected to survive his injuries.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara gave the following details of the incident in an earlier press release:

It began Friday night about 10:50 p.m. when several people called 911 to report a man with a shotgun walking near the 4000 block of Minnehaha Avenue South. When officers arrived, they could not find the man. Several hours later, at about 4:40 a.m., several people in the same area called 911 to report shots fired. Many of the callers live in an apartment building on that block and said they could hear shots being fired inside their building, someone knocking on their doors and breaking glass.

When officers arrived, they found bullet holes in the front door of the apartment building and shell casings on the floor. Inside an open apartment door, they found a shotgun on the floor. Officers heard more gunfire and immediately evacuated residents of the building. The shooter holed up in a stairwell during the evacuation and while SWAT and negotiation teams moved in. During this time, the man continued to fire rounds from the rifle.

About 5:30 a.m., an officer armed with a rifle shot the gunman and police were able to enter the stairwell and disarm him of the assault weapon and a .45-caliber handgun. Authorities later found a backpack with additional ammunition and loaded magazines in the stairwell. The man, who was wearing a military-style flak vest, was identified as a resident of the building.

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Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold wouldn’t take the bait on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.

Maybe because he’s simply not wired to seek revenge. Maybe because he has truly moved on from the toughest stretch of his career.

Nonetheless, after Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Vikings to a 28-6 win over the New York Giants, he was given a chance to rub it in the face of some people who had ever doubted him.

What was it like to have that type of performance for the Vikings in the same place he used to play home games for the New York Jets? (It’s important to note that the Jets and the Giants both play home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford N.J.)

“Obviously it’s great to be back,” Darnold said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played here.”

It was admirable restraint from Darnold. Frankly, nobody would’ve blamed him for going scorched earth in that moment, especially considering how badly the Jets bungled his development after selecting him with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft.

Not only did they thrust Darnold into the spotlight as a 20-year-old before he was ready, they failed to surround him with the weapons necessary to succeed at the highest level. The result was a roller coaster that nearly derailed his career before it really even got started.

After being run out of town by the Jets and their relentless fan base, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers, where he experienced more dysfunction. He finally found some stability with the San Francisco 49ers and signed with the Vikings this offseason largely because of the pieces already in place.

Who wouldn’t want to operate in a system designed by coach Kevin O’Connell? Who wouldn’t want to throw to superstar receiver Justin Jefferson and fellow receiver Jordan Addison? Who wouldn’t want star tight end T.J. Hockenson as a security blanket once he got healthy?

It represented something Darnold never had during the early stages of his career.

A support system. That’s all he has ever needed.

That was on display as Darnold helped the Vikings dismantle the Giants. He got hot to start the game and completed 12 straight passes before the ball finally touched the ground. Whether he was going deep to Jefferson for a 44-yard gain, or finding speedy receiver Jalen Nailor wide open in the end zone, Darnold proved that talent has never been an issue for him.

“I don’t think anybody is surprised that Sam played the way he did today,” O’Connell said. “I know I’m certainly not. I tried to foreshadow as much as I could throughout training camp. I’m just proud of him.”

The confidence in Darnold has been building ever since he arrived at TCO Performance Center. He has slowly started to take more ownership of the offense and has earned the trust of his teammates with his work ethic and attention to detail on a daily basis.

“It starts with him,” Jefferson said. “Just him being a leader of our team.”

Now there are going to be ups and downs for Darnold as he continues to progress with the Vikings. He’s not going to be the highest graded passer by Pro Football Focus on a weekly basis.

That said, Darnold balling out in his debut with the Vikings is not insignificant. It shows he can still be the player some people thought he could be all along.

“Just playing with confidence,” Darnold said. “That’s the biggest thing.”

It’s always has been for him.

A Minnesota Vikings fan wears a makeshift Sam Darnold #14 jersey during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 08, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings signals to his team in the first quarter of the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 08, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Carlos Correa says a new treatment for his plantar fasciitis has him feeling “great,” and Byron Buxton was back in the outfield doing defensive drills for the first time since he left a rehab game because of hip soreness last Wednesday.

And while neither all-star player was ready to crack the lineup against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, the Twins made a move to expedite their potential return by bringing four Class A pitchers up to Minneapolis to give the veterans the chance to face live pitching.

It’s a telling move by a team that entered Monday’s game having lost 10 of 14 games. They were outscored 66-22 in those 10 losses and fell five games behind first-place Cleveland in the American League Central Division with 19 regular-season games remaining.

“We would only be bringing these guys (up) if we thought it was needed, and it’s the right time and our hitters are prepared for it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “They’re going to be here this week; we’ll see them out there early several days.”

Left-hander Cleiber Maldonado and righty Jack Noble will join the team from Fort Myers, and right-hander Spencer Bengard and lefty Jordan Carr will be up from high-A Cedar Rapids. Both teams ended their seasons over the weekend.

Correa hasn’t played since before the all-star break because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Buxton hasn’t played a major league game since Aug. 12 because of a right hip strain. Both players worked out before Monday’s game.

Baldelli wouldn’t say whether the live pitching might help any of the team’s injured players — outfielders Max Kepler (knee) and Manny Margot (groin) also are on the injured list — avoid a rehab assignment, but Buxton indicated that would suit him fine.

Buxton played games at Class AAA St. Paul on Sept. 2 and Sept. 4, but Correa hasn’t played in a game since July 12 at San Francisco.

“Obviously, I want to be playing,” Buxton said. “It’s just one of those things where I literally take it day to day — don’t get my hopes up too high, don’t get them too low. I just literally take it day to day, and I have my days where you feel it, and it’s one of those where, do you push it or not push it, you know? And where we are is one of those where I don’t want to hurt us by coming back and having to do something different, you know what I mean?

“I just want to come back and be my normal self and just have (Baldelli) be comfortable putting me back in the lineup every day.”

The Twins had hoped to rest Correa and Buxton long enough that they returned fully healthy, but time is running out in the regular season, and the Twins’ hold on the third and final AL wild card playoff spot was down to 3½ games Monday morning.

“We’re at that point in the season where you’re not going to be at 100 percent. Probably won’t be 90 percent,” Buxton said. “But you get to a point where you can fight through it and get through it. You want to get out there and play.”

Correa said he visited a Los Angeles doctor who suggested a new treatment for his foot. It’s painful, he said, but it seems to be working. The shortstop has sprinted three of the past four days while wearing cleats, a big hurdle for him in his rehabilitation.

He said he would share details of the treatment when he returns to the field.

“No needles, just treatment in the training room,” he said. “It’s painful because it’s right in that area, but it’s working. Went to see a doctor in L.A. and (they) recommended it, and it’s been working wonders. I’m very happy right now. Hopefully it keeps trending that way.”

Correa returned from plantar fasciitis in his left foot late last season without a rehab assignment and played well in the postseason. He hasn’t made a minor league appearance since 2019 when he was with Houston.

He said he has a date on his calendar for a return but added, “I’ve still got to confirm with the team.”

“I was waiting to get to this point, so I could push the envelope,” he said. “This percentage right now, I could play like this, as to where, before, I couldn’t even walk without pain. But today’s a good day. We’ve come to the right time, I feel like.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’m very encouraged about the way I’ve been feeling the last few days.”

Briefly

After Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Kansas City, solidifying a three-game sweep by the Royals, Baldelli gave his team the what-for in a postgame meeting. “I expected it. Because that just didn’t feel right, that whole series,” outfielder Trevor Larnach said. “That last game, for whatever reason, felt like deflating a balloon. So, I respect him for doing that. We needed it.” … Veteran right-hander Pablo Lopez was the Twins’ nominee for MLB’s annual Roberto Clemente Award, which goes to the player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

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