Minnesota Twins adjust strategy with pitcher David Festa, decide to keep him around

David Festa messed up the Twins’ plans.

That’s a good thing.

The Twins called up the second-year righthander from Class AAA St. Paul on Friday to give the starting rotation an extra day off during a stretch of 12 consecutive games. But there were hints and intimations that Festa’s stay would be a one-game cameo, and that Zebby Matthews ultimately would be chosen to fill in while Pablo López is on the injured list with a sore hamstring.

Then Festa gave up only three hits and one unearned run against Detroit, looking fully in control against a lefty-laden lineup.

Now he has been invited to stay a bit longer.

“As a whole, he pitched good, which is always going to help your cause,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “There were a few options, few possibilities that we considered. But David did his part. He’s a guy we think very highly of.”

Festa will start Wednesday afternoon at Target Field in the finale of the Twins’ series with the Mets, a team he held to two runs over five innings last July at Citi Field. At 10-5, the Mets are in first place in the NL East.

Festa said he wasn’t aware of the Twins’ plans for the rotation, but it wouldn’t have changed his approach.

“I didn’t know all the behind-the-scenes, and if I thought about it too much, it might have been a distraction,” he said. “I was just handling my own situation. Pitch my A game, give the team a chance to win. Thought I did a good job.”

Especially with his efficiency. Festa threw only 64 pitches and was removed with two outs in the fifth inning. “That’s a good start for me — making sure I’m not throwing 25-pitch innings, ideally turning in some 10-pitch innings,” Festa said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

Brooks Lee sliced an RBI single to center in the second inning Sunday, a good way to announce his return to the majors.

He was happy with the production, and the fact that he could provide it so soon.

Lee understands that he will have to be careful about aggravating his back for the rest of his career, that there probably is no total cure.

“Some days are good, some days are bad. Toward the end of the year, most of the guys are like that,” Lee said. “I’ll be dealing with it for a while. [The Twins’ conditioning staff] is going to help me get ready every day so I can play at my best.”

The Twins hope to see his best. Lee batted .458 with eight RBI during his first week in the majors last July but hit just .182 in 44 games after that.

“I’ve got to stay within myself. Just got to get my mechanics dialed in, then get the right pitch to hit,” he said. “Last year, I kind of got away from that. Bad mechanics, not getting a good pitch.”

Lee replaces Jose Miranda, who was hitting .167 with no walks and one home run when he was optioned to St. Paul on Saturday.

• Louie Varland needed only 12 pitches to strike out all three batters he faced in the sixth inning, and Griffin Jax used 17 pitches to match Varland’s feat in the eighth. Jhoan Durán retired the Tigers in order on only 10 pitches in the ninth, with one strikeout.

• Shortstop Carlos Correa sat out Sunday’s game, the first one he’s missed this season. Baldelli said it was just an extra day of rest amid a crowded schedule.