Twins day at camp: Mastroianni scores points with Molitor

"His read off the lefthander [St. Louis reliever Austin Gomber], that caught my attention, because that guy wasn't overly slow to the plate," Paul Molitor said of Mastroianni's seventh-inning stolen base, setting up the tiebreaking score. "He's really studious about his baserunning."

And that's a rare commodity around the Twins, who finished 20th in steals last season and don't have a player with more than one this spring. Mastroianni has noted the opportunity there.

"One of the benefits of re-signing here [is] they know that about me. I can still run. My ankle feels healthy. It's a real plus for me," he said.

So is making plays with his glove. When Jeremy Hazelbaker launched a Nick Burdi pitch deep to center, Mastroianni ran almost full-speed into the fall to catch it, saving the tying run from scoring. He hit face-first and knocked the wind out of himself, too.

"I knew I could catch it, I just wasn't sure where the wall was," Mastroianni said. "My hat was bent when I picked it up, so I guess I hit pretty hard."

The Twins' hard-throwing young relievers got noticed this spring, but most of them will open the season in the minors. Lefthander Mason Melotakis was sent to Class AA Chattanooga Monday along with righthander J.T. Chargois, two pitchers who can touch 100 miles per hour.

"Those guys handled themselves extremely well. I complimented them for the way they went about everything from their defensive work to the fact that I would see those guys picking our veterans' brains. They were being observant," Molitor said.

Outfielder Adam Brett Walker, 1-for-8 in limited spring action, was also sent to Rochester, along with lefthanders Mike Strong, a Stillwater High grad, and Pat Dean. Lefthander Randy Rosario and righthander Yorman Landa were optioned to Fort Myers.

• Notably not included in the first round of cuts: Burdi, another pitcher who can reach 100 mph. "We decided we want to get a little longer look at him," Molitor said of the righthander. "I like what he's done. I listened to [pitching coach Neil Allen] — he offered a vote to keep that guy around for at least a little bit longer."

• Another round of cuts could be decided upon by Thursday or Friday, Molitor said.

The Twins have their only off day of camp Tuesday, though Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios will each pitch four innings in minor league games across the compound. The rest of the team returns to action Wednesday night against the Red Sox.