Thoughts from the weekend

The Twins hit a few homers in Philly over the weekend. Eddie Rosario's three-run ninth inning homer off the foul pole on Saturday opened up the game and might be the most memorable.

But it was Sunday's leadoff homer from Max Kepler that stands out to me. A solo shot, of course -- all leadoff homers are -- but it was also the the only run the Twins got all game. And that's why it stands out. My previous post said that my concern that the lineup was geared around the solo homer hadn't be borne out. On Sunday it was.

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Friday's sloppy play resulted in something rare. On Saturday the Twins skipped batting practice and took infield instead.

I've noted in the past that daily infield practice has faded away. It was once a pre-game staple between batting practice and the drawing of the foul lines/batters boxes. Supposedly the Atlanta Braves in the mid 90's did away with it as a means of conserving energy in the summer heat there, and the other teams soon followed suit -- and eventually the commissioner's office put the traditional time for infield off limits. It was too lucrative as a time for promotional activities.

So if a manager, such as Rocco Baldelli, decides that the response to sloppy play is a review of the fundamentals, it has to come either before BP or in its place.

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The Twins brought up a 12th pitcher Saturday after Jake Odorizzi couldn't get through the first inning on Friday. Tyler Austin was designated for assignment in order to bring up Chase De Jong.

De Jong himself was DFA'd in January. He cleared waivers and outrighted to Triple A. I wouldn't bet on this stay lasting very long.

As for Austin, I doubt there's much of a market for him. He hits for power and he plays a bit of first base, and that's not enough to hold a bench job. I don't know that he's a worse player than C.J. Cron, but his fate with the Twins was sealed when the Twins claimed Cron on waivers last November. He may or may not get claimed. I'm not sure if he's been outrighted before; if not, the Twins might still be able to retain him at Triple A.