Miguel Sano, on the verge of being sent down to the minors, hit two home runs and a third ball that hit the roof of Tropicana Field before being caught for an out in a 6-3 Minnesota Twins win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I think it would have hit the roof if it was 30 feet higher,’’ Twins manager Paul Molitor told the Pioneer Press. “It didn’t just graze it. That’s not surprising (Sano is the first one to hit the roof), he’s a good candidate for that.’’
“It’s fun when you’re struggling, and all of a sudden everything switches back and you start hitting homers and you start seeing better pitches and you start taking walks,” Sano told the Star Tribune.
Reports from the local papers and elsewhere indicated that Sano, who has struggled with routine plays at third and is racking up strikeouts, could be headed down to Triple-A with Trevor Plouffe’s return from a rehab stint. Instead Byron Buxton, the team’s other top prospect, was sent to Rochester, presumably because of Sano’s strong play recently.
“I think it was a hot-button topic,’’ Molitor told the Pioneer Press. “We’re working with all our guys, he got singled out in the past, maybe unfairly in my mind. But he’s had a good week. He played well, made some really nice plays (in the field). The bat seems to be getting better. Now he’s starting to square a few balls up. You can tell he’s gaining confidence.’’
Starter Kyle Gibson gave up six hits and two earned runs in 5.0 innings, picking up his fourth win of the season.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t have good enough stuff to do that today for six or seven innings,” he told the Pioneer Press, “but it was a battle out there.”
The Twins have now have eight wins in their past 11 contests.
“It’s fun to get on a roll and find a way to win some games,” Molitor told the Associated Press.
[Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Associated Press]
