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 Tuesday night, Sano showed why.
Sano, playing in his sixth major league game, hit his first career
homer, reached base three times and knocked in three runs as the
Minnesota Twins won 8-3 over the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field.
"I was trying to hit the ball hard and that's it," Sano said. "I
know when I hit the ball the ball hard. I know when it's gone."
Sano's two-run blast in the first inning travelled 396 feet into the
left-field bleachers and capped a three-run inning, giving Twins
right-hander Kyle Gibson plenty of early offensive support. Sano
also singled and drew a bases-loaded walk as part of a four-run
fourth inning that all but put the game away.
Sano has now hit safely in each of his six games with the Twins.
"He continues to impress in the way he goes about his business,"
Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Because of Torii (Hunter) being
out today, we had him hitting cleanup. It didn't seem to faze him.
He got off to a good start in that role."
Gibson improved to 7-6, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk in
six innings of work, striking out seven. It was the fifth
consecutive quality start for Gibson, whose season ERA stands at
3.04.
"It's a whole lot easier when the offense does what they did tonight
and put up eight runs," Gibson said. "The three in the first was big
and really allows me to go out there and relax a little bit and go
out there and battle and find it. Physically, definitely wasn't my
best but the defense played great and the offensive gave me enough
wiggle room."
Minnesota took advantage of Baltimore's inability to take the early
lead, posting a pair of crooked numbers through the first four
innings.
After going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in Monday's 4-2
loss in extra innings, the Orioles had two chances to atone early on
Tuesday. But Baltimore left a pair of runners in scoring position in
the first inning and another in the second, going 0-for-5 in scoring
position production in the first two frames.
"We let him wiggle out there without scratching one off of him,"
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Sometimes your aggressiveness
gets in the way of your selectiveness. (Gibson) pitched well, but
certainly we'd like to score a run there."
Minnesota put up three runs in the first, getting a one-out single
from Joe Mauer, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Third
baseman Trevor Plouffe followed with a double to deep center ahead
of Sano, who turned around a 97 mph fastball from Orioles
right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Mauer came around to score again in the third. After leading off the
inning with another single, Mauer got to third base with two outs.
Right fielder Eddie Rosario struck out swinging, but the ball got
past catcher Matt Wieters and Rosario reached, allowing Mauer to
scamper in from third.
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The Twins knocked Gausman out in the fourth inning with a four-spot.
A sacrifice fly by second baseman Brian Dozier made it 5-0 before
Minnesota loaded the bases with two outs, as Gausman was lifted
after hitting Plouffe with a pitch. Sano worked a walk against
righty Brad Brach and Rosario followed with a two-run single to left
field, extending the lead to 8-0.
"You never feel overly comfortable against a team that can swing it
ad definitely has home run potential," Molitor said. "But to add-on
after we put the early runs up, it was just nice to have a bit of a
cushion to play with."
Gausman allowed eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits and a walk
in 3 2/3 innings. The eight runs allowed were a career high and the
outing was the shortest of Gausman's 28 career starts in the Majors.
"They were definitely swinging. It felt like every fastball I was
threw they were swinging at," Gausman said. "I left a couple pitches
up, definitely, but there were also some really good pitches they
got hits on.
"This is my shortest outing of my career, obviously something I'm
not proud of. But it's going to happen. Talking to (Chris) Tillman,
he was joking with me that it's probably not going to be my shortest
either."
Baltimore got on the board in the fifth on a two-run blast by
shortstop J.J. Hardy. The home run ended a streak of 12 scoreless
innings pitched by Gibson.
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones doubled in a run in the eighth
inning, Baltimore's first hit with a runner in scoring position in
the series. The hit came on Baltimore's 15th at-bat with a runner in
scoring position.
NOTES: Orioles C Matt Wieters was behind the plate again on Tuesday,
catching on back-to-back days for the first time this season.
Wieters missed the first two months of this season and most of last
season after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. ... The
Twins optioned C Chris Herrmann to Triple-A Rochester following the
game. Herrmann is hitting .156 with one homer and eight RBIs in 25
games backing up Kurt Suzuki this season. ... The Twins selected the
contract of C Eric Fryer to take Herrmann's spot on the roster.
Fryer is hitting .299 in 51 games with Rochester this season. ...
Twins LHP Ryan O'Rourke made it to the ballpark pitched a scoreless
inning of relief in his major league debut. O'Rourke was recalled
from Rochester following the game on Monday. ... The Orioles and
Twins will wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at
Target Field. Baltimore right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.96 ERA)
will oppose Minnesota lefty Tommy Milone (4-1, 3.02 ERA).
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