There was one swing in particular that let manager Rocco Baldelli know Miguel Sano is in a groove right now at the plate. It wasn't the home run Sano hit in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Brewers or the two-run double he hit in Saturday's win.
Miguel Sano's swing in a 'good place' right now for Twins
The first baseman has been using all fields more of late, something that has been a struggle for him to do consistently.
August 29, 2021 at 11:42PM
Instead, it was a line drive out Sano hit to right in the second inning Saturday.
"Watching it, you go, 'He's in a good place, that's a good swing,' " Baldelli said. "If he's going to see the ball like that, let it travel, and put those kind of swings on the ball, he's going to catch some of the off-speed pitches out front, he's going to still be on the fastball."
Sano took a curveball from Brewers starter Aaron Ashby and hit it 420 feet Sunday to continue his good vibes at the plate. In his past 17 games, including Sunday's 2-for-4 effort, Sano is hitting .295 with a 1.033 on-base plus slugging percentage and six home runs.
Right now, Sano's swing is on the right side of the constant battle to use every part of the field at the plate.
"There are different reasons why there are ups and downs. First of all, baseball is hard and he's a guy that swings such a big, potent bat," Baldelli said.
For now, Sano has been letting pitches come to him more at the plate, and that flyout Saturday foreshadowed Saturday's double and then Sunday's home run in that way. How long will Sano keep that up?
"If he's going to see the ball like that, let it travel, and put those kind of swings on the ball, he's going to catch some of the offspeed pitches out front, he's going to still be on the fastball," Baldelli said. "He doesn't have to swing as hard as he can. Unlike most people in this game, he does not have to swing as hard as he can to hit the ball out of the ballpark to all fields."
Ryan's potential timeline
When asked Sunday about the potential of seeing righthander Joe Ryan, who came to the Twins in the Nelson Cruz trade from Tampa Bay, with the big-league club before the season is over, Baldelli said, "We could see him in September," acknowledging it's a possibility Ryan would come up from Class AAA St. Paul.
"Since he's been back from the Olympics, what we've wanted him to do is allow him to settle in to his routine, get back on to his throwing program, make some starts, see how he throws the ball," Baldelli said. "He's thrown the ball very well."
Barnes optioned
The Twins optioned Charlie Barnes to St. Paul after he started Saturday's game against the Brewers. The lefthander made six appearances and five starts for the Twins and gave up four runs in four innings Saturday. The Twins recalled catcher Ben Rortvedt. Barnes allowed 32 hits in 27 ⅓ innings with a 6.59 ERA.
Garver not near a return
Related to the Twins' depth at catcher, Baldelli said Mitch Garver was "going to be a ways off" as he works his way back from a lower back strain that has kept him out since Wednesday.
"I haven't heard much beyond the fact I know he's been in the training room a lot and he's been doing a lot of treatment," Baldelli said. "He's going to be a ways off right now. He's still right in the middle. Right now he hasn't started hitting or anything like that."
Gerrit Cole gave up his opt-out right on Monday and will remain with the New York Yankees under a contract that runs through 2028 rather than become a free agent.
