Sano homers twice in doubleheader

Although he's been one of the Midwest League's best hitters, Miguel Sano hasn't stopped working with his hitting coach to get better. Over the past few games, that effort has been apparent.

The Twins' top prospect homered in both games of a doubleheader on Friday, launching a two-run shot in the ninth inning of the nightcap that gave the Class A Beloit Snappers a 5-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Overall, Sano went 4-for-8 with 11 total bases and five RBIs in the twinbill. The 18-year-old third baseman has recorded four straight multi-hit performances, going 9-for-16 with two homers and nine RBIs. The hot streak has raised his average 48 points to .310.

"I've been working a lot with Tommy Watkins, our hitting coach," Sano said through a translator. "I'm working on staying through the ball and hitting the ball outside, trying to go to right-center. Not doing too much with it, just hitting it to right-center. I've been working hard with Tommy to make sure I'm disciplined at the plate."

Completing a game that was suspended on Thursday, Sano collected two hits -- a leadoff single in the fourth and a two-run homer in the eighth. The roundtripper brought the Snappers within three runs, but the Kernels prevailed, 9-6.

"I saw a fastball outside for a ball and was just looking middle-in," Sano said. "I got a fastball up and in a little bit and got my hands in on it."

In the second game, Sano stroked a double and a homer and drew a walk. His league-leading eighth longball came with one out in the top of the ninth and broke a 3-3 tie.

"I saw a curve come out of his hands early," Sano said, referring to reliever Carmine Giardina. "It was up and outside. I saw it break middle-away, I stayed back on it and hit it pretty far."

Both benches cleared after the homer -- reportedly in response to Sano's celebration -- but no punches were thrown.

"My emotions were a bit high in reaction to the home run," Sano said. "It was an intense moment in the game and I got a little emotional. Everyone got back in the dugout without any punches or shoving. The coaches and umpires did a good job keeping things under control."

Sano also leads the league with 28 RBIs and a 1.099 OPS. Despite his success, he's not thinking about moving up to the next level.

"I try to stay calm, keep focused on my work in Beloit and let the results take care of themselves," he said. "I don't think about moving up, I don't think about moving down. I just focus on getting better each day and let things take care of themselves that way."