Candelario among top prospect performers Saturday

Double-A Tennessee pulled off a dramatic comeback win Saturday night as they scored nine times in the seventh and eighth innings to defeat Biloxi, 10-9.

At the center of the Smokies’ late-inning rallies was third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who went 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth en route to driving in a career-high seven runs.

Candelario, the Cubs’ No. 7 prospect, started the scoring for Tennessee when he ripped an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, and he picked up his second knock of the game with a leadoff single in the sixth. In the seventh, he delivered a two-run double to center field to cap a four-run Smokies outburst and help the team close the deficit to 7-5.

After the Shuckers pushed across a run in the top of the eighth, Tennessee came right back to score a run on a wild pitch before loading the bases with a pair of two-out walks ahead of Candelario. The 22-year-old switch-hitter made Biloxi pay for the free passes as he blasted Stephen Kohlscheen’s 2-1 pitch off of the right field foul pole for a go-ahead grand slam.

“I always knew it was going to stay fair,” Candelario told MiLB.com after the game. “I didn’t pull it that much, and I got a good swing on it, so I was just waiting for it to either hit the foul pole, or just go over. You always need to wait, but I knew it was going to be fair.

“When you get in that situation, you just gotta focus on doing your job,” he added. “When he walked [Cubs No. 18 prospect Mark Zagunis], I knew I had to step up. I was just ready for a mistake and just needed to be ready for the fastball, and when you put a good swing on it, things take care of themselves.”

Candelario raised his average to .218 from .197 with the four-hit performance, and he now has three home runs, 15 doubles and 20 RBIs in 40 games for Tennessee.

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Saturday:

• No. 42 overall prospect David Dahl (Rockies’ No. 3) and No. 44 overall prospect Ryan McMahon’s (No. 4) back-to-back home runs in the third inning were the difference in Double-A Hartford’s 5-3 win over New Hampshire. Dahl’s homer, a two-run shot, was his 11th of the season, giving him a share of the Eastern League lead, while McMahon went deep for the first time in 2016 as part of a 3-for-4 showing at the plate. Center fielder Raimel Tapia (No. 6) also collected …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com