Candelario powers Pelicans past P-Nats

It took Jeimer Candelario 44 days to hit his first home run of the season. It took him less than 40 minutes to hit his second.

The Cubs' No. 14 prospect went yard twice on Saturday to power Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach to a 7-3 victory over visiting Potomac.

Candelario put the Pelicans on the scoreboard early, homering to open up the home half of the second inning and cutting the deficit to 2-1. Two innings later, the 21-year-old third baseman got things started again with another leadoff blast that forged a 2-2 tie. He added a single in the seventh to cap his fifth three-hit game of the season.

"I feel good," Candelario said. "I'm just trying to help the team win and look for a good pitch to hit. That [second] at-bat, I was looking for a good pitch to hit and he left it up and I put the barrel on it. It was a line drive, but I hit it pretty well."

The New York native has struggled to get the home run swing going this season, with Saturday's outburst representing his first two Carolina League homers.

"The homers are going to come," he said. "I just have to put a good swing on it, take what I'm doing right now, put the ball in play, drive the ball all over the field. I just want to put the barrel on the ball and everything's going to be all right."

After posting a .250/.299/.333 slash line in April, Candelario has broken out in May to the tune of an .811 OPS in 19 games.

"You're going to have some ups and downs, you just have to get a good workout in batting practice," he said. "I just have to focus and be ready to go. Something good is going to happen."

Overall, Candelario is batting .270 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 38 games. But the switch-hitter said he knows he can't rest on what he accomplished Saturday.

"It's a good game, but you have to grind it out every day because you don't know," he said. "You grind it out and good things are going to happen if you work every day."

Trey Martin singled home two runs for the Pelicans, while Cubs No. 18 prospect Victor Caratini doubled and scored once.

Paul Blackburn (3-2) -- Chicago's 26th-ranked prospect -- benefited from Candelario's big night, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings.

Nationals No. 26 prospect and former Pelican Christopher Bostick was 2-for-4 with a solo homer for Potomac.