Tommy Birch

tbirch@dmreg.com

The hard, hot-hitting Javier Baez that fans have waited all season to see is now starting to produce.

Baez continued his tear through Pacific Coast League pitching, bashing a grand slam to propel the Iowa Cubs to a 7-3 win Sunday afternoon over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox before 6,186 fans at Principal Park.

"He's really swung the bat the past week and a half, and he continued to swing the bat good today," Iowa manager Marty Pevey said.

Baez, typically a slow starter who has generally begun to hit around June, has heated up as expected. He's hit safely in each of his past 10 games, going 16-for-41 with six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Baez was 2-for-4 on Sunday and connected on the fifth-inning blast to give the Cubs a lead they'd never relinquish.

"I feel about the same at the plate," Baez said. "It's just my adjustment has been better right now. I feel like I'm swinging at more strikes at the plate."

The approach has worked, with Baez raising his average above the .200 mark earlier this week for the first time this season. After Sunday's game, he inched up to .211.

"I'm just being more patient," Baez said.

Pevey said fans and players alike can typically tell when Baez has connected on another home run.

"He's got a little different sound when the ball leaves his bat," Pevey said. "And when he clicks one, it's a no-doubter."