Chicago Cubs: Kyle Schwarber homers twice – for the second-straight night

For the second-straight night at Triple-A Iowa, Kyle Schwarber hit a pair of long-balls. At least one of them left fans and announcers in awe.

With the big-league club limping into the final week of the first half, Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber continues to work things out at Triple-A Iowa.

And he’s doing so in a big way.

In the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, the 24-year-old outfielder opened the Iowa scoring with an opposite-field two-run shot to left field. He wasn’t done, though, absolutely crushing a ball later in the game, sending it over the video board in right field for his fourth home run in just two days.

Since being demoted to Iowa, Schwarber is batting .391 with the Cubs. He finished Saturday night’s game 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. In the opener, he worked a pair of walks against Round Rock pitching.

Of course, this isn’t Schwarber’s first run-in with a video board. Two years ago in the NLDS against St. Louis, he launched a ball atop Wrigley’s new board in right, sending the Cubs faithful into a downright frenzy.

But, back to the present.

According to Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, Schwarber has been putting in early work every single day. In video, you can see the notable difference in his stance. The bat no longer begins on his shoulder and his hands are lower. The tweaks are comparable to what Jason Heyward did this offseason.

Birch, the beat writer covering the I-Cubs, talked with Schwarber recently about some advice he got from Anthony Rizzo. The Chicago first baseman, of course, went through something similar earlier in his career after struggling badly with the San Diego Padres.

"“He just said, ‘I’ve been in your shoes and just make sure you get your work in and get back to what you’ve been and we’ll see you soon,’” Schwarber said."

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The Cubs certainly hope Schwarber takes a similar path in his career. Rizzo, a three-time All-Star, a Platinum Glove Award winner and World Series champion, has emerged as the face of the franchise since those early years. For now, though, they’ll certainly take the effort – and results – they’re seeing from Schwarber in Iowa.