When Lane Adams came to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth during Saturday night’s game, it was fair to wonder if Braves manager Brian Snitker was using the wrong Adams.
But this Adams ripped the first pitch he saw into the left field corner, clearing the bases and putting the Braves on top 5-3. Atlanta went on to win 8-5, guaranteeing another series victory and one over a team holding a coveted NL wild card spot.
“Anytime you can help a team, you have a big moment in a game with a team that’s pushing for a playoff spot, it’s pretty surreal,” Adams said. “I kind of sit back and realize where I’m at and how grateful I am the Braves gave me an opportunity. At the same time, I’m enjoying every day I come into the clubhouse and being around the guys and the staff, to play against other major league clubs.”
As it turned out, Snitker used the right-handed Adams over slugger Matt Adams due to Arizona reliever Randall Delgado’s reverse splits and concern that Arizona would send in a lefty against Matt. Lefties were hitting just .216 off the right-handed Delgado.
“I just thought it was a better matchup than Matt Adams against a lefty,” Snitker said. “Lane goes up there and he gives you three good hacks. And he’s a big, strong guy, capable of running into one. And he did.”
It’s the 27-year-old outfielder’s second stint with the Braves this season. He was on the roster from April 25 to May 8, demoted to Triple-A, then returned from Gwinnett on June 7 – a day in which he played a Triple-A and MLB game, becoming the first to do so since Kyle Parker in 2014.
Adams is 6-for-25 (.240) with eight RBIs as a pinch-hitter, including his first and only career homer on June 22 against San Francisco.
“It’s role I’ve been given,” he said. “And I’m grateful for it, and I look forward to the at-bats whenever my number’s called, and I was grateful that the guys in front of me were able to get me in a situation where I could get that hit for us.”
On a Reddit Q&A earlier in the week, Adams answered a fan's question regarding his mentality when pinch-hitting.
“Usually when I’m pinch hitting it’s against bullpen arms,” he said. “Unless a guy is struggling to throw strikes to guys hitting in front of me then I’m being aggressive. In my mind I treat it like a 3-2 count.”
Adams stayed true to that approach against Delgado.
“Yeah, I talked to Seitz (hitting coach Kevin Seitzer) and (assistant hitting coach Jose) Castro about how to approach pinch-hitting,” he said. “They said be aggressive, but just kind of hunt your pitch. So, it’s all kind of new to me.
“I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with every at-bat I get. Yeah, just be aggressive early because you don’t want to fall behind in the count against bullpen arms in today’s game because they all throw pretty hard. So you have to be ready to go as soon as you step into the box.”
It was a good night for Braves pinch-hitters. Utility man Jace Peterson hit a homer to right in the eighth inning, his first since August 21, 2016. It was Peterson’s first career pinch-hit home run.
Adams’ three-run blast against the Giants helped clinch Atlanta three wins of the four-game set. He said Saturday’s heroics equal that moment.
“It’s right up there,” he said. “Anytime you can help in a big moment, and come through for you team, and give us the lead in the game, especially against a good team like the Diamondbacks, it’s big. And it’s just going to help us go forward. We won the series and hopefully can take another one tomorrow. Personally, I feel like it’s going to help my confidence for the next at-bat.”
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