Adam bounces back from rocky start to lift Javelinas
Royals prospect allows just two hits over five scoreless frames against Solar Sox
Jason Adam has taken to keeping a notebook with all the pitching insights he picks up. At the advice of Jim Brower, his pitching coach this season at Double-A Arkansas, the right-hander began writing down advice and reminders to himself this summer and has continued in the Arizona Fall League.
"He told me, 'You're not going to remember everything, so you should write it down,'" Adam said. "I started doing it and it's a good little notebook to go back to."
Adam has a few more notes to add after his start Friday. The Royals' No. 18 prospect threw five scoreless innings, helping Peoria defeat Mesa, 5-4, at Hohokam Stadium.
Adam struck out three batters and allowed just two hits in his longest start of the fall. He threw 71 pitches.
Though many of Mesa's best hitters -- including the league's leading hitter Kris Bryant -- were out in advance of Saturday's Fall Stars Game, the AFL's second-highest scoring offense remained dangerous. Adam said the keys to his success were his command and catcher Cameron Rupp's play behind the plate.
"I felt like Rupp was calling a great game and made it easy to stay on same page with him," Adam said. "I executed pitches down in the zone so they couldn't get squared up."
It was an improvement on Adam's previous start. He gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings last Saturday against Salt River.
Adam said his mechanics were better Friday, allowing him to finish his pitches better.
"Last start, I wasn't getting through the ball and I was catching a lot more middle of the plate about thigh high," he said. "That's not where I want to be. Today, I focused on getting extended through the ball."
The Javelinas helped Adam by giving him an early lead. They scored two runs in the first inning on an error by right fielder Tyler Collins. They added a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh when Cameron Perkins and Rupp hit back-to-back triples.
Perkins finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs and a double to go with his RBI triple. Rupp went 2-for-4 with a run and a walk.
Still, it nearly wasn't enough to hold off Mesa. Devon Travis hit a solo home run in the sixth inning and then capped a three-run seventh with a two-out, RBI double.
But the Solar Sox couldn't complete the comeback. They stranded two runners in the seventh. In the ninth, Albert Almora hit a one-out triple off right-hander Dominic Leone. But the Mariners farmhand retired the next two batters to earn his league-leading fourth save.
Travis, the Tigers' No. 12 prospect, finished the game 2-for-5. Almora, the Cubs' No. 2 prospect, went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk to go with his triple.
Both teams will now have the full weekend off due to the Fall Stars Game. Adam said the victory felt even better knowing they wouldn't be playing again until Monday.
"You always want to go into the next day with a win," Adam said. "It's a great feeling especially with a couple days off."
The weekend off will also give Adam plenty of time to review the lessons he's learned this fall and add the insights he gained Friday to his ever-growing notebook.