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Adames busts out in Drillers' comeback win

Rockies prospect shrugs off season-opening slump, collects four hits
April 12, 2014

Cristhian Adames knows tenacity pays off, and he and his Tulsa teammates proved it on Friday night.

Adames went 4-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored as the Drillers erased an early seven-run deficit and rallied past Corpus Christi, 10-9, at Whataburger Field.

"We came back today because we just kept battling," the Rockies' No. 15 prospect said. "We never put our heads down and kept fighting and fighting."

The same can be said of Adames' individual effort this season. He was hitting .187 (5-for-27) entering Friday's game.

"For the first couple games, I was a little bit out of my timing," he said. "The last three or four games, I've felt much better and I've hit the ball hard. But I've been hitting the ball right to players. I finally found some holes [Friday]."

The 22-year-old middle infielder legged out an infield hit in the first inning and another in the third.

"In the beginning of a game, I'm always trying to get on base," he said.

Adames was fully comfortable with his rhythm by the time he came to the plate with two outs, runners on the corners and Tulsa facing an 8-4 deficit in the fourth. He took a pitch high and outside from Hooks reliever Andrew Robinson, then one-hopped the next offering over the wall in left-center field.

"I hit that one very good. In that at-bat right there, I was trying to get us only a couple runs, or maybe only one run, behind," Adames explained. "I saw a pitch that was over the plate and a good one to hit. I just hit the ball hard when I got a pitch that I should swing at."

The native of the Dominican Republic came around to score in the Drillers' six-run rally and was in the middle of the three-run sixth that put them ahead. He bunted for a single that loaded the bases, then scored on Dustin Garneau's second two-run hit of the evening.

"He had two good at-bats and he helped us to be back in the game with those four RBIs," Adames said of Garneau.

Corpus Christi finally retired Adames in the eighth as he took a called third strike from Thomas Shirley.

"I really kept my balance today in every at-bat," he said. "I feel great after this game."

Jon Gray, Colorado's top prospect and MLB.com's 14th-ranked overall, struggled in his second Double-A start. He retired two batters and was charged with six runs on seven hits as his Texas League ERA climbed to 12.15.

"He just had bad luck. Only two of those hits were [hit] hard," Adames said. "All of the other ones were little bloopers or ground balls that went through little holes. They just got lucky. He was throwing the ball good. He's got great stuff. He's one of the best pitchers we've had and I believe it's going to be much better for him next time."

Josh Jackson is a contributor to MiLB.com.