RailRiders' Adams fires first shutout

Chance Adams continues to roll since his return from the big league club, posting his second straight scoreless outing on Wednesday. But he isn't prepared to take too much credit for his success.
The Yankees' No. 19 prospect tossed a three-hitter for his first career shutout as Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beat Buffalo, 3-0, in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader at Sahlen Field.

After recording a save and posting a 3.86 ERA over seven innings in two relief appearances for the Yankees last month, Adams (4-1) rejoined the RailRiders on May 26 and gave up four hits over six frames in an 8-0 blanking of Lehigh Valley on May 31. He's whiffed five and walked one in his longest scoreless stretch since going 15 1/3 innings without allowing a run in 2016 between Class A Advanced Tampa and Double-A Trenton.
Facing Buffalo for the third time this season, the 24-year-old yielded three singles and a walk while striking out two. He never allowed a baserunner past first, faced two batters over the minimum and threw 63 of 89 pitches for strikes. The seven innings were a season high for the 2015 fifth-round pick.
"The defense has been making some really nice plays behind me," he said. "I'm always just trying to attack, get ahead early, get them swinging, and everything has been working out nicely."
Gameday box score
Reese McGuire singled to left field with two outs in the second, but Adams ended the inning by getting Jordan Patterson to lift a 1-2 offering into left. Roemon Fields singled through the left side of the infield in the third but was caught stealing by catcher Ryan Lavarnway. 
"My plan never changed when guys got on base. I just wanted to go right after them," Adams said. "Ryan threw out Fields there and that was really nice -- he hosed him -- and I got a double play in there, too. Like I said, the defense just kept making the plays behind me, so I was just trying to attack."
Adams worked around a two-out walk to Patrick Kivlehan in the fourth and got Alen Hanson to bounce into a double play after Patterson singled to right with one out in the fifth. He retired the last seven batters he faced, striking out Richard Ureña to end a 10-pitch battle and finish off his third career complete game and first since July 30.
"I don't think facing these guys for the third time really helped me at all -- they're a way different team now," Adams said. "Half the guys at the start of the season aren't even there anymore, it's basically a new team every time you face them at this level. That's just how it goes at Triple-A."
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scored the only runs Adams needed in the second, when Breyvic Valera doubled home Trey Amburgey and Ryan McBroom lifted a sacrifice fly. Brad Miller provided insurance with an RBI single in the sixth. A rehabbing Didi Gregorius was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
In the nightcap, the RailRiders got another stellar pitching performance and completed the sweep with a 4-0 win.
Nestor Cortes Jr. took the ball -- and the proverbial baton from Adams -- in the nightcap and yielded one hit while punching out eight over six innings. The southpaw faced one over the minimum, with the only blemish coming when Patterson sent a ground ball back up the middle for a one-out single in the third.

"I thought it was fantastic," Adams said. "The night part of a doubleheader, it's usually a little harder to warm up and keep your mind in there. You're just kind of sitting and waiting. But he came out and attacked, went right at guys and just dominated."
J.P. Feyereisen completed the shutout with a perfect seventh, striking out two.
Valera and Kyle Higashioka clubbed back-to-back dingers in a three-run third in support of Cortes (2-2). McBroom had two hits and a walk and scored a run.