Adams Shines In 3-0 Win

Eloy Jiménez 's three-run homer in the first inning was more than enough run support to back Spencer Adams' performance on the mound as the Birmingham Barons (24-28) defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts (31-21), 3-0 Thursday night at Regions Field.

• Turning Point: After Danny Mendick singled and Zack Collins walked to open the game, Jimenez muscled a three-run homer over left field on a pitch that left his bat at 109 mph, rocketing the Barons out to a 3-0 lead.
• Moments That Mattered: On the mound, Adams (W, 3-6) tossed eight complete scoreless frames, striking out six and walking none with just two hits against in his strongest pitching performance on the season.
• He Said It: "I worked ahead in the count a lot tonight," said Adams. "The couple of times I fell behind, I worked the fastball in the zone and got some pop-ups. I just felt comfortable with all my pitches and tried to control the game as much as I could."
• Facts and Figures: Birmingham's pitching has fared well against Chattanooga thus far on the season, recording a 1.46 ERA against the Lookouts through eight games. Over the three games this series, Chattanooga has scored two runs and one earned while the Barons have plated 10 runs, nine earned.
• Quotable: "Pitching can be contagious," said Adams about his team's performance against the Lookouts in the series. "Tomshaw and Dunning both went out there and threw a heck of a game. You don't want to one-up the guys in front of you, but you want to work off the energy and keep it going."
• By the Numbers: Jimenez's first-inning homer is his tenth of the season, placing him in a tie with teammate Seby Zavala and Biloxi's Jake Gatewood for the Southern League lead. The three-RBI hit also marks the Birmingham slugger's 10^th straight game with a hit. With three walks on the night, Collins is now the outright leader in the category across all of Minor League Baseball with 52 free bases.
• Up Next: The two sides will face off again in the fourth game of the series on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Southpaw Jordan Guerrero  (1-5, 6.46 ERA) will deal for the Barons while left-handed counterpart Anthony Marzi (0-2, 6.41 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Lookouts. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.