RailRiders' Adams continues dominant run

Chance Adams churned out another dominant start Thursday, and he did it with his weakest pitch.
The Yankees' No. 7 prospect gave up one hit and two walks while striking out eight over six scoreless innings in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' 11-1 rout of the Pawtucket Red Sox at PNC Field.

Adams (5-2) was urged by his coaches to primarily use his changeup, a pitch he has struggled with in the past. The right-hander used the off-speed alongside his fastball for a significant number of his 100 pitches on the night.
Gameday box score
"That was pretty much all I threw with a few curveballs and some sliders," Adams said. "They've told me a few times that I need to be able to throw my changeup when I need to throw it and not spike one and then throw a good one."
The 22-year-old held the PawSox hitless through the first five frames. He gave up only a two-out walk to Steve Selsky in the first inning and a leadoff walk to Brian Bogusevic in the fifth.
Dan Butler doubled down the right-field line to open the sixth, and the Scottsdale, Arizona native responded by retiring the next three batters in a row with Selsky flying out to center to end the frame.
Adams said he did not mind losing his no-hit bid so late in the game.
"It's just a hit," he said. "I was just trying to help the team win. The defense made a lot of great plays behind me. ... I didn't worry about the hit, though. No one is going to remember it in two weeks."

MLB.com's No. 96 overall prospect lowered his opponents' batting average to .154 in eight starts with the RailRiders. Over 46 2/3 International League innings, Adams sports a 2.12 ERA with 17 walks and 52 strikeouts, and would rank second on the circuit in ERA behind Lehigh Valley's Tom Eshelman (2.08) if he had enough innings to qualify.
"I have no idea [why my numbers have been great]," Adams laughed. "I'm the wrong guy to ask. I just try and command my pitches and be competitive out there and not give away batters. I don't know why I'm tough to hit. I just try to do my best."
The 2015 fifth-round pick said he has no expectations when it comes to getting a call to the big leagues. He also understands he must continue to improve his changeup in order to be ready for that level.
"It can be a huge weapon," Adams said. "If I'm against a good fastball hitter or maybe a lefty, then the slider may not always be my go-to. You flip in that changeup and you get them thinking.
"If they need help, they'll call down and I'll go up and try to do my job and not ruin it. It would be cool to get called up. That's been everyone's dream since they were young. I'm definitely looking forward to it, and if it happens, it happens."

Tyler Austin kept up his recent surge for the RailRiders with his third homer in three games, giving him four on the season. New York's No. 14 prospect also doubled and drove in a season-high four runs. 
"He goes out and puts up homers and gives our team a chance to win," Adams said. "He's also fun to be around. He's a good guy in the clubhouse. He's definitely one of our hottest right now, especially when it comes to hitting."
Ji-Man Choi, Cito Culver and Jake Cave also went yard, while Mark Payton finished 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
PawSox starter Kyle Kendrick (2-4) was roughed up for 10 runs on 11 hits -- including four homers -- while striking out three over five innings.