SEATTLE -- OK, let’s get the important question out of the way first. If you’ve been wondering, that’s Double Bubble gum that Mariners reliever Austin Adams chews like a maniac when he’s on the mound.
The first thing you notice when the high-strung Adams is on the hill is the rapid-fire chomping as he stares in at the plate.
“The reason I chew so much is because it’s two sugar-free Double Bubbles,” said the 28-year-old. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had two sugar-free Double Bubbles, but it’s really big. If it was Juicy Fruit, I wouldn’t be out there chomping like an idiot.”
The second things to be noticed? That would be Adams’ 95-mph heater and wicked slider, a combination that has rapidly elevated him to a position as the biggest surprise pickup of the season for general manager Jerry Dipoto and the made-over Mariners.
Since being acquired from the Nationals by trade after being designated for assignment, Adams has resurrected his career – or more accurately, discovered his career -- by putting up a 3.70 ERA with a whopping 41 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings, with 13 hits and 11 walks for a 1.029 WHIP even after taking the loss and allowing three runs in two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Cardinals.
Those numbers include a rough outing as an opener. Take away his two one-inning starts and his numbers in relief are 2.49 with 39 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 2/3?innings.He’d thrown 12 1/3 scoreless innings with 25 strikeouts in 11 outings prior to Wednesday.
“Austin has been great,” manager Scott Servais said. “When he gets ahead in the count and he can go to that slider and the command of it like he’s got, he’s running through some really good hitters and makes them look silly at times. He gets them so sped up with the velocity and the late break on that pitch, it’s an outlier. It is a different kind of slider. You don’t see many of those in this league.”
All this from a guy who’d pitched in just nine games over three prior seasons with the Nationals and was let go after throwing just one inning in the Majors this year.
What’s helped him turn things around since his arrival in Seattle? Adams credits the Mariners' pitching coaches for helping him master his mechanics.
“There’s three things. Brian DeLunas, Paul Davis and Jim Brower,” he said. “Those are the three best coaches I think I’ve ever had in my life. They care. The Mariners care. And they give me really good feedback. When I ask questions, there’s an answer. So I absolutely love them. It’s a lot of fun just getting the right answers whenever I do have a question.”
Adams has rapidly been moved into higher-leverage and later inning situations, to the point where he’s faced the heart of the order of the Brewers, Astros and Cardinals in his last four outings. Adams entered Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Cardinals with two outs in the seventh and proceeded to strike out all four batters he faced, including Paul DeJong and Paul Goldschmidt.
His previous outing in Houston, he got Seattle out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by getting Jose Altuve to ground out and striking out Alex Bregman. The two appearances prior to that featured strikeouts of reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich of the Brewers in key situations, as well as strikeouts of Ryan Braun and Mike Moustakas.
“It’s fun going out and pitching against the best in the world,” he said. “I’ve been used in a lot of different situations this year. I mean, with the Nats it’s if we were losing by 15, I was in. Here I’ve opened, I’ve come in in blowouts, I’ve come in when we were blowing people out. I’ve come in a lot of situations. Pitching is pitching and I try to just keep it at that.”
After a career spent primarily in the Minors, he’s not taking anything for granted. But he does say the Mariners have got him on the right track with his delivery, which is helping him land his quality slider with regularity.
“I’ve worked a lot with Brian DeLunas on some mechanical adjustments,” he said. “I’m staying grounded in my hips, not really jumping off the mound. I fell into some bad habits, and he’s done a great job getting me out of those.
“It’s just a good streak right now, man. And I know how wishy-washy baseball is, and I’ve been on the other side of this. I’m just trying to stay even-keeled and know you’re going to have goods and you’re going to have bads. I just want to continue to put in the hard work, trust [the catchers] and just go out there and do good things.”
And keep on chewin’.