'The kid is strong': Adams flexes power with 1st career HR

MINNEAPOLIS -- Outfielder Jordyn Adams, who was once ranked among the Angels’ top prospects, is known for his blazing speed, but he showed off a bit of his power against the Twins on Wednesday night.

Adams hit his first career homer, a solo shot in the sixth inning of a 6-4 loss in the series finale at Target Field. It came in Adams’ 20th career game and in his 49th career plate appearance and was one of three solo homers hit by the Angels, as Taylor Ward led off the game with a blast and Nolan Schanuel went deep in the third inning. Adams’ homer came on a first-pitch fastball from flame-throwing reliever Jorge Alcala, as he connected on a 100.4 mph heater.

“It felt good,” Adams said. “I was going up to the plate looking for something hard and obviously I got it. And I just tried not to miss it. I was fouling them back my previous two at-bats and that was my main focus. Just get it in play.”

It wasn’t a cheap one, as it left the bat at a Statcast-projected 105.5 mph and went 419 feet into the bullpen in left-center field. He also added a single off hard-throwing closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth on an 0-2 fastball that registered 101.7 mph on the radar gun.

Manager Ron Washington liked what he saw from Adams and called it a glimpse of his potential. But he said Adams needs to continue to learn to play free and get more comfortable at the big league level.

“I watched him in BP, and that's the way he was swinging the bat,” Washington said. “So I guess that's what he has inside of him. The kid is strong, and I just hope he lets it come out and quits holding it in.”

Adams, 24, is looking to put himself on the radar heading into next year, as he should get plenty of opportunities down the stretch. Right fielder Jo Adell is out for the season with a strained oblique, while center fielder Bryce Teodosio is dealing with a minor fracture on his right middle finger that is expected to keep him out for a few days. Veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar is also out with a left thumb sprain and has yet to progress to baseball activities.

Adams, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, was called up Saturday with Pillar placed on the 10-day injured list after he hit .261/.333/.386 with 10 homers, 22 doubles, four triples, 28 stolen bases and 58 RBIs in 123 games with Triple-A Salt Lake. He also had a stint with the Angels last year, playing in 17 games in August and September and batting .128 (5-for-39) with no extra-base hits. But he’s been better recently, going 3-for-10 with two RBIs since his callup.

“I’m a lot more comfortable,” Adams said. “With the guys on the team and the coaches, it’s a different vibe. I can really feel it.”

Adams’ homer was his first extra-base hit in the Majors, and he believes power can be a part of his game in addition to his speed. But he’ll need to cut down on his strikeouts, as he struck out twice on Wednesday and has struck out in 40 percent of his career plate appearances. He also struck out in 27 percent of his plate appearances in Triple-A this year, with 148 strikeouts in 123 games.

“I really do [believe in my power], but I just have limit the strikeouts and missed contact,” Adams said. “I feel like if I just put it in play, then a lot more will start happening.”

Adams’ homer made it a one-run game for the Angels, but it wasn’t enough. Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz saw his streak of five straight quality starts come to an end, allowing four runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Reliever Brock Burke also gave up two runs in the seventh on a two-run double from Royce Lewis with two outs after a foul pop-up wasn’t caught to start the inning. Catcher Matt Thaiss had to make a sliding attempt after rookie third baseman Eric Wagaman, making his first MLB start at the position, didn’t get to it in time. It proved costly, with the Angels scoring a run in the ninth on an RBI single from Schanuel after Adams’ hit.

“We didn't catch a pop-up that would have gotten us out of that inning,” Washington said. “You never know what might have happened, but at least we'd have tied it. So those little bitty things we definitely have to correct.”