Snitker's choice of Adams pays off big in pinch

ATLANTA -- It was Christmas in July night at SunTrust Park and Braves manager Brian Snitker went into his gift bag of tricks by calling on a key member of the Braves' Adams Family.
With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Snitker was left to decide between Matt Adams and Lane Adams in a pinch-hit situation. He went with the latter, and Lane Adams delivered a three-run double to spark the Braves during an 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
"I thought it was a better matchup than Matt Adams against a lefty," Snitker said. "Lane goes up there and he gives you good hacks. He is a big, strong guy and he is capable of running into one, and he did."

Snitker knew the D-backs would counter with a lefty if he used Matt Adams, who has hit just .205 against southpaws this year and .209 in his career. Lane Adams rewarded the skipper's decision, becoming the first Braves pinch-hitter since Brian McCann in 2010 to drive in three runs during a bases-loaded pinch-hit at-bat. According to Statcast™, his double had an exit velocity of 105.1 mph.
"Anytime you can help with a big moment and come through for your team to get the lead is big," Lane Adams said. "It is going to help us go forward as we won the series and hopefully we can take another one [Sunday]."
Lane Adams has been a solid pinch-hitter since his June 7 promotion from Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .241 (7-for-29) with eight RBIs. He also made history by collecting his first Major League hit and home run in a pinch-hitting role this season.
Adams said he has been working with Braves hitting coaches Kevin Seitzer and Jose Castro to be more aggressive in the role.
"It is all kind of new to me as I am getting comfortable in every at-bat that I get," he added. "I am being aggressive early as I don't want to fall behind in the count with these bullpen arms in today's game. They all throw pretty hard and you want to be ready to go when you step in the box."
The double was one of three for the Braves in the game. They now have multiple extra-base hits in 11 consecutive games, including 34 doubles.
"It was big and against a team like [the D-backs] they always are," Snitker said. "We got some big hits off the bench tonight and it made a huge difference in this game."