Mike Adams Sharp In Return To Action

Mike Adams returned to the Rangers’ bullpen in Monday night’s loss to Seattle and, reassuming his role as the team’s eighth inning specialist, looked sharp--standing out as a bright spot for Texas in a game that didn’t feature much of those.

Adams had missed the entire Astros series with a respiratory infection, but returned Monday night to dispatch of the bottom of the Mariners’ order without allowing a baserunner. He got John Jaso to pop out, before striking out Casper Wells and Brendan Ryan to end the eighth. After the game, Adams said he felt good on the mound, after recovering from the infection, which among other things, caused shortness of breath.

"It's good to not only get to get back out there but to get my confidence back and get it going again," Adams said, per ESPN Dallas.

Adams was in the midst of a somewhat rough stretch, before the infection hit. Between April 25 and his last appearance before the illness, on May 17, Adams’ ERA ballooned more than a run and a half--from 1.00 to 2.51. But the right-hander made some adjustments during the layoff, and on Monday it paid off.

"I slowed my body down a little bit and just focused on executing my pitch instead of trying to throw everything by people," he said.