Generals' Payamps fans career-high 14

Joel Payamps had only approached double-digit strikeouts during his eight-year Minor League career. On Tuesday night, he blew right past that plateau en route to a career night.
The D-backs prospect struck out 14 and gave up two hits over 5 2/3 innings as Double-A Jackson blanked Birmingham, 3-0, at Regions Field. Payamps established a career best as well as a season high for the Generals, eclipsing the 12 punchoutsTaylor Widener posted on June 13.

Payamps (7-2) fanned the first six batters he faced but encountered trouble in the third. Bryant Flete reached on Payamps' miscue and Alex Call legged out an infield single. The right-hander snagged Jameson Fisher's popup bunt, but his throwing error allowed both runners to move into scoring position. He stranded them by striking out Joel Booker and No. 13 White Sox prospectLuis Alexander Basabe.
Jackson pitching coach Doug Drabek said he thought that may have been the turning point for Payamps.
"That was definitely a big chance for them to open that inning up, but what he did best there was he didn't get too caught up in the moment," Drabek said. "Those errors were both his, and sitting in the dugout, it looked like he kept himself together and made his pitches while not trying to overthrow to try and get guys out."
After fanning eighth-ranked Zack Collins to start the fourth, Payamps surrendered a single to Trey Michalczewski, who turned out to be the Barons' last baserunner against the 24-year-old, who punched out five of the next seven batters.
Gameday box score
All those strikeouts proved to be a blessing and a curse. Payamps needed 100 pitches to get through 5 2/3 frames as several batters battled, fouling off pitch after pitch, before going down. Basabe fouled off seven pitches, seeing 12 before Payamps fanned him for his final out.
"You've gotta give hitters some credit, too. He was making the pitches he wanted, but they were just fouling them off," Drabek said. "But he didn't get into a lot of counts where he had to battle back. He got ahead a lot, and at times when he tried to get that putaway pitch, they got fouled off."
Payamps started the campaign in the bullpen, a role with which he was unfamiliar. He was often throwing two or three innings as the D-backs organization tried to keep him in a position where he could start. The strategy paid off when the native of the Dominican Republic was promoted to Triple-A Reno for a spot start on June 3, when he gave up one hit in four scoreless innings. Payamps remained a starter when he returned to Jackson and is 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his new role. 
That cameo in Reno, followed by Payamps' recent success, may be laying the groundwork for a longer callup down the road, Drabek said.
"When he threw those four [innings], that was his longest stint of the year," the former Cy Young Award winner said. "Being able to do that, and then being able to do good once he got sent back down, that's always a possibility."

D-backs No. 27 prospectWei-Chieh Huang followed Payamps and picked up his first Double-A save after allowing two hits and striking out three over the final 3 1/3 frames.
The Generals got on the board in the first as Marty Herum plated Jamie Westbrook with an infield single. They gave Payamps some insurance an inning later on Westbrook's two-run single.
White Sox No. 5 prospect Alec Hansen fell to 0-3 in four starts. He gave up three runs on two hits and a career-high six walks with four strikeouts in four innings.