Staumont matches career high with 12 K's

Strikeouts are nothing new to Josh Staumont, who had fanned 251 in 182 2/3 Minor League innings coming into Monday's doubleheader opener.
Getting within one out of a complete game, however, was foreign territory.
Kansas City's No. 2 prospect tied his career high with 12 strikeouts in Triple-A Omaha's 2-1 victory over Oklahoma City. Staumont allowed one run on four hits with three walks, throwing a career-high 107 pitches over 6 2/3 innings.

Box score
Staumont started quickly, fanning the first two batters on eight total pitches before O'Koyea Dickson singled to left field, but Dodgers' third-ranked prospectAlex Verdugo grounded to second base.
Trayce Thompson reached on a throwing error by shortstop Raul Mondesi to lead off the second and Ike Davis walked before Staumont fanned the next two batters, although a wild pitch on the third strike to Bobby Wilson advanced the runners. After issuing a walk to Michael Ahmed, the right-hander got Charlie Culberson to fly to right to end the frame.
Dodgers No. 4 prospect Willie Calhoun hit a solo homer to right to lead off the third, but Staumont locked in from there and retired the next 10 hitters -- six via strikeout -- before walking Verdugo. Staumont then retired Thompson on a soft groundout before striking out Davis to end the inning. 

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound hurler entered the final inning having thrown 94 pitches, 11 short of the career high he set set July 6, 2016 with Class A Advanced Wilmington. After striking out Ahmed for the second out of the seventh in a 1-1 game, Storm Chasers manager Brian Poldberg brought in Al Alburquerque.
Alburquerque (2-0) earned the win when Paulo Orlando's bases-loaded single to center scored Billy Burns for the walk-off victory, leaving Staumont's record at 2-1.
Staumont's walk rate has improved alongside his strikeout totals. Kansas City's 2015 second-round pick issued free passes to 32 over 40 innings in the Rookie-level Arizona League and for Class A Short Season Idaho Falls in 2015, and 104 over 123 1/3 for Class A Advanced Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016. Through 26 frames this year, he's at 16 walks, cutting nearly two per nine innings off his career line entering the season.
He has walked more than three batters in only one of his five starts this season after issuing at least four in 13 starts last year.

"I've heard over and over little things like when you start to throw strikes, it's kind of like riding a bike," Staumont told MiLB.com recently. "You don't really forget. I hope to goodness that that's the case, but at the same time, it was definitely a work in progress."
Since allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks despite striking out five over 3 1/3 innings in his season debut April 8 against Colorado Springs, Staumont has been dominant. In four starts, he's gone 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 33-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 2/3 frames -- improving on his 251-to-149 career ratio coming into the season.
He's been particularly good at Werner Park, surrendering one run and striking out 24 against five walks over 12 2/3 innings.
"In Colorado [Springs], it wasn't an overall terrible outing from a process standpoint, but the outcome definitely wasn't what I wanted," said Staumont. "I think we just had to tweak a couple little things that got the ball rolling a little bit more in our direction."
Orlando drove in both of Omaha's runs.
The Storm Chasers completed the sweep with a 2-1 win in 11 innings on a walk-off homer to center field by Peter O'Brien. It was his third long ball of the season after hitting 29 between Triple-A Reno (24) and Arizona (five) in 2016.

Omaha starter Yender Càramo scattered two hits and fanned one in three innings. Bobby Parnell picked up his first win after allowing one hit in the final frame.