Honeywell gets back on track for Bulls

Brent Honeywell Jr. wants to be a Major League pitcher this season. And Tuesday's bounceback outing represented an important step.
Tampa Bay's No. 2 prospect gave up three hits and one walk while striking out nine over six innings Tuesday as Triple-A Durham blanked Charlotte, 1-0, before a club-record 11,897 fans at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Honeywell (8-7) had allowed 12 runs on 21 hits and 10 walks over 13 2/3 frames in his last three starts coming into the contest. The rough stretch caused his ERA to balloon to 4.91.
Gameday box score
The right-hander came out strong against the Knights. He struck out the side in order in the first inning en route to retiring the first nine batters in a row. Five of his whiffs came in the first three frames.
"Any day I go out in the first inning, I want to make a statement," Honeywell said. "I want to pound the strike zone and get guys out. I like striking out the side in the first. To me it says, 'Let's go.'"
MLB.com's No. 22 overall prospect worked around a single by top White Sox prospectYoán Moncada and a double by Tyler Saladino in the fourth. Charlotte produced baserunners in the next two innings on a single by Rymer Liriano in the fifth and a walk by Saladino in the sixth, but Honeywell prevented either from getting into scoring positoin. He wrapped up his outing by fanning the side again in the sixth.

The 22-year-old turned in his first scoreless start since June 14 while falling one strikeout shy of his highest single-game total at Triple-A.
"Nothing really drastic has changed," Honeywell said. "I've been working with Kyle Snyder, my pitching coach, and me and my catchers have been on the same page every start. I had a tough hand, man. I think that's it. I haven't really done anything different. It was refreshing to get back on track because I know that's how I throw the ball."
He moved into first place in the International League with 99 strikeouts, three more than Lucas Sims of Gwinnett in 10 2/3 fewer innings. In his first 17 starts this season between Durham and Double-A Montgomery, the Georgia native has registered 119 punchouts in 92 1/3 frames or 11.6 per nine innings. 
"Execution," Honeywell said. "When I get these guys, 0-2, 1-2, I'm not going to let these guys hang around. I've got too good of stuff and I know that. I can't let guys hang around like that.
"As a starting pitcher, I think that's just the way I'm wired. I like my strikeouts. I think my catchers know that too. … As soon as I can get ahead in the count, it's over with. That's the biggest thing me and Kyle Snyder have been getting back to, tearing up the strike zone early and finishing them off late."

With the big leagues a mere phone call away, Honeywell said he plans to focus on building more consistency after Tuesday's start.
"Like I told the guys tonight, I needed that one really good one to get back on track," the 2014 competitive-balance pick said. "I'm going to do my best to keep it going. This is the year I want to get to the big leagues. I'm tired of giving up runs and being bad.
"Right now, I'm within myself and I'm within the way I pitch and throw the baseball. I think I'm back on track."
Tampa Bay's fourth-ranked prospect Jake Bauers backed Honeywell offensively with his eighth homer of the year in the fourth.
Knights starter Reynaldo López (6-5), Chicago's fifth-ranked prospect, surrendered a run on five hits and a walk while striking out six over six frames.