Stone Crabs' Honeywell blanks Yankees

Brent Honeywell had never been allowed to go more than seven innings as a professional. After he finished an eighth scoreless frame on Saturday, he figured his night was over.

"I came in the dugout and thought I was done," Honeywell said. "I went to give my catcher [Armando Araiza] a handshake … my [pitching] coach [Steve Watson] said, 'How do you feel?' I said, 'I feel good.' He was like, 'You're heading out for the ninth.' I was like, 'Let's do it.'"

The Rays' No. 5 prospect worked around a leadoff single and finished off his first career complete game, a four-hitter, as Class A Advanced Charlotte blanked Tampa, 3-0, at George M. Steinbrenner Field. 

The 20-year-old right-hander faced the minimum through five innings, thanks to a pair of pickoff plays that eliminated the Yankees' first two baserunners. Honeywell was pleased with his ability to freely utilize his unique secondary pitch.

"The screwball, it's a pitch in the arsenal," the 6-foot-2, 180-pound hurler said. "It just hasn't been the same as it was last year. I've been working with that a lot. I've been busting my ass. I haven't been having the year that I wanted. Now I've got some results to go with what I've been doing off the field.

"I've been really putting in work. ... I'm doing everything I have to to stay in this game as long as I possibly can."

A 2014 second-round pick, Honeywell admitted to struggling after a June 27 promotion from Class A Bowling Green. In his first four starts with the Stone Crabs, the Georgia native went 1-2 with a 6.97 ERA and 1.69 WHIP.

"I was not making good pitches my first two outings here," Honeywell said. "That's when I went to talk to my pitching coach about it. I was like, 'Look, I know I can pitch here.' He said, 'I know you can pitch here. You getting beat around like that, that's just going to teach you stuff. You're going to learn from that.'

"I went through two starts where I had nothing but a fastball; that's going to get hit anywhere. ... I told myself I had to have all my stuff. ... I had nothing but a heater, so it was like, 'You've really got to locate and just pray he doesn't swing at this.' I was almost in survival mode the first two outings."

Despite the inauspicious start to his stint in Charlotte, Honeywell improved in each appearance leading up to Saturday's shutout. After his previous start on July 12, he could sense he was making progress.

"I had a three-run game for six innings and I thought, for me, that's not good enough," he said. "But I saw lots of positive out of that and I ran with it. It turned into this start, so now I feel like I'm on track again."

The son of former Pirates Minor Leaguer Brent Honeywell also said that as well as he pitched against Tampa, he won't allow himself to dwell on his best outing in two months.

"I'll give myself a pat on the back tonight, but tomorrow's a new day," he said. "That's how this game is. You cant't get too high and you can't get too low. This game's over with.

"It wasn't just me tonight. Our hitters were there, we were swinging the stick all night. I had the defense behind me -- [third-ranked Rays prospect Willy] Adames made a few outstanding plays behind me. I had everyone behind me tonight, and that really helps."

In addition to his defensive prowess, Adames contributed a two-run double in the first.

Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery (3-4) yielded three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings, fanning three.