Humphreys sets career high with 12 K's

Jordan Humphreys set a career high for strikeouts Monday in his roughest start of the year. That tells you all you need to know about his season so far.
The Mets right-hander struck out 12 batters and picked up his fourth win in as many outings this season, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks as the Class A Columbia Fireflies topped the Asheville Tourists, 3-2. It was the first time in 2017 he allowed more than four hits or one run in a game.

Box score
Facing off against Rockies No. 3 prospectRiley Pint, Humphreys (4-0) got into some trouble early on. He struck out Manuel Melendez before Jose Gomez tripled and scored the game's first run on a groundout to second. A strikeout of Joel Diaz ended the first frame.
Humphreys also battled the following inning. With one out, Taylor Snyder walked and advanced to third on a single by Willie Abreu, while Abreu was thrown out at second on the play. But the 2015 18th-round pick then gotJacob Bosiokovic to pop out to first.
The Fireflies took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second, the first on a throwing error by Pint and the second on Gene Cone's single to center.
Humphreys retired the next eight batters he faced -- five via strikeout -- before allowing a double to left by Bosiokovic and walking Max George. Melendez grounded out to second to end the fifth without further damage.
In the seventh, Abreu doubled and the 20-year-old struck out Bosiokovic and George. Left-hander Taylor Henry took over and gave up an RBI single to Melendez.

After allowing two runs with a 22-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 19 2/3 innings this year, Humphreys leads the South Atlantic League with 34 whiffs in 26 1/3 frames. He sports a 1.42 ERA and 0.71 WHIP and has yet to allow a home run in 2017, and his four wins have already topped his 2016 total of three.
The Fireflies had three hits on the night, all during their two-run second. Tim Tebow scored what turned out to be the decisive run after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth, reaching third on a throwing error by reliever Ty Culbreth and scoring on Reed Gamache's sacrifice fly.

Pint (0-3) racked up 65 pitches through three innings, which led to an early exit. He allowed two unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three.
Rockies No. 29 prospect Jose Gomez had a game-high three hits for the Tourists, all going for extra bases -- two doubles and a triple.