Hi. My name is Josh, and I'm a baseball junkie. When I have a day off while the Thunder are on the road, I go to see the BlueClaws, or the Blue Rocks, or, on occasion, the Reading Phillies. Today was a BlueClaws day, and it was a special one.

I requested this stretch of days off months ago because I really wanted to see the Greenville Drive. I wanted see catcher Blake Swihart, infielders Garin Cecchini and David Renfroe, outfielders Keury De La Cruz and Henry Ramos, and if I got lucky enough, starters Matt Barnes and Henry Owens. 

Fortunately for me, the star(t)s aligned, and Barnes' number came up on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium, and Boston's first selection from the 2011 draft didn't disappoint. 

Barnes, a UConn product, showcased a fastball that routinely hit as high as 97 and 98. He had issues commanding his curveball and didn't throw many change-ups, but really, against a BlueClaws lineup stocked with a lot of very raw hitters, the heater was all he needed. 

He allowed his first pro run when he left with Gustavo Gonzalez on first and lefty reliever Hunter Cervenka allowed Gonzalez (as well as six more BlueClaws) to score before recording the final out of the fifth. Barnes allowed three hits (two to Gonzalez), walked none and struck out eight. 

Here are all eight of those strikeouts.