THE FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland enters the series with a 2-2 record in second half after splitting a four-game series at Sarasota to start the second half. Overall, Lakeland is 31-18 on the season having gone 4-3 its last seven games. L.J. Gagnier leads the FSL with 77 strikeouts. Lakeland is ninth in the FSL with a .245 average and is 11th in runs scored. The Flying Tigers are also third in the FSL with a .974 fielding percentage thanks in part to Justin Henry who leads all league second baseman with a .991 mark and just two errors in 211 total chances.
FT. MYERS ... The Miracle, the league’s top hitting team with a .268 average and second best staff with a 3.04 ERA, are 1-3 after dropping three of four games at home to Daytona including the last three straight. Overall, Ft. Myers, the first-half South Division winner, is 44-29 on the season. Chris Parmelee, who is third in the FSL with 42 RBI, is 7x11 (.634) with seven RBI his last four games. David Bromberg has 39 strikeouts his last five starts, yet is only 1-0 in those games with the one win coming back on May 30. He is seventh in the FSL with a 2.66 ERA to go with his perfect 5-0 record. Ben Revere is third in the FSL with a .321 average and fourth with 28 stolen bases.
THE SERIES ... The Miracle took two of three games in Ft. Myers on June 9 and 10 with the first game of the series getting rained out. Ft. Myers came back the next night to sweep a doubleheader shutting out Lakeland 4-0 in the first game that Flying Tigers’ commander Andy Barkett watched from the clubhouse having been ejected in the first inning. Game two went 5-4 in favor of the home team while Lakeland flipped the score the next night, winning 5-4 with Michael Bertram and Jordan Newton hitting home runs. That game sparked a four-game win streak by Lakeland, their longest of the season.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
June 29 - Charlie Furbursh is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA in his last eight starts. In six of those eight starts he allowed two or fewer runs. His last win came back on June 12. In his last start, he worked 5.2 innings on June 24 in the opening game of a doubleheader against Daytona, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
June 30 - L.J. Gagnier is 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts. He is coming off a 13 strikeout performance in a complete game loss at Sarasota on June 25. He walked just one that game holding Sarasota to five hits over his 8.0 innings pitched. Gagnier has struck out 41 batters his last five games.
July 1 - Andrew Hess is 1-3 in his last five starts with a 4.66 ERA. He is coming off his best outing of the season working 7.0 scoreless innings on June 26 at Sarasota holding the Reds to six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. It was his first start since working 2.0 scoreless innings in the FSL All-Star game on June 20.
July 2 - Mauricio Robles is 1-1 since joining Lakeland on June 21. He was lit up his first game, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in just 2.2 innings pitched. He rebounded with a 10 strikeout game on June 27 at Sarasota, picking up the win despite allowing four earned runs in 6.0 innings.
FINALLY, A ROAD BOMB ... Chris Carlson hit his team-leading ninth homer of the season on Sunday, marking his first round-tripper hit away from spacious Marchant Stadium this season. He now as 40 for his minor league career and needs one more this season to reach double digits in each of his four minor league seasons.
THREE IN A ROW ... Chris Carlson’s home run on Sunday marked the third straight game in which the Flying Tigers have homered and is their fifth homer in the last three games.
SB OR HR, NOT BOTH ... Lakeland has not hit a home run and stolen a base in the same game since June 22 and accomplished that feat just twice since June 14.
SWING AND A MISS - A BUNCH ... Lakeland starting pitchers combined to record 29 strikeouts in the four games at Sarasota while the bullpen chipped in nine more K’s as the staff recorded 38 whiffs in four games. Both parts came together on June 27 as newcomer Mauricio Robles recorded 10 K in 6.0 innings while Robbie Weinhardt (4) and Scott Green (2) helped Lakeland register 16 strikeouts in the game, the most in a nine-inning game for Lakeland since April 15, 2003 when Fernando Rodney mowed down 12 batters as Lakeland posted 16 K’s that evening. Last season, the Flying Tigers recorded 16 strikeouts in their 20-inning affair with Daytona on June 20 with the Cubs posted 19 strikeouts themselves.
SETTING THE TONE ... L.J. Gagnier set the tone for the strikeout performances by Lakeland by KO’ing 13 batters in complete game outing on June 25 working 8.0 innings in the Flying Tigers’ 1-0 loss to Sarasota. It was the most strikeouts by any one Lakeland pitcher this season and is his second double-digit strikeout game this season.
FLYING HIGH ... Justin Henry is 19x58 (.328) since June 10 ... Devin Thomas has a seven-game hit streak going and is 12x27 (.444) during that time with six runs batted in
NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Maiko Loyola made his Lakeland debut on June 27. Loyola stole 45 bases at Columbus (Tampa Bay A) last season and was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star squad. He was also named to the 2007 New York-Penn League All-Star game. He started the 2009 season playing for Lynchburg (Pittsburgh A) of the Carolina League ... Keith Hernandez joins Lakeland after playing four games at West Michigan, one game with the GCL Tigers and one game at Toledo this season .. Jared Gayhart was a 13th round pick of Detroit in 2008 out of Rice University and joins Lakeland from West Michigan where he was 5-3 with three saves and a 1.97 ERA.
CLOSE ONES ... The Flying Tiger’s 1-0 loss on June 25 at Sarasota was their 21st game this season decided by one-run with Lakeland posting an 8-13 record in those games.
ROUGH START TO THE WEEK ... Lakeland is a combined 6-11 on Mondays and Tuesdays and 5-5 in Wednesdays. The Flying Tigers have their best record of the week on Thursdays with a 9-5 mark.
CLOSING ON 100 WINS … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 98-108 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mission Notes vs. Sarasota (June 25-28)
FLYING TIGERS … Lakeland concluded the second half with a 29-36 record following a five-game set in three days against Daytona. Lakeland finished in a tie for last place, 11.5 games behind division-winning Brevard County. Last season, the Flying Tigers finished the first stanza of the season with a 32-36 record. Lakeland went 3-7 to close the first half and dropped 12 of their last 19 games.
SARASOTA … The Reds also finished last in their Division, completing the first half with a 28-40 record, 14.5 games behind Division-winner Fort Myers. Yonder Alonso is 10th in the FSL with a .302 average. Sarasota has the lowest batting average (.238) and highest ERA (4.06) in the league.
THE END THAT WASN’T … The end of the second game of the doubleheader on Wednesday ended in an unique way to say the least. With Lakeland ahead by two and Jake Opitz on first with two outs in the top of the 7th, Brendan Wise was brought to to try and preserve a 6-4 win. The first batter he faced, Brandon Guyer, laced a single to center field to put runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Starlin Castro hit another single to center. Opitz scored and Guyer raced around to score what appeared to be the tying run. However, Lakeland alertly appealed that Guyer missed third base. The plate umpire agreed and called the runner out for the final out.
HAVE A DAY … Devin Thomas had a doubleheader to remember on Wednesday collecting fibe hits in his combined seven at bats as Lakeland split the two games.
WORK-LIKE … Josh Workman didn’t collect his first hit until his fourth game at Lakeland and has now hit in each of his last four games including two hits in each of the last three for a 6-for-9 steak.
CALL TO ARMS … Five games in three days cut deep into the Lakeland pitching staff as all put two available pitchers were used in the last three days. Only Andrew Hess, who had pitched Saturday in the FSL All-Star game, and L.J. Gagnier did not see action in the Cubs’ series.
BATS ARISE … Lakeland batters combined to post a .314 batting average in the final six games of the first half.
W IS FOR MORE THAN WINNING … Robbie Weinhardt has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings over eight appearances including a season-high 4.0 innings on June 23 against Daytona. Brendan Wise has picked up saves in each of last two appearances.
CLOSE CALLS … Each of the last four games for Lakeland have been decided by one run. On the season, Lakeland has been involved in 20 games and has an 8-12 record in those games.
FSL LEADERS … Thad Weber, since promoted to AA Erie, ranks third in the FSL with a 2.13 ERA while Justin Henry leads the league’s second baseman with a .990 fielding percentage.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE … The Flying Tigers have doubled in 13 straight games and 20 of their last 21 games including a season-tying high of five doubles on June 18 at Charlotte.
STEP RIGHT UP … Michael Bertram is second on the team lead with seven home runs. Each of his seven have come against righthanded pitchers. Meanwhile Chris Carlson, who leads the team with eight dingers, is not too particular, having hit four homers off righties and four off lefties.
FLYING HIGH … Shortstop Audy Ciriaco is 10-for-21 (.476) his last six games … Justin Henry has hit safely in each of his last six games and 11 of his last 12 games … Jordan Newton went 4-for-7 with three doubles and two RBI the last two games.
OMEN AHEAD … It may be a good thing the second half is opening on a Thursday for Lakeland as the club has their best record on that day winning nine of the 13 games played on the fifth day of the week. However, Fridays are the team’s worst day, going 2-7 to kick off the weekend.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 96-106 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
SARASOTA … The Reds also finished last in their Division, completing the first half with a 28-40 record, 14.5 games behind Division-winner Fort Myers. Yonder Alonso is 10th in the FSL with a .302 average. Sarasota has the lowest batting average (.238) and highest ERA (4.06) in the league.
THE END THAT WASN’T … The end of the second game of the doubleheader on Wednesday ended in an unique way to say the least. With Lakeland ahead by two and Jake Opitz on first with two outs in the top of the 7th, Brendan Wise was brought to to try and preserve a 6-4 win. The first batter he faced, Brandon Guyer, laced a single to center field to put runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Starlin Castro hit another single to center. Opitz scored and Guyer raced around to score what appeared to be the tying run. However, Lakeland alertly appealed that Guyer missed third base. The plate umpire agreed and called the runner out for the final out.
HAVE A DAY … Devin Thomas had a doubleheader to remember on Wednesday collecting fibe hits in his combined seven at bats as Lakeland split the two games.
WORK-LIKE … Josh Workman didn’t collect his first hit until his fourth game at Lakeland and has now hit in each of his last four games including two hits in each of the last three for a 6-for-9 steak.
CALL TO ARMS … Five games in three days cut deep into the Lakeland pitching staff as all put two available pitchers were used in the last three days. Only Andrew Hess, who had pitched Saturday in the FSL All-Star game, and L.J. Gagnier did not see action in the Cubs’ series.
BATS ARISE … Lakeland batters combined to post a .314 batting average in the final six games of the first half.
W IS FOR MORE THAN WINNING … Robbie Weinhardt has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings over eight appearances including a season-high 4.0 innings on June 23 against Daytona. Brendan Wise has picked up saves in each of last two appearances.
CLOSE CALLS … Each of the last four games for Lakeland have been decided by one run. On the season, Lakeland has been involved in 20 games and has an 8-12 record in those games.
FSL LEADERS … Thad Weber, since promoted to AA Erie, ranks third in the FSL with a 2.13 ERA while Justin Henry leads the league’s second baseman with a .990 fielding percentage.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE … The Flying Tigers have doubled in 13 straight games and 20 of their last 21 games including a season-tying high of five doubles on June 18 at Charlotte.
STEP RIGHT UP … Michael Bertram is second on the team lead with seven home runs. Each of his seven have come against righthanded pitchers. Meanwhile Chris Carlson, who leads the team with eight dingers, is not too particular, having hit four homers off righties and four off lefties.
FLYING HIGH … Shortstop Audy Ciriaco is 10-for-21 (.476) his last six games … Justin Henry has hit safely in each of his last six games and 11 of his last 12 games … Jordan Newton went 4-for-7 with three doubles and two RBI the last two games.
OMEN AHEAD … It may be a good thing the second half is opening on a Thursday for Lakeland as the club has their best record on that day winning nine of the 13 games played on the fifth day of the week. However, Fridays are the team’s worst day, going 2-7 to kick off the weekend.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 96-106 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (June 22-24)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... The Flying Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-2 win at Charlotte on June 18, their last game before the All-Star break. The win puts Lakeland at 27-33 on the season with five games left in the first half. The Flying Tigers are batting .242 as a team with a 3.58 team ERA and a .972 team fielding percentage. Lakeland is 24-1 when leading after seven innings and 1-32 when trailing after seven innings. The Flying Tigers are 17-5 when scoring the first runs of the game and 6-10 in 1-run games.
THE CUBS ... Daytona is 31-31 on the season and in second place in the North Division 9.5 games behind Brevard County. The Cubs are hitting .248 as a team with a 3.35 team ERA. Catcher Chirinos Robinson, a converted second baseman, is third in the FSL with 10 homers.
THE SERIES ... These two clubs have met six times this season with each winning two of three on their own home field. Their last series, May 22-24, was rained out in Daytona.
FIVE IN THREE ... Thanks to the rainouts in Daytona, the Cubs and the Flying Tigers will play doubleheaders at 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday with Camp Day game Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
START ALL OVER AGAIN .... The first half of the 2009 season comes to a close for Lakeland with Wednesday’s doubleheader as the second half begins June 25.
STAR OF STARS ... Daytona Cubs’ shortstop Starlin Castro hit an inside-the-park home run to highlight a 6-run fourth inning as the North Squad posted a 6-4 win over the South in the FSL All-Star game on Saturday. Castro finished 4-for-4 to pick up the “Star of Stars” honor as the game’s Most Valuable Player. Castro was one of three All-Stars from Daytona joining Robinson Chirinos and Ryan Searle.
WEBER WITH THE WIN, HESS WITH THE STOP .... Lakeland’s Thad Weber tossed one scoreless inning in the third frame as the North Squad downed the South Squad, 6-4, in the FSL All-Star game Saturday at Ft. Myers. Weber gave up one hit in his scoreless outing. The North scored all six of their runs in the top of the fourth while the South notched each of their four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Flying Tiger pitcher Andrew Hess came on in relief in the fifth to shutdown the South rally and worked the fifth and sixth innings allowing no runs on one hit.
GRAND OL’ TIME ... As noted before the Flying Tigers’ Audy Ciriaco has hit two grand slams this season. Cubs’ catcher Robinson Chirinos tops that with two grand slams on May 31 against Sarasota. The next day he followed with two more homers.
K-VILLE ... Lakeland batters struck out 44 times in the four-game series at Charlotte. Ironically, their worst game at the plate (17 strikeouts) came in the same game they won, 7-2.
THE BER-TRAM ROLLS .... Michael Bertram has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, batting .379 (22x58) with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 13 RBI. He brings a seven-game hit streak into tonight’s game (.400, 10x25). All seven of his homers have come off righthanders.
CARLSON A’ ROLLIN ALONG ... Chris Carlson is hitting .328 (21x64) with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and four RBI over his last 19 games. He is 6x18 (.333) his last five games and is tied for the team lead with seven homers - all at home.
SERIOUSLY CIRIACO ... Audy Ciriaco is 10x33 (.303) his last nine games. Each of his 10 walks have come vs. righthanders.
UP AND DOWN CHARLIE ... Charlie Furbush is a roller-coaster ride his last four games, giving up 1-6-1-4 runs in the four games. He has eight strikeouts and seven walks his last four games.
GONE-YAY WITH THE WIND ... L.J. Gagnier has won each of his last two starts and has brought his ERA down almost a full point (4.99 to 4.00) in his last six games dating back to May 17.
JUST IN CASE ... Justin Henry is 10x34 (.294) his last eight games. He is hitting 85 points better on the road than at home (.206 at home against .291 on the road). He leads all FSL second baseman with a .990 fielding percentage with just two errors on the season.
NO FRETT, BRETT’S HERE ... Brett Jacobson has compiled a 0.75 ERA (12.0IP/1ER) over his last seven outings with eight strikeouts as well.
GLAD TO BE BACK AT HOME ... Kody Kaiser has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and is hitting over 100 points better at home (.308 at home, .197 in road games). All five homers of his have come at home.
NO JUNE SWOON ... Lester Oliveros has compiled a 1.00 (9.0 IP, 1 ER) over his five appearances in the month of June.
DON’T BE SAD, HERE’S THAD ... Thad Weber is fifth in the Florida State League with a 2.13 ERA and has 14 strikeouts and just three walks his last 27.2 innings pitched.
HAVE A HEART ... Robbie Weinhardt has a 0.59 ERA (15.1 IP, 1 ER) in his last 11 outings dating back to May 9. He has been scored upon in just two of his 20 appearances this season.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season and enters this series with an 94-103 record in Lakeland (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager with Detroit, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record League in 2007.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
THE CUBS ... Daytona is 31-31 on the season and in second place in the North Division 9.5 games behind Brevard County. The Cubs are hitting .248 as a team with a 3.35 team ERA. Catcher Chirinos Robinson, a converted second baseman, is third in the FSL with 10 homers.
THE SERIES ... These two clubs have met six times this season with each winning two of three on their own home field. Their last series, May 22-24, was rained out in Daytona.
FIVE IN THREE ... Thanks to the rainouts in Daytona, the Cubs and the Flying Tigers will play doubleheaders at 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday with Camp Day game Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
START ALL OVER AGAIN .... The first half of the 2009 season comes to a close for Lakeland with Wednesday’s doubleheader as the second half begins June 25.
STAR OF STARS ... Daytona Cubs’ shortstop Starlin Castro hit an inside-the-park home run to highlight a 6-run fourth inning as the North Squad posted a 6-4 win over the South in the FSL All-Star game on Saturday. Castro finished 4-for-4 to pick up the “Star of Stars” honor as the game’s Most Valuable Player. Castro was one of three All-Stars from Daytona joining Robinson Chirinos and Ryan Searle.
WEBER WITH THE WIN, HESS WITH THE STOP .... Lakeland’s Thad Weber tossed one scoreless inning in the third frame as the North Squad downed the South Squad, 6-4, in the FSL All-Star game Saturday at Ft. Myers. Weber gave up one hit in his scoreless outing. The North scored all six of their runs in the top of the fourth while the South notched each of their four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Flying Tiger pitcher Andrew Hess came on in relief in the fifth to shutdown the South rally and worked the fifth and sixth innings allowing no runs on one hit.
GRAND OL’ TIME ... As noted before the Flying Tigers’ Audy Ciriaco has hit two grand slams this season. Cubs’ catcher Robinson Chirinos tops that with two grand slams on May 31 against Sarasota. The next day he followed with two more homers.
K-VILLE ... Lakeland batters struck out 44 times in the four-game series at Charlotte. Ironically, their worst game at the plate (17 strikeouts) came in the same game they won, 7-2.
THE BER-TRAM ROLLS .... Michael Bertram has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, batting .379 (22x58) with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 13 RBI. He brings a seven-game hit streak into tonight’s game (.400, 10x25). All seven of his homers have come off righthanders.
CARLSON A’ ROLLIN ALONG ... Chris Carlson is hitting .328 (21x64) with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and four RBI over his last 19 games. He is 6x18 (.333) his last five games and is tied for the team lead with seven homers - all at home.
SERIOUSLY CIRIACO ... Audy Ciriaco is 10x33 (.303) his last nine games. Each of his 10 walks have come vs. righthanders.
UP AND DOWN CHARLIE ... Charlie Furbush is a roller-coaster ride his last four games, giving up 1-6-1-4 runs in the four games. He has eight strikeouts and seven walks his last four games.
GONE-YAY WITH THE WIND ... L.J. Gagnier has won each of his last two starts and has brought his ERA down almost a full point (4.99 to 4.00) in his last six games dating back to May 17.
JUST IN CASE ... Justin Henry is 10x34 (.294) his last eight games. He is hitting 85 points better on the road than at home (.206 at home against .291 on the road). He leads all FSL second baseman with a .990 fielding percentage with just two errors on the season.
NO FRETT, BRETT’S HERE ... Brett Jacobson has compiled a 0.75 ERA (12.0IP/1ER) over his last seven outings with eight strikeouts as well.
GLAD TO BE BACK AT HOME ... Kody Kaiser has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and is hitting over 100 points better at home (.308 at home, .197 in road games). All five homers of his have come at home.
NO JUNE SWOON ... Lester Oliveros has compiled a 1.00 (9.0 IP, 1 ER) over his five appearances in the month of June.
DON’T BE SAD, HERE’S THAD ... Thad Weber is fifth in the Florida State League with a 2.13 ERA and has 14 strikeouts and just three walks his last 27.2 innings pitched.
HAVE A HEART ... Robbie Weinhardt has a 0.59 ERA (15.1 IP, 1 ER) in his last 11 outings dating back to May 9. He has been scored upon in just two of his 20 appearances this season.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season and enters this series with an 94-103 record in Lakeland (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager with Detroit, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record League in 2007.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (June 16-19)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... An 11-7 loss to Sarasota on Sunday snapped a four-game win streak by Lakeland and dropped its record to 26-30. The Flying Tigers batted .306 for the four-game series with 9 doubles, 2 triples and 6 home runs. The four-game win streak was Lakeland’s longest of the season.
THE STONE CRABS ... The Florida State League’s newest club, the Stone Crabs are an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Owned by the Ripken Group (headed by Cal Ripken), the Stone Crabs are in second place in the South Division.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs.
LAKELAND PROBABLES ...
POWER SURGE ... With a Michael Bertram homer on Sunday, Lakeland has now hit eight homers in their last four games. Bertram’s round-tripper was his third in as many games for Lakeland and gives him six on the season, one behind team leader Chris Carlson who has hit each of his seven homers in Lakeland.
BANGIN’ BERTRAM ... Speaking of Michael Bertram, the Flying Tiger infielder has hits in 12 of his last 14 games and has hit .340 over that time with 10 RBI. As mentioned above, he has homered in three consecutive games.
FLYING HIGH ... Audy Ciriaco and Jordan Newton are both 5x15 (.333) in their last four games ... Santo De Leon has hits in 9 of his last 10 games and is 5x11 (.455) his last three games ... Justin Henry is 6x18 (.333) his last four games ... Jeramy Laster enters the series with a six-game hit streak in which he is 7x23 (.304) ... Devin Thomas is 6x18 (.333) has last four games.
CAN THEY ALL BE HOME GAMES? ... Chris Carlson has seven homers this season - all coming at Joker Marchant Stadium. He has drive in 10 of his 12 runs in home games as well ... Audy Ciriaco has hit each of his five homers at home including a pair of grand slams which has helped him amass 22 RBI at home versus driving in five runs on the road ... Kody Kaiser also has five homers at Joker Marchant and none on the road with 16 RBI at home and five on the road ... Pitcher L.J. Gagnier is 3-0 at home and 1-4 on the road.
EITHER PLACE IS FINE ... Both Jeramy Laster and Jordan Newton have hit two homers at home and two on the road ... pitcher Thad Weber has a 3-2 record at home, but a 2.51 ERA. On the road he is 1-1, but has a 1.53 ERA.
THREE TIMES THE FUN ... Lakeland posted a 9-1 over Sarasota on June 12 thanks in part to a five-run third as Jordan Newton, Michael Bertram and Jeramy Laster each homered in the inning. It marked the first time since June 18, 2007 when Cameron Maybin, Will Rhymes and Wilkin Ramirez each went deep in the 6th inning providing all offense in a 3-2 win over Dunedin.
NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Two new players joined the Flying Tigers for the Sarasota series. Devin Thomas was activated off the reserve list while Joshua Workman joined the club from extended spring. To make room on the roster, Kyle Peter was placed on the DL while Mike Gosse was sent to West Michigan.
WRAPS UP THE SOUTH ... With the Charlotte series, Lakeland has now faced all of the league’s 11 other teams. The Flying Tigers are 9-11 against the South and 17-19 within their own division.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season and enters this series with an 92-91 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager with Detroit, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record League in 2007.
FORMER FLYING TIGER PITCHER AT THE PLATE ... Rick Porcello, a member of the 2008 Flying Tigers, drove in a pair of runs with a pair of hits while picking up a win for Detroit on Friday the 12th. He became the first Tiger pitcher with multiple RBIs since Joe Coleman (Porcello’s pitching coach at Lakeland) plated three runs at Boston on Sept. 21, 1972.
IT’S ALL RELATIVE ... The Detroit Tigers dipped into the family gene pool with a few of the recent draft picks. With their 14th pick, the Tigers tabbed West Michigan University’s Kevan Hess, brother of current Flying Tiger Andrew Hess while the 18th pick was used on Michigan State’s Eric Roof, brother of former Lakeland Flying Tiger Shawn Roof. With their 48th pick, Detroit picked up Jake Porcello out of Seton Hall Prep. Jake’s older brother is Rick Porcello, former Lakelander, now with the big club.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
FLYING TIGER SHORT HOP ... While most players come through Lakeland for one season or less, Ralph Truell played parts of six different seasons in Lakeland (1974-75-76-77-81-82). Truell compiled a 22-20 record over his six seasons with 432.0 innings pitched in his 81 career outings.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
THE STONE CRABS ... The Florida State League’s newest club, the Stone Crabs are an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Owned by the Ripken Group (headed by Cal Ripken), the Stone Crabs are in second place in the South Division.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs.
LAKELAND PROBABLES ...
- June 16 - Andrew Hess is 0-2 in his last 3 starts surrendering 4 earned runs in each start. He had his longest stint on June 4 going 6.2 innings in a 4-2 loss in the first game of a DH at St. Lucie.
- June 17 - Thad Weber tossed the Flying Tigers’ first nine-inning complete game of the season in his last start on June 11 against Sarasota. He blanked the Reds over the first eight innings in a 5-1 victory. It was his first win since May 4.
- June 18 - Charlie Furbush picked up a win in his last start on June 12 against Sarasota, scattering six hits in a 9-1 Lakeland win. Prior to that, he was 0-2 in his last five starts.
- June 19 - L.J. Gagnier worked seven innings and allowed one run on five hits while striking out nine and walked one on June 13 against Sarasota in 7-1 victory. He is 3-2 in his last six starts.
POWER SURGE ... With a Michael Bertram homer on Sunday, Lakeland has now hit eight homers in their last four games. Bertram’s round-tripper was his third in as many games for Lakeland and gives him six on the season, one behind team leader Chris Carlson who has hit each of his seven homers in Lakeland.
BANGIN’ BERTRAM ... Speaking of Michael Bertram, the Flying Tiger infielder has hits in 12 of his last 14 games and has hit .340 over that time with 10 RBI. As mentioned above, he has homered in three consecutive games.
FLYING HIGH ... Audy Ciriaco and Jordan Newton are both 5x15 (.333) in their last four games ... Santo De Leon has hits in 9 of his last 10 games and is 5x11 (.455) his last three games ... Justin Henry is 6x18 (.333) his last four games ... Jeramy Laster enters the series with a six-game hit streak in which he is 7x23 (.304) ... Devin Thomas is 6x18 (.333) has last four games.
CAN THEY ALL BE HOME GAMES? ... Chris Carlson has seven homers this season - all coming at Joker Marchant Stadium. He has drive in 10 of his 12 runs in home games as well ... Audy Ciriaco has hit each of his five homers at home including a pair of grand slams which has helped him amass 22 RBI at home versus driving in five runs on the road ... Kody Kaiser also has five homers at Joker Marchant and none on the road with 16 RBI at home and five on the road ... Pitcher L.J. Gagnier is 3-0 at home and 1-4 on the road.
EITHER PLACE IS FINE ... Both Jeramy Laster and Jordan Newton have hit two homers at home and two on the road ... pitcher Thad Weber has a 3-2 record at home, but a 2.51 ERA. On the road he is 1-1, but has a 1.53 ERA.
THREE TIMES THE FUN ... Lakeland posted a 9-1 over Sarasota on June 12 thanks in part to a five-run third as Jordan Newton, Michael Bertram and Jeramy Laster each homered in the inning. It marked the first time since June 18, 2007 when Cameron Maybin, Will Rhymes and Wilkin Ramirez each went deep in the 6th inning providing all offense in a 3-2 win over Dunedin.
NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Two new players joined the Flying Tigers for the Sarasota series. Devin Thomas was activated off the reserve list while Joshua Workman joined the club from extended spring. To make room on the roster, Kyle Peter was placed on the DL while Mike Gosse was sent to West Michigan.
WRAPS UP THE SOUTH ... With the Charlotte series, Lakeland has now faced all of the league’s 11 other teams. The Flying Tigers are 9-11 against the South and 17-19 within their own division.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season and enters this series with an 92-91 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager with Detroit, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record League in 2007.
FORMER FLYING TIGER PITCHER AT THE PLATE ... Rick Porcello, a member of the 2008 Flying Tigers, drove in a pair of runs with a pair of hits while picking up a win for Detroit on Friday the 12th. He became the first Tiger pitcher with multiple RBIs since Joe Coleman (Porcello’s pitching coach at Lakeland) plated three runs at Boston on Sept. 21, 1972.
IT’S ALL RELATIVE ... The Detroit Tigers dipped into the family gene pool with a few of the recent draft picks. With their 14th pick, the Tigers tabbed West Michigan University’s Kevan Hess, brother of current Flying Tiger Andrew Hess while the 18th pick was used on Michigan State’s Eric Roof, brother of former Lakeland Flying Tiger Shawn Roof. With their 48th pick, Detroit picked up Jake Porcello out of Seton Hall Prep. Jake’s older brother is Rick Porcello, former Lakelander, now with the big club.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
FLYING TIGER SHORT HOP ... While most players come through Lakeland for one season or less, Ralph Truell played parts of six different seasons in Lakeland (1974-75-76-77-81-82). Truell compiled a 22-20 record over his six seasons with 432.0 innings pitched in his 81 career outings.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Mission Notes vs. Sarasota (June 11-14)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... With the 5-4 win Wednesday at Ft. Myers, Lakeland snapped a five-game losing streak and now stands at 23-29 on the season. The Flying Tigers are in a last place tie in the North Division with Dunedin which is .004 percentage points ahead of Lakeland. The Flying Tigers are now 6-10 against the South Division and will look to improve against Sarasota, another non-division series.
THE REDS ... Like Lakeland, Sarasota finds itself on the bottom looking up with a last place record of 23-24. And, like the Flying Tigers, the Reds have company in the cellar as they are tied with Palm Beach. Sarasota lost 7-3 to Tampa on Wednesday and is 3-7 in its last 10 games.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, with both squads competing in the East Division, the Reds won 10 of the 18 match-ups.
WELCOME BACK BATS ... The Flying Tigers amassed 11 base hits in their game on Wednesday including two triples and a pair of home runs. It marked their first double-digit total in hits since totalling 10 base knocks on May 30 at Palm Beach. The two triples by Chris White and Kody Kaiser gave the Flying Tigers their first double-triple game of the season. Jordan Newton and Michael Bertram joined the extra-base parade with solo home runs. Bertram’s blast, his 4th of the season, proved to be the game winner.
EMPTY SACKERS ... The solo homers by Jordan Newton and Michael Bertram on Wednesday are nothing new for Lakeland. Of the Flying Tigers’ 27 homers this season, 17 of them have come with nobody on base including all six homers by Kody Kaiser.
NO FREE PASSES ... It was a good thing the Lakeland bats were alive on Wednesday as the Miracle pitchers had perfect control and did not walk a single Lakeland batter. It was the fifth time this season that the Flying Tigers could not draw a base on balls.
CLOSE ONES ... Three of the four games are Ft. Myers were decided by one-run. Lakeland has been involved in 17 one-run games this season with a 6-9 record in those contests.
FLYING HIGH ... Chris Carlson has 15 hits in his last 42 at bats for a .357 mark and has hits in 11 of his last 13 games played ... Santo De Leon is 6-for-20 (.300) over his last seven games ... Chris White is 7-for-24 (.292) his last seven games and has hits in 10 of his last 13 games.
TUCK AND ROLL ... Lakeland’s newest member is Joe Tucker who rejoins Lakeland after a stint at AA Erie where he was hitting .239. He began the 2009 season at Lakeland.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 89-96 record (67-70 in year one). In his first year with the organization, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
HE’S OUTTA HERE ... Andy Barkett was ejected in the 1st inning of game two of the Ft. Myers doubleheader on June 9, his second time in the span of ten games, having been tossed on May 31 at Palm Beach. Prior to the May 31 game, Barkett had gone 70 games without getting an early exit. The Flying Tigers’ Commander has not been tossed at home since May 29 of last season – a streak of 96 home games.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
ACES FULL ... The Flying Tigers pitching staff features three of the top ten pitchers (in terms of ERA) in the Detroit organization. Thad Weber leads the organization with a 2.44 ERA while Matt Hoffman has compiled the second best ERA of 2.49 in his combined West Michigan and Lakeland stints. Andrew Hess is 8th with a 3.81 ERA. Hoffman also leads all Detroit minor league pitchers with seven wins while Scott Green is third with six saves and L.J. Gagnier is fourth with 52 strikeouts. The staff ERA of 3.62 is second best among the four minor league affiliates for Detroit.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW ... With the Major League Draft concluding today, let’s take a look back are when the top ten Tiger picks in last year’s draft are today.
1. Ryan Perry - Detroit (0-1, 3.13)
2. Cody Satterwhite - Erie (1-4, 3.65, 7 SV)
3. Scott Green - Lakeland (3-1, 3.92, 6 SV)
4. Brett Jacobson - Lakeland (1-1, 3.86, 1 SV)
5. Alex Avila - Erie (.295 - 5 - 26)
6. Tyler Stohr - West Michigan (2-1, 1.86, 10 SV)
7. Jade Todd - West Michigan (0-0, 0.00)
8. Andy Dirks - Erie (.287 - 1 - 11)
9. Anthony Shawler - West Michigan (2-3, 5.49, 1 SV)
10. Robbie Weinhardt - Lakeland (0-1, 0.83, 3 SV)
THE BIRD IS THE WORD ... The Flying Tigers are honoring the memory of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, with a free T-Shirt premium at Friday’s game. Fidrych was 5-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the 1975 Lakeland Tigers and returned for a four-game stint in 1976 posting a 1-1 record and a 3.46 ERA.
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST ... The Florida State League is divided this season into North and South Divisions after 16 seasons of East/West Divisions from 1993-2008. From 1985 to 1992 the league was split into three divisions - Western, Central and Southern. The splitting began in 1967.
FSL FUN FACT … The record for being hit by a pitch in one game is three shared by eight players including the Detroit Tigers’ Curtis Granderson.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
THE REDS ... Like Lakeland, Sarasota finds itself on the bottom looking up with a last place record of 23-24. And, like the Flying Tigers, the Reds have company in the cellar as they are tied with Palm Beach. Sarasota lost 7-3 to Tampa on Wednesday and is 3-7 in its last 10 games.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, with both squads competing in the East Division, the Reds won 10 of the 18 match-ups.
WELCOME BACK BATS ... The Flying Tigers amassed 11 base hits in their game on Wednesday including two triples and a pair of home runs. It marked their first double-digit total in hits since totalling 10 base knocks on May 30 at Palm Beach. The two triples by Chris White and Kody Kaiser gave the Flying Tigers their first double-triple game of the season. Jordan Newton and Michael Bertram joined the extra-base parade with solo home runs. Bertram’s blast, his 4th of the season, proved to be the game winner.
EMPTY SACKERS ... The solo homers by Jordan Newton and Michael Bertram on Wednesday are nothing new for Lakeland. Of the Flying Tigers’ 27 homers this season, 17 of them have come with nobody on base including all six homers by Kody Kaiser.
NO FREE PASSES ... It was a good thing the Lakeland bats were alive on Wednesday as the Miracle pitchers had perfect control and did not walk a single Lakeland batter. It was the fifth time this season that the Flying Tigers could not draw a base on balls.
CLOSE ONES ... Three of the four games are Ft. Myers were decided by one-run. Lakeland has been involved in 17 one-run games this season with a 6-9 record in those contests.
FLYING HIGH ... Chris Carlson has 15 hits in his last 42 at bats for a .357 mark and has hits in 11 of his last 13 games played ... Santo De Leon is 6-for-20 (.300) over his last seven games ... Chris White is 7-for-24 (.292) his last seven games and has hits in 10 of his last 13 games.
TUCK AND ROLL ... Lakeland’s newest member is Joe Tucker who rejoins Lakeland after a stint at AA Erie where he was hitting .239. He began the 2009 season at Lakeland.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 89-96 record (67-70 in year one). In his first year with the organization, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
HE’S OUTTA HERE ... Andy Barkett was ejected in the 1st inning of game two of the Ft. Myers doubleheader on June 9, his second time in the span of ten games, having been tossed on May 31 at Palm Beach. Prior to the May 31 game, Barkett had gone 70 games without getting an early exit. The Flying Tigers’ Commander has not been tossed at home since May 29 of last season – a streak of 96 home games.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
ACES FULL ... The Flying Tigers pitching staff features three of the top ten pitchers (in terms of ERA) in the Detroit organization. Thad Weber leads the organization with a 2.44 ERA while Matt Hoffman has compiled the second best ERA of 2.49 in his combined West Michigan and Lakeland stints. Andrew Hess is 8th with a 3.81 ERA. Hoffman also leads all Detroit minor league pitchers with seven wins while Scott Green is third with six saves and L.J. Gagnier is fourth with 52 strikeouts. The staff ERA of 3.62 is second best among the four minor league affiliates for Detroit.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW ... With the Major League Draft concluding today, let’s take a look back are when the top ten Tiger picks in last year’s draft are today.
1. Ryan Perry - Detroit (0-1, 3.13)
2. Cody Satterwhite - Erie (1-4, 3.65, 7 SV)
3. Scott Green - Lakeland (3-1, 3.92, 6 SV)
4. Brett Jacobson - Lakeland (1-1, 3.86, 1 SV)
5. Alex Avila - Erie (.295 - 5 - 26)
6. Tyler Stohr - West Michigan (2-1, 1.86, 10 SV)
7. Jade Todd - West Michigan (0-0, 0.00)
8. Andy Dirks - Erie (.287 - 1 - 11)
9. Anthony Shawler - West Michigan (2-3, 5.49, 1 SV)
10. Robbie Weinhardt - Lakeland (0-1, 0.83, 3 SV)
THE BIRD IS THE WORD ... The Flying Tigers are honoring the memory of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, with a free T-Shirt premium at Friday’s game. Fidrych was 5-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the 1975 Lakeland Tigers and returned for a four-game stint in 1976 posting a 1-1 record and a 3.46 ERA.
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST ... The Florida State League is divided this season into North and South Divisions after 16 seasons of East/West Divisions from 1993-2008. From 1985 to 1992 the league was split into three divisions - Western, Central and Southern. The splitting began in 1967.
FSL FUN FACT … The record for being hit by a pitch in one game is three shared by eight players including the Detroit Tigers’ Curtis Granderson.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Mission Notes vs. Fort Myers (June 7-10)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland enters the series with a 22-26 after losing three of four at home to St. Lucie. The two teams split a doubleheader on Wednesday after rain postponed game one. The Mets then took the next two including a 7-5 decision on Saturday coming back from a 4-1 deficit with a 6-run third as Brahaim Maldonado highlighted the frame with a grand slam. The Flying Tigers, who have now lost four of their last five and seven of their last 11, fall to 11.5 games behind North Division-leading Brevard County and are now 5-7 against the South Division. Lakeland has the third lowest team batting average at .239 and has scored the second fewest runs in the league at 184. Lakeland batters have struck out 23 times the last two games. The Flying Tigers are 10-10 on the road in 2009; 5-7 in one-run games; 2-3 on Sundays; 3-2 on Mondays; 2-3 on Tuesdays; and 3-3 on Wednesdays.
THE MIRACLE ... Ft. Myers leads the South Division with a 35-19 record, 6.5 games ahead of Charlotte and sports a 19-7 record at home. The Miracle sport the league’s second best team batting average at .267 and have scored the second most runs with 241. The squad also has the second best team ERA at 2.88.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, playing in the same division, the two clubs battled 18 times with the Miracle taking 10 games.
LAKELAND PROBABLES …
June 7: L.J. Gagnier (3-3, 4.62) leads the staff with 46 strikeouts but has allowed a team-high six home runs. He has a 2-1 record in his last three starts. In his last outing on June 2, he worked 6.0 innings and took the loss despite holding Palm Beach to two runs and striking out 10.
June 8: Andrew Hess (2-4, 3.47) is one of two Lakeland pitchers to be named to the FSL All-Star team. He has won just once since May 27, with a 1-4 record in six starts since then. In his one no-decision he tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and struck out seven against Brevard County on May 7. Hess is sixth in the Detroit minor league system with a 3.47 ERA.
June 9: Matt Hoffman (2-1, 4.50) joined the Flying Tigers on May 20 and tossed a 7-inning complete game shutout in his first start on May 21 at Tampa. In his two wins he has allowed just two runs while being tagged for nine runs, six earned, in his lone loss. Prior to joining Lakeland he was 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA at West Michigan (lower A) and now leads Detroit minor leaguers with a combined 7-1 mark and a 2.08 ERA.
June 10: Thad Weber (3-3, 2.44) is the Flying Tigers’ second All-Star selection. He is seventh in the FSL with a 2.44 ERA (seventh among all of Detroit’s minor league pitchers). Each of his six decisions came in his first six starts as he has not been involved in a decision since May 9. Two of his last four starts were stopped short by rain on May 15 and May 26.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 89-96 record (67-70 in year one). In his first year with the organization, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
TOP DOG ... Lakeland’s hottest bat belongs to Michael Bertram who is 11 for his last 27 (.407) in his last seven games and 17x44 (.386) over his last 13 games. He leads Lakeland with 42 hits and 10 doubles and is second with a .266 average and 21 RBI.
CLOSE BEHIND ... Another hot bat belongs to Chris Carlson who is 10x27 (.370) with an eight-game hit streak entering the series and is 14x36 (.389) over his last 11 games. He leads Lakeland with six home runs with all six coming at home.
DON’T CALL HIM FIG ... Jordan Newton was on a tear when he first joined the Flying Tigers going 12x28 (.429) in his first 7 games with the club, but is just 3x28 (.107) his last 7 games.
IT AIN’T EASY BEING GREEN ... The role of closer goes to Scott Green who leads Lakeland with six saves. He also has three wins out of the pen. He has worked more than 1.0 inning just four times with a season-high two frames on April 27 vs. Tampa. He has at least one strikeout in 14 of his 16 appearances.
ROBBIE MEISTER ... Reliever Robbie Weinhardt has been scored upon in just two of his 16 appearances this season allowing two runs on May 6 to Dunedin and one run to Jupiter on May 26.
NOT THE ONLY ALL-STAR ... Andrew Hess and Thad Weber are headed to the FSL All-Star while former Flying Tiger Ronnie Borquin (2007) has been selected to the Midwest League All-Star squad as a first baseman for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Tiger’s lower A affiliate.
SPEAKING OF FORMER TIGERS ... Don Kelly, a third baseman on the 2003 Lakeland Tigers team, was named the International League Player of the Week for May 25-31. Kelly batted .556 with 15 hits was riding a 12-game hitting streak. He leads the Detroit minor league organization with a .341 average.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
FLYING TIGER SHORT HOP ... Lakeland’s last nine-inning no-hitter was tossed by Dave Haas on April 14, 1989 against Clearwater. Haas went on to post a 7-5 record for Detroit over three seasons from 1991-93. Three Lakeland hurlers, Rick Porcello (now at Detroit), Robbie Weinhardt and Cody Satterwhite, combined to limit St. Lucie to no-hits in a seven-inning contest on 7/19/08.
FSL FUN FACT … The league record for triples in a season is an amazing 30 and belongs to a former second baseman on the 1961 Tampa Tarpons, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The second baseman? Pete Rose. The future Major Leaguer all-time hits leader also had 20 doubles and batted .331 that season.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
THE MIRACLE ... Ft. Myers leads the South Division with a 35-19 record, 6.5 games ahead of Charlotte and sports a 19-7 record at home. The Miracle sport the league’s second best team batting average at .267 and have scored the second most runs with 241. The squad also has the second best team ERA at 2.88.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, playing in the same division, the two clubs battled 18 times with the Miracle taking 10 games.
LAKELAND PROBABLES …
June 7: L.J. Gagnier (3-3, 4.62) leads the staff with 46 strikeouts but has allowed a team-high six home runs. He has a 2-1 record in his last three starts. In his last outing on June 2, he worked 6.0 innings and took the loss despite holding Palm Beach to two runs and striking out 10.
June 8: Andrew Hess (2-4, 3.47) is one of two Lakeland pitchers to be named to the FSL All-Star team. He has won just once since May 27, with a 1-4 record in six starts since then. In his one no-decision he tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and struck out seven against Brevard County on May 7. Hess is sixth in the Detroit minor league system with a 3.47 ERA.
June 9: Matt Hoffman (2-1, 4.50) joined the Flying Tigers on May 20 and tossed a 7-inning complete game shutout in his first start on May 21 at Tampa. In his two wins he has allowed just two runs while being tagged for nine runs, six earned, in his lone loss. Prior to joining Lakeland he was 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA at West Michigan (lower A) and now leads Detroit minor leaguers with a combined 7-1 mark and a 2.08 ERA.
June 10: Thad Weber (3-3, 2.44) is the Flying Tigers’ second All-Star selection. He is seventh in the FSL with a 2.44 ERA (seventh among all of Detroit’s minor league pitchers). Each of his six decisions came in his first six starts as he has not been involved in a decision since May 9. Two of his last four starts were stopped short by rain on May 15 and May 26.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 89-96 record (67-70 in year one). In his first year with the organization, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
TOP DOG ... Lakeland’s hottest bat belongs to Michael Bertram who is 11 for his last 27 (.407) in his last seven games and 17x44 (.386) over his last 13 games. He leads Lakeland with 42 hits and 10 doubles and is second with a .266 average and 21 RBI.
CLOSE BEHIND ... Another hot bat belongs to Chris Carlson who is 10x27 (.370) with an eight-game hit streak entering the series and is 14x36 (.389) over his last 11 games. He leads Lakeland with six home runs with all six coming at home.
DON’T CALL HIM FIG ... Jordan Newton was on a tear when he first joined the Flying Tigers going 12x28 (.429) in his first 7 games with the club, but is just 3x28 (.107) his last 7 games.
IT AIN’T EASY BEING GREEN ... The role of closer goes to Scott Green who leads Lakeland with six saves. He also has three wins out of the pen. He has worked more than 1.0 inning just four times with a season-high two frames on April 27 vs. Tampa. He has at least one strikeout in 14 of his 16 appearances.
ROBBIE MEISTER ... Reliever Robbie Weinhardt has been scored upon in just two of his 16 appearances this season allowing two runs on May 6 to Dunedin and one run to Jupiter on May 26.
NOT THE ONLY ALL-STAR ... Andrew Hess and Thad Weber are headed to the FSL All-Star while former Flying Tiger Ronnie Borquin (2007) has been selected to the Midwest League All-Star squad as a first baseman for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Tiger’s lower A affiliate.
SPEAKING OF FORMER TIGERS ... Don Kelly, a third baseman on the 2003 Lakeland Tigers team, was named the International League Player of the Week for May 25-31. Kelly batted .556 with 15 hits was riding a 12-game hitting streak. He leads the Detroit minor league organization with a .341 average.
READY FOR PRIME TIME ... Lakeland’s July 11 game at Brevard County is set to be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47 on Bright House in Polk County).
FLYING TIGER SHORT HOP ... Lakeland’s last nine-inning no-hitter was tossed by Dave Haas on April 14, 1989 against Clearwater. Haas went on to post a 7-5 record for Detroit over three seasons from 1991-93. Three Lakeland hurlers, Rick Porcello (now at Detroit), Robbie Weinhardt and Cody Satterwhite, combined to limit St. Lucie to no-hits in a seven-inning contest on 7/19/08.
FSL FUN FACT … The league record for triples in a season is an amazing 30 and belongs to a former second baseman on the 1961 Tampa Tarpons, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The second baseman? Pete Rose. The future Major Leaguer all-time hits leader also had 20 doubles and batted .331 that season.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Mission Notes vs. St. Lucie (June 3-6)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland enters the series with a 21-23 after taking three of four games at Palm Beach. The lone loss came in Tuesday’s game, 2-1, despite a 10-strikeout performance by L.J. Gagnier. The two teams were a combined 0-for-24 with runners in scoring position in the final game. The Flying Tigers are now in fourth place, 9.5 games out of first. This series matches the team with the third lowest batting average (Lakeland at .239) against the team with the third best ERA (2.98) in St. Lucie.
THE METS ... Like Lakeland, the Mets took three of their last four games in a series against Clearwater, losing Tuesday night’s game 4-1. The loss drops St. Lucie to 24-23 on the season, 6.5 games behind Division-leading Ft. Myers and 1 game behind the second place Charlotte Stone Crabs.
THE METS AND THE DRAFT ... Bradley Holt (RHP) was the Mets’ 1st round pick (33rd overall) in the 2008 draft ... Brant Rustich (RHP) was NY’s 2nd round pick in 2007 out of UCLA and was also drafted by Cleveland (2006) and Minnesota (2003) ... Ike Davis (1B) was a 1st round pick of the Mets in the 2008 draft out of Arizona State and was also selected by the Rays in 2005. His father, Ron, pitched in the majors from 1978-88 ... Hector Pellot (2B) was a 2nd round pick back in 2005 by the Mets.
WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN ... Met outfielder Matt Watson began his pro career with the Expos back in 1999 and was traded to the Mets in 2002. He made his MLB debut in 2003, but was claimed off waivers by Oakland in Oct. 2003. He was later sold to Chiba Lotte of the Japanese League in 2006 and made his way back to the USA in 2007 as a member of the Blue Jays organization. He then was signed by Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization before coming back to America with St. Lucie.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, Lakeland won five of the eight contests including three of the four played in St. Lucie. In the Lakeland series, games one and three were postponed due to rain with the two clubs splitting each of the ensuing doubleheaders.
LAKELAND PROBABLES … June 3: Andrew Hess is 1-3 in his last five starts with the lone win coming back on May 21 in the first game of a doubleheader at Tampa. Hess has pitched 6.0 innings in three of his last four starts. He ranks 8th in the FSL with a 2.36 ERA ... June 4: Matt Hoffman is 1-1 in his brief career at Lakeland with the one win coming as he tossed a seven-inning shutout in his first start on May 21 at Tampa in game two of the doubleheader. His second start wasn’t as successful as he was tagged for nine runs (six earned) in just 3.1 innings on May 29 against Jupiter ... June 5: Thad Weber was 3-3 in his first six starts but has not had a decision in his last three thanks in large part to Mother Nature as rains halted two of those starts in the second inning ... June 6: Trevor Feeney made his first start of the season on May 31 at Palm Beach working 5.0 innings in a no decision despite holding the Cardinals to just three hits and one unearned run.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 88-93 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
BATTERING BERTRAM ... Michael Bertram continued his hot-hitting with a pair of singles on Tuesday to make him 10x24 (.417) over his last six games and 16x41 (.390) his last 11 games. The two hits marked his seventh multi-hit game of the season.
COZY CONFINES OF JOKER MARCHANT? ... Don’t tell Chris Carlson that Joker Marchant Stadium is the biggest ballpark in the Florida State League. The Flying Tigers’ leading home run hitter has slugged all six of his homers at home this season. Carlson is now 9x23 (.391) in his last seven games.
ADRIAN LIKES IT HERE AS WELL ... Catcher Adrian Casanova has a .253 batting average and four home runs at home this season and is hitting just .164 with no homers on the road.
SANTO’S DANDO ... Third baseman Santo De Leon is 5x16 (.313) since rejoining Lakeland on May 29 with his in each of his four games played.
‘PEN SHUTTING 'EM DOWN ... The Flying Tigers’ bullpen proved its worth in the Palm Beach series, working 17.1 innings. Combined, the pen sported a 3-0 record and a a 2.08 ERA and a 3-0 record with one save.
TWO TIMIN’ TIM ... The 2009 season marks Tim Teufel’s second stint as manager of the St. Lucie Mets. Teufel, who played 11 seasons in the majors from 1983-93, also coached St. Lucie in 2004 and 2005. Teufel played for two seasons for the Tigers’ Class AAA affiliate Toledo Mud Hens in 1982 and 1983.
BLOGGIN’ HESS ... Flying Tiger pitcher Andrew Hess has been writing about his experiences during the 2009 season in his own blog at www.tigersminors.com/category/andrew-hess/
LAKELAND INSIDE THE NUMBERS … The Flying Tigers are 11-13 at home this season and 10-10 on the road. Tuesday’s one-run loss was Lakeland’s 11th game decided by one-run this season and the team is 4-7 in those games. The game also marked the 21st time Lakeland has been held to three or fewer runs and the squad is just 1-20 in such games.
FSL FUN FACT … There has not been a 20-game winning pitcher in the FSL since Eugene Nelson was 20-3 for the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in 1980. The league record for wins is held by Stanley Karpinski who was an amazing 29-5 for the 1949 St. Augustine Saints (Cubs) with an incredible 1.57 ERA over 315 innings.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
THE METS ... Like Lakeland, the Mets took three of their last four games in a series against Clearwater, losing Tuesday night’s game 4-1. The loss drops St. Lucie to 24-23 on the season, 6.5 games behind Division-leading Ft. Myers and 1 game behind the second place Charlotte Stone Crabs.
THE METS AND THE DRAFT ... Bradley Holt (RHP) was the Mets’ 1st round pick (33rd overall) in the 2008 draft ... Brant Rustich (RHP) was NY’s 2nd round pick in 2007 out of UCLA and was also drafted by Cleveland (2006) and Minnesota (2003) ... Ike Davis (1B) was a 1st round pick of the Mets in the 2008 draft out of Arizona State and was also selected by the Rays in 2005. His father, Ron, pitched in the majors from 1978-88 ... Hector Pellot (2B) was a 2nd round pick back in 2005 by the Mets.
WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN ... Met outfielder Matt Watson began his pro career with the Expos back in 1999 and was traded to the Mets in 2002. He made his MLB debut in 2003, but was claimed off waivers by Oakland in Oct. 2003. He was later sold to Chiba Lotte of the Japanese League in 2006 and made his way back to the USA in 2007 as a member of the Blue Jays organization. He then was signed by Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization before coming back to America with St. Lucie.
THE SERIES ... This is the first meeting between the two clubs in 2009. Last season, Lakeland won five of the eight contests including three of the four played in St. Lucie. In the Lakeland series, games one and three were postponed due to rain with the two clubs splitting each of the ensuing doubleheaders.
LAKELAND PROBABLES … June 3: Andrew Hess is 1-3 in his last five starts with the lone win coming back on May 21 in the first game of a doubleheader at Tampa. Hess has pitched 6.0 innings in three of his last four starts. He ranks 8th in the FSL with a 2.36 ERA ... June 4: Matt Hoffman is 1-1 in his brief career at Lakeland with the one win coming as he tossed a seven-inning shutout in his first start on May 21 at Tampa in game two of the doubleheader. His second start wasn’t as successful as he was tagged for nine runs (six earned) in just 3.1 innings on May 29 against Jupiter ... June 5: Thad Weber was 3-3 in his first six starts but has not had a decision in his last three thanks in large part to Mother Nature as rains halted two of those starts in the second inning ... June 6: Trevor Feeney made his first start of the season on May 31 at Palm Beach working 5.0 innings in a no decision despite holding the Cardinals to just three hits and one unearned run.
LAKELAND MANAGER ANDY BARKETT … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with an 88-93 record (67-70 in year one). In his rookie season as manager, he led Oneonta to a 44-32 record in the New York-Penn League in 2007.
BATTERING BERTRAM ... Michael Bertram continued his hot-hitting with a pair of singles on Tuesday to make him 10x24 (.417) over his last six games and 16x41 (.390) his last 11 games. The two hits marked his seventh multi-hit game of the season.
COZY CONFINES OF JOKER MARCHANT? ... Don’t tell Chris Carlson that Joker Marchant Stadium is the biggest ballpark in the Florida State League. The Flying Tigers’ leading home run hitter has slugged all six of his homers at home this season. Carlson is now 9x23 (.391) in his last seven games.
ADRIAN LIKES IT HERE AS WELL ... Catcher Adrian Casanova has a .253 batting average and four home runs at home this season and is hitting just .164 with no homers on the road.
SANTO’S DANDO ... Third baseman Santo De Leon is 5x16 (.313) since rejoining Lakeland on May 29 with his in each of his four games played.
‘PEN SHUTTING 'EM DOWN ... The Flying Tigers’ bullpen proved its worth in the Palm Beach series, working 17.1 innings. Combined, the pen sported a 3-0 record and a a 2.08 ERA and a 3-0 record with one save.
TWO TIMIN’ TIM ... The 2009 season marks Tim Teufel’s second stint as manager of the St. Lucie Mets. Teufel, who played 11 seasons in the majors from 1983-93, also coached St. Lucie in 2004 and 2005. Teufel played for two seasons for the Tigers’ Class AAA affiliate Toledo Mud Hens in 1982 and 1983.
BLOGGIN’ HESS ... Flying Tiger pitcher Andrew Hess has been writing about his experiences during the 2009 season in his own blog at www.tigersminors.com/category/andrew-hess/
LAKELAND INSIDE THE NUMBERS … The Flying Tigers are 11-13 at home this season and 10-10 on the road. Tuesday’s one-run loss was Lakeland’s 11th game decided by one-run this season and the team is 4-7 in those games. The game also marked the 21st time Lakeland has been held to three or fewer runs and the squad is just 1-20 in such games.
FSL FUN FACT … There has not been a 20-game winning pitcher in the FSL since Eugene Nelson was 20-3 for the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in 1980. The league record for wins is held by Stanley Karpinski who was an amazing 29-5 for the 1949 St. Augustine Saints (Cubs) with an incredible 1.57 ERA over 315 innings.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
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