THE FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland enters the Dunedin series with an 8-9 record and are tied for last place along with Daytona. Both clubs are just 2-1/2 games out of first, trailing Brevard County. Overall, the Flying Tigers sport a 37-45 record. Lakeland dropped its last game, 7-0, on Monday at Brevard County, but has won six of its last nine games. Lakeland’s team batting average of .245 is second to last in the FSL while the team ERA of 3.56 ranks fifth. Lakeland has the third-best ranked defense in the FSL with a .975 fielding percentage.
DUNEDIN ... The Blue Jays are 10-7 on the season and are in a second place tie with Tampa with both clubs trailing Brevard County by one-half game. Overall, Dunedin is 43-41 on the year. Darin Mastroianni, who was leading the Florida State League in hitting with a .325 average has been promoted to AA New Hampshire, but teammate Moises Sierra is still at Dunedin and he is now the active leader with a .323 mark. The Blue Jays are third in the league with a .263 team batting average but third from last with a 3.81 team earned run average.
THE SERIES ... Lakeland has a 6-2 mark against Dunedin this season and won two of the three last played in Dunedin on July 9-10.
REHABBERS ... Both clubs have major leaguers on rehab assignments. Lakeland welcomes Detroit outfielder Carlos Guillen who is working his way back from a right shoulder inflammation that has sidelined him since May 5. Dunedin features Toronto starting pitcher Shaun Marcum who is recovering from 2008 Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery on his right arm.
EX-LAKELANDERS AT THE MLB ALL-STAR GAME ... Lakeland had a pair of former players at the Major League All-Star game on Tuesday as Justin Verlander and Curtis Granderson represented Detroit in the midseason classic. Verlander was 9-2 with a 1.67 ERA in 13 games for then 2005 Lakeland Tigers while Granderson batted .286 with 11 homers and 51 RBI as a member of the 2003 Lakeland club.
STREAKY BOMBS ... Lakeland went four games without hitting a home from June 29 to July 3 and then erupted for eight dingers in a three-game set on July 4-6 including four round-trippers against Clearwater on July 5. However, the club as not gone deep in their last six games.
CARLSON STILL LEADING FSL ... Chris Carlson continues to hold on to a first-place tie in the Florida State League with 12 homers and is tied with Jupiter’s Mike Stanton.
GAGNIER STILL IN THE HUNT ... L.J. Gagnier is tied for third in the FSL with 83 strikeouts along with Brevard’s Evan Anundsen. Both hurlers trail Charlotte’s Darin Downs who leads with 91 and Dunedin’s Andrew Liebel who is second with 84 strikeouts.
ROLLIN’ ROBLES ... Mauricio Robles has not been scored upon in his last two starts working 12.1 innings and scattering eight hits with nine strikeouts and five walks.
WALK THIS WAY ... Jeramy Laster drew three base-on-balls on July 13 at Brevard County. That’s as many walks as Laster has drawn in his 35 previous games combined! Laster had walked just once in the 21 previous games prior to the three-walk night.
LIKE-O MAIKO ... Newcomer Maiko Loyola is 8x25 (.320) with four doubles and six runs batted in since July 2.
NICE NEWTON ... Jordan Newton has a modest five-game hit streak in which he is 6x18 (.333) with a pair of doubles and a triple. He has hits in 14 of his last 20 games.
CRISP CHRIS ... Chris White had one of the two Lakeland hits on Monday and is 3x6 the last two games.
NOLAN, WE HARDLY KNEW YE ... Nolan Cain joined Lakeland for one game from the GCL Tigers and worked 1.2 innings for the Flying Tigers on July 13 and has since rejoined the Gulf Coast club.
FURBUSH ON TARGET ... Charlie Furbush has allowed just one earned run in his last 16.2 innings pitched over his last three starts for a 0.54 ERA during that stretch, but is just 1-0 with two no decisions. He has 12 K’s in those three games and has at least one strikeout in each of his 16 appearances this season and has ten games with three or more punch-outs.
GAGNIER GITTIN’ IT DONE ... L.J. Gagnier is 3-4 his last seven starts but has a 2.31 ERA in those seven games along with 49 strikeouts.
GAYHART, A HARD CASE ... Jared Gayhart has been stingy on the mound since joining Lakeland on June 26 allowing just one run in five outings for a 1.00 ERA.
GREEN MACHINE ... Scott Green is 3-for-3 in save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA in those outings allowing just one hit with two strikeouts over 3.0 innings.
BLANKINGS ABOUND ... Lakeland pitchers have combined for four shutouts in the team’s last nine games.
BACK HOME AGAIN ... Lakeland returns home following a nine-game road trip and will be playing their first game in front of the hometown fans since the July 4th contest. The Flying Tigers are 18-23 in the friendly confines of Joker Marchant Stadium where the club has hit 28 of their 48 homers this season. The club is hitting 38 points better at home (.264 to .226) but has a better ERA on the road (3.20 compared to 3.89).
THE COMMANDER … Andy Barkett is in his second season with Lakeland with a 104-115 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.
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