THE FLYING TIGERS (31-31, 68-64) - Lakeland dropped a 6-1 decision at Daytona on Sunday, despite collecting 10 hits, and now has a 4-2 record in the last six games. The loss drops Lakeland to 31-31 in the second half, 8.5 games behind the Division-leading Tampa Yankees and 2.0 games behind third place Brevard County. Lakeland is 14-11 at home this half and 24-28 at Joker Marchant Stadium this season. Lakeland batters have walked the most times of any FSL team (462) while the pitching staff has walked the fewest batters (293) of any squad. The Flying Tigers are hitting .256 as a team and are third in the league with a 3.38 staff ERA.
THE BLUE JAYS (27-36, 68-65) ... Dunedin downed Tampa 4-2 on Sunday to improve to 27-36 this half, but is still mired in last place, 13.0 game behind Tampa and 1.5 games behind fifth place Clearwater. The Blue Jays are 12-17 on the road this half, but are 35-29 in away games this season. Dunedin leads the Florida State League with 247 doubles and 108 home runs – 28 more than the second place team. The Blue Jays are batting .243 as a team – second lowest average in the 12-team league – and have a 3.72 staff ERA.
THE SERIES ... The Blue Jays hold a 9-6 advantage in the series, but the Flying Tigers have won three of the last five. Pat McKenna has played in only four games in the series, but is hitting .538 with seven hits in fifteen at bats. Daniel Fields has hit three of Lakeland’s 11 home runs in the series to go with his .333 batting average in 12 games. Lakeland is hitting .252 in the series with a 3.06 ERA while Dunedin is batting .226 and has a 3.07 ERA.
SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK TO FALL ... With six home games left, Lakeland needs to average just over 134 fans per game to set the all-time franchise single season attendance record. With 60,449 passing thru the gates so far, Lakeland is 806 fans away from the record of 61,255 set in 1987.
3 UP, 9 PITCHES, 3 DOWN ... Jared Gayhart accomplished a rarity on Friday night at Daytona with a nine-pitch inning. Gayhart came on in relief to start the ninth and threw nine consecutive strikes to strike out the side.
SHARP STARTING PITCHING ... The Lakeland starting pitching staff has allowed just three earned runs in the last six games with two of those runs coming in their last game on Sunday. Since Aug. 25, the starters have a 0.90 ERA in the six games.
RARE ERRS ... Lakeland was charged with three errors in Sunday’s game at Daytona. The miscues snap a streak of seven errorless games for the Flying Tigers.
NEWCOMERS MAKE SPLASH ... Catcher Gabriel Purroy, playing in just his third game in a Flying Tiger uniform, went 3-for-4 with a double on Sunday in Lakeland’s 6-1 loss at Daytona. Luis Castillo, a veteran of ten games for Lakeland, was 2-for-4 in the same game.
HOME, SWEET HOME FOR LENNERTON ... Jordan Lennerton should be glad Lakeland is closing out the season with six games at home. The FSL Player of the Week for Aug. 16-22, is hitting .275 on the road this season. At Joker Marchant Stadium, the Flying Tiger’s first baseman is hitting over .100 points better at .379. However, seven of Lennerton’s nine homers have come away from the cavernous Joker Marchant Stadium.
MOSTLY MARTINEZ ... Francisco Martinez was 8-for-20 (.400) in five games prior to being held hitless in three at bats on Sunday. On Saturday, Martinez was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. The third baseman is hitting .333 against lefties and .270 against righthanded pitchers with a .310 home average and a .262 away mark.
MAINLY McKENNA ... Patrick McKenna is 5-for-20 with five runs scored and three doubles in his last five games. McKenna is another Flying Tiger looking forward to six home games as the second baseman has a .316 home batting average and is hitting just .170 on the road.
THE NEW GUYS ... With all of the Lakeland transactions in the second half of the season, only four Flying Tigers have amassed over 200 at bats with the club - Gustavo Nunez (498), Daniel Fields (349), and Francisco Martinez (310). Six of the current players have 80 or less at bats. Six Lakeland pitchers have yet to reach double figures in innings pitched while only two pitchers Luke Putkonen (144.0) and Mark Sorensen (135.1) have more than 50 innings pitched.
MARVELOUS MARK ... Mark Sorensen has won his last five starts with a 2.01 ERA and 20 strikeouts and six walks in 33.1 innings.
NEW CREW MEMBER ... What would a Mission Notes be without a transaction announcement? The latest player to join the Lakeland club (as of Sunday) is first baseman Juaner Aguasvivas, who joins the Flying Tigers from the GCL club where he was hitting .226 with 14 doubles and five home runs. He played three previous seasons in the Dominican Summer League after signing with Detroit as a free agent.
FSL ATTENDANCE ... Through Sunday’s games, 1,121,004 fans have attended a Florida State League game this season.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, MUD HENS ... Fifth Third Field, home of the AAA Toledo Mud Hens, was home to Hollywood over the weekend as the ballpark was used as the backdrop for filming for the movie “Home Run Showdown”. Among actors appearing at the park included Dean Cain, Annabeth Gish, Barry Bostwick and former Detroit players Dmitri Young and Gary Sheffield. The film centers around a little league team that competes for the right to shag baseballs in the upcoming Major League Baseball home run derby.
WHITECAP SURGE ... The A West Michigan squad has gone 24-8 since July 28 and is fighting for a spot in the Eastern League playoffs. With eight games to play, the Whitecaps’ magic number to make the playoffs has been reduced to five.
CONNECTICUT BOBBLEHEAD DAY .... The Connecticut Tigers, Detroit’s new short-season affiliate in the New York-Penn League, staged a “turn back the clock day” on Sunday. The first 500 fans in attendance received a Benedict Arnold bobblehead that had two faces (one on each side of the figure). Prior to the game, fans were treated to a performance by the Thames Base Ball Club with staged a baseball game the way it would have been played in 1861.
SIX AND COUNTING ... Tuesday’s game is the first of six remaining home games for Lakeland which will be home all this week wrapping up the year on Sunday with Breakfast with the Flying Tigers at 11 am.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 27-29)
THE FLYING TIGERS (29-30, 66-63) - Lakeland is coming off a doubleheader split at Dunedin on Thursday. The Blue Jays took game one 3-2 in eight innings while Lakeland took the night cap 3-0 as Shawn Tuefel (making his first start for Lakeland), Michael Torrealba and Dan Gentzler combined on a two-hit shutout. Luke Putkonen is 10th in the FSL with a 3.43 ERA while recently promoted Adam Wilk is fourth with a 3.01 mark. Lakeland is batting .257 as a team while leading the league drawing a total of 452 walks. On the other side, Flying Tiger pitchers have issued the fewest walks in the league with 286 on the year. Defensively, Lakeland is tops with a .978 fielding percentage and has turned 127 double plays, the second highest total in the FSL. Gustavo Nunez continues to rank as the top fielding shortstop in the league with a .960 mark and also leads in total chances, putouts, assists and double plays.
THE CUBS (36-23, 70-59) ... The Cubs were rained out last night Daytona finished 7.0 games back in the first half and were 15-21 at home. This half they are in the pennant race, just 2.5 games behind Tampa. A big change this half is the fact that the Cubs are 21-9 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Cubs, which have the second highest average in the league at .264, have three of the top ten batters in the Florida State League in D.J. LeMahieu (3rd, .315); Ryan Flaherty (7th, .288) and Rebel Ridling (9th, .286). LeMehieu leads the FSL with 162 hits while Ridling is tops with 34 doubles and fourth with 71 RBI. Flaaherty is right behind Ridling with 32 two-baggers. Daytona is also the second highest scoring team with 578 runs this season while second in team doubles (238) and triples (23), but stolen bases are not a part of their repertoire as the team is second to last with just 87.
THE SERIES ... The Cubs hold a slim 6-5 lead in the series with wins in four of the last six. The two Lakeland wins in that span came in the last three games. In their last meeting on June 22, the two clubs split a doubleheader in Lakeland with the Cubs taking game one by a 2-1 margin and the Flying Tigers taking the nightcap by a 6-4 score.
WHO’S ON THE MOUND? … With promotions to AA, rain outs and doubleheaders, Lakeland has used eight different starting pitchers in the last eight contests.
YOU AGAIN ... The Cubs and the Flying Tigers are scheduled for six games in the next nine days. In addition to this series, Lakeland will host Daytona in a season-ending series at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland on Sept. 3-5. Sandwiched inbetween is a three-game set with Dunedin.
TWO MAN WRECKING CREW ... In last night’s second game of the doubleheader, Lakeland won 3-0 and had four hits. All of the offense came from a new 1-2 combination in the line-up as Pat McKenna batted lead-off, followed by Francisco Martinez. Both players doubled and singled for the four hits while McKenna scored twice and Martinez scored the other run. McKenna also swiped a pair of bases.
SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK TO FALL ... With six home games left, Lakeland needs to average just over 134 fans per game to set the all-time franchise single season attendance record. With 60,449 passing thru the gates so far, Lakeland is 806 fans away from the record of 61,255 set in 1987. Lakeland is averaging 1,061 fans per game in 2010 and has increased attendance in every season under General Manager Zach Burek. How much increase? In his inaugural season, Lakeland drew 495 fans per contest. This year’s figure is a 114 percent increase since that first season.
LENNERTON MAKING A BID ... With a .309 average, Jordan Lennerton is making a bid to become the first Lakeland batter with 175 or more at bats to hit .300 since James Skelton batted .307 in 212 at bats in 2008. Should Lennerton continue his pace, his average would be the best since Juan Francia hit .325 over 255 at bats in 2005.
SPEEDY CLUB ... With a stolen base in game one of the Wednesday doubleheader at Dunedin, Gustavo Nunez has 30 stolen bases for the season. He becomes the first Flying Tiger to swipe 30 bases since Ovandy Suero stole a team-record 75 bases in 2007 and just the ninth Lakeland player since 2000 to steal 30 bases in a season.
DUAL PARTIES? ... Lakeland will close out the season on Sept. 5 at home with a rare Sunday morning game at 11:00. Perhaps the Flying Tigers can end the season on a winning note as a birthday present for skipper Andy Barkett who will turn 36 on Sunday.
DON’T WE PLAY NINE? ... Lakeland has played just three nine-inning games since Aug. 15. The squad has been involved in four doubleheaders and had two games to extra innings.
LATEST MOVING AND GROOVING ... Two more original Lakeland Flying Tigers have earned promotions to AA Erie as pitchers Adam Wilk and Eric Crichton head North. In addition, Jon Kibler has also received a ticket to ride to Erie. Taking their places on the roster are Cole Nelson, Bruce Rondon and Jeff Barfield. Nelson was a 10th round pick by the Tigers in this year’s draft out of Auburn University. He was 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA and 27 punch outs in 15.1 innings over seven games with the GCL Tigers. A fellow hurler from the GCL squad, Rondon signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and played two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League and was in his second season in the Gulf Coast League. This season, Rondon was 0-0 with a 0.70 ERA in 24 games with 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. Barfield originally came to Lakeland on Aug. 21 and pitched in one game for the Flying Tigers, taking the loss in a start against Tampa on Aug. 22. He was sent back to the GCL on Aug. 25 and brought right back on Aug. 26.
1/3 OF A STARTING LINE-UP LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, just three players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - shortstop Gustavo Nunez and pitchers Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen.
WILK ERIE DEBUT ANYTHING BUT EERIE ... Adam Wilk made his AA debut on Aug. 25, working eight shutout innings and holding Altoona to just one hit while striking out three in a 3-1 win. Fellow Lakeland alums helped out in the cause as Lester Oliveros picked up the save and Billy Nowlin drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.
ENOUGH FOR THEIR OWN LEAGUE ... Lakeland has had 62 players don a Flying Tigers uniform so far in 2010. Thirty-two players have taken the field on defense with 30 others taking the mound. The number tops the 60 that dressed out last season with two more defensive players taking the field. The 1968 squad holds the franchise record with a total of 69 players dressing out for Lakeland. The most stable team for Lakeland came in 1990 when only 35 players comprised the combined roster for that season.
THE CUBS (36-23, 70-59) ... The Cubs were rained out last night Daytona finished 7.0 games back in the first half and were 15-21 at home. This half they are in the pennant race, just 2.5 games behind Tampa. A big change this half is the fact that the Cubs are 21-9 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Cubs, which have the second highest average in the league at .264, have three of the top ten batters in the Florida State League in D.J. LeMahieu (3rd, .315); Ryan Flaherty (7th, .288) and Rebel Ridling (9th, .286). LeMehieu leads the FSL with 162 hits while Ridling is tops with 34 doubles and fourth with 71 RBI. Flaaherty is right behind Ridling with 32 two-baggers. Daytona is also the second highest scoring team with 578 runs this season while second in team doubles (238) and triples (23), but stolen bases are not a part of their repertoire as the team is second to last with just 87.
THE SERIES ... The Cubs hold a slim 6-5 lead in the series with wins in four of the last six. The two Lakeland wins in that span came in the last three games. In their last meeting on June 22, the two clubs split a doubleheader in Lakeland with the Cubs taking game one by a 2-1 margin and the Flying Tigers taking the nightcap by a 6-4 score.
WHO’S ON THE MOUND? … With promotions to AA, rain outs and doubleheaders, Lakeland has used eight different starting pitchers in the last eight contests.
YOU AGAIN ... The Cubs and the Flying Tigers are scheduled for six games in the next nine days. In addition to this series, Lakeland will host Daytona in a season-ending series at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland on Sept. 3-5. Sandwiched inbetween is a three-game set with Dunedin.
TWO MAN WRECKING CREW ... In last night’s second game of the doubleheader, Lakeland won 3-0 and had four hits. All of the offense came from a new 1-2 combination in the line-up as Pat McKenna batted lead-off, followed by Francisco Martinez. Both players doubled and singled for the four hits while McKenna scored twice and Martinez scored the other run. McKenna also swiped a pair of bases.
SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK TO FALL ... With six home games left, Lakeland needs to average just over 134 fans per game to set the all-time franchise single season attendance record. With 60,449 passing thru the gates so far, Lakeland is 806 fans away from the record of 61,255 set in 1987. Lakeland is averaging 1,061 fans per game in 2010 and has increased attendance in every season under General Manager Zach Burek. How much increase? In his inaugural season, Lakeland drew 495 fans per contest. This year’s figure is a 114 percent increase since that first season.
LENNERTON MAKING A BID ... With a .309 average, Jordan Lennerton is making a bid to become the first Lakeland batter with 175 or more at bats to hit .300 since James Skelton batted .307 in 212 at bats in 2008. Should Lennerton continue his pace, his average would be the best since Juan Francia hit .325 over 255 at bats in 2005.
SPEEDY CLUB ... With a stolen base in game one of the Wednesday doubleheader at Dunedin, Gustavo Nunez has 30 stolen bases for the season. He becomes the first Flying Tiger to swipe 30 bases since Ovandy Suero stole a team-record 75 bases in 2007 and just the ninth Lakeland player since 2000 to steal 30 bases in a season.
DUAL PARTIES? ... Lakeland will close out the season on Sept. 5 at home with a rare Sunday morning game at 11:00. Perhaps the Flying Tigers can end the season on a winning note as a birthday present for skipper Andy Barkett who will turn 36 on Sunday.
DON’T WE PLAY NINE? ... Lakeland has played just three nine-inning games since Aug. 15. The squad has been involved in four doubleheaders and had two games to extra innings.
LATEST MOVING AND GROOVING ... Two more original Lakeland Flying Tigers have earned promotions to AA Erie as pitchers Adam Wilk and Eric Crichton head North. In addition, Jon Kibler has also received a ticket to ride to Erie. Taking their places on the roster are Cole Nelson, Bruce Rondon and Jeff Barfield. Nelson was a 10th round pick by the Tigers in this year’s draft out of Auburn University. He was 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA and 27 punch outs in 15.1 innings over seven games with the GCL Tigers. A fellow hurler from the GCL squad, Rondon signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and played two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League and was in his second season in the Gulf Coast League. This season, Rondon was 0-0 with a 0.70 ERA in 24 games with 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. Barfield originally came to Lakeland on Aug. 21 and pitched in one game for the Flying Tigers, taking the loss in a start against Tampa on Aug. 22. He was sent back to the GCL on Aug. 25 and brought right back on Aug. 26.
1/3 OF A STARTING LINE-UP LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, just three players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - shortstop Gustavo Nunez and pitchers Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen.
WILK ERIE DEBUT ANYTHING BUT EERIE ... Adam Wilk made his AA debut on Aug. 25, working eight shutout innings and holding Altoona to just one hit while striking out three in a 3-1 win. Fellow Lakeland alums helped out in the cause as Lester Oliveros picked up the save and Billy Nowlin drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.
ENOUGH FOR THEIR OWN LEAGUE ... Lakeland has had 62 players don a Flying Tigers uniform so far in 2010. Thirty-two players have taken the field on defense with 30 others taking the mound. The number tops the 60 that dressed out last season with two more defensive players taking the field. The 1968 squad holds the franchise record with a total of 69 players dressing out for Lakeland. The most stable team for Lakeland came in 1990 when only 35 players comprised the combined roster for that season.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 24-26)
THE FLYING TIGERS (27-29, 64-62) - Lakeland has scored just twice in the last three games and has now lost three of the last four games. A main reason for the lack of runs in the lack of offensive production as Lakeland is hitting .182 in the last five outings. Lakeland lost two games to the weather as Monday’s doubleheader with Tampa was cancelled due to wet grounds. Since the two teams do not face each other again this season, the games will not be made up.
THE BLUE JAYS (24-33, 66-62) ... Like Lakeland, Dunedin had its Monday game with Clearwater wiped out by weather. And again like Lakeland, they don’t face their opponent again in 2010. The Blue Jays had won their Sunday game by a 10-1 margin over Clearwater giving Dunedin a 3-5 record in their last eight games.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tue: Adam Wilk (9-5, 3.01, 100 K, 119 BB, 143.2 IP)
Wed: Jon Kibler (4-4, 3.58, 53 K, 22 BB, 70.1 IP)
Thu: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.51, 39 K, 12 BB, 51.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Dunedin has won eight of the 12 meetings this season, including four of the last five. Daniel Fields is hitting .345 in the series for Lakeland, while Jordan Lennerton is 5x7 in two games against the Blue Jays. Adam Wilk is 2-0 against Dunedin with a 1.42 ERA. Overall, Lakeland is batting .267 in the series with a 3.44 ERA while Dunedin has a .245 average with a 3.20 ERA.
LENNERTON EARNS FSL HONOR ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 16-22. The Flying Tiger first baseman hit .406 (13-for-22) for the week with five homers and nine runs batted in. He also scored seven runs and had two doubles. Lennerton is the fifth Lakeland player to earn league honors this season joining outfielder Brent Wyatt and pitchers Charlie Furbush, Adam Wilk and Jon Kibler.
GLAD WE’RE DONE WITH THOSE GUYS ... The recent series with Tampa got underway the same way the season starting for Lakeland – being shutout by the Yankees. The Flying Tigers have been kept scoreless five times this season against Tampa - a club that has posted 19 shutouts so far in 2010. It was also the second straight shutout suffered to Tampa by Lakeland with the Flying Tigers failing to score in 23 consecutive innings. Overall, it was the tenth time this season Lakeland has been shutout. Flying Tiger pitchers have posted 11 shutouts of their own, meaning 21 of Lakeland’s 126 games so far this season have ended with one of the two teams not scoring.
TOUGH TURNER ... Pitcher Jacob Turner has allowed just seven earned runs in his last eight starts dating back to July 12. That translates into a 1.60 ERA. He has 29 strikeouts in that same time frame with just eight walks and a 4-1 record.
DANDY DANIEL ... Centerfielder Daniel Fields is hitting .343 (12x35) in his last ten games and has four multi-hit games in his last seven contests. Fields has 21 multi-hit games this year – all two hit affairs.
DANDY DAN - PT. II ... Another Dan is also performing at a high level for Lakeland as Dan Gentzler has allowed just one run in his last 7.1 innings over six games.
FANTASTIC FRANCISCO ... Third baseman Francisco Martinez is 14x27 (.298) in his last 12 games.
DOUBLE TIME ... Dunedin leads the Florida State League with 235 doubles while Lakeland is last with 175 two-baggers.
BIG-TIME LEAD ... The Blue Jays lead the FSL with 103 home runs as a team – 27 more than any other team in the league and 40 more than Lakeland has clubbed this year.
LUKE THE DUKE ... Luke Putkonen has a 2.95 ERA in his last ten starts.
GO-TO GAYHART ... Reliever Jared Gayhart has adapted to the closer role for the Flying Tigers and is 2-2 with six saves over his last 11 games with a 2.76 ERA in the last 13.0 innings pitched.
RARE HOMER ... The home run surrendered to Tampa’s Anderson Feliz on Saturday was just the second homer allowed by Wilfredo Ramirez this season and was the first allowed in his last 18 appearances going back to June 15.
THREE FOR TRIPLE DIGITS ... Adam Wilk recorded his 100th strikeout on Aug. 19 joining alum Charlie Furbush (109) as Flying Tigers who have recorded triple digits in strikeouts this season. With 93 punch outs, Mark Sorensen is closing in on the milestone and will probably have two more chances to reach 100. When he does, it will be the first time since 2005 that three Lakeland starters have recorded 100 or more strikeouts.
WALK ‘EM ... In the last series between these two clubs back in mid-July, Dunedin’s Brian Van Kirk was doing his best Babe Ruth imitation. The Blue Jay’s outfielder homered in three consecutive games, capping the long ball flurry with a grand slam on July 12.
GATOR JOINS CREW ... Former University of Florida Gator Jeff Barfield has been promoted to the Lakeland club after appearing in ten games for the GCL Tigers. Barfield, who played for UF from 2009-10, signed with Detroit as a non-drafted free agent.
THANKS FOR DROPPING BY ... Outfielder Kyle Peter, who had been on the disabled list since April 3, was activated and then added the Lakeland roster on Aug. 19. Peter played in four games for Lakeland – two as DH and two in left field – and on Monday was promoted to Erie. To take his roster spot, Detroit promoted Alexander Moreno form the GCL Tigers. Moreno played in five games in Lakeland from July 2-10 and batted .357 with four runs batted in.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jordan Lennerton is second in the Detroit minor league organization with a .305 average, trailing Alden Carrithers’ mark of .314 on the year. Adam Wilk is second with a 3.01 ERA while Luke Putkonen is fifth with a 3.43 mark and Jacob Turner is ninth with a 3.59 ERA. Gustavo Nunez leads all Detroit minor leaguers with 29 stolen bases. Lakeland is second to Toledo with a .258 team batting average and second to the GCL Tigers with a 3.46 staff ERA.
THE BLUE JAYS (24-33, 66-62) ... Like Lakeland, Dunedin had its Monday game with Clearwater wiped out by weather. And again like Lakeland, they don’t face their opponent again in 2010. The Blue Jays had won their Sunday game by a 10-1 margin over Clearwater giving Dunedin a 3-5 record in their last eight games.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tue: Adam Wilk (9-5, 3.01, 100 K, 119 BB, 143.2 IP)
Wed: Jon Kibler (4-4, 3.58, 53 K, 22 BB, 70.1 IP)
Thu: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.51, 39 K, 12 BB, 51.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Dunedin has won eight of the 12 meetings this season, including four of the last five. Daniel Fields is hitting .345 in the series for Lakeland, while Jordan Lennerton is 5x7 in two games against the Blue Jays. Adam Wilk is 2-0 against Dunedin with a 1.42 ERA. Overall, Lakeland is batting .267 in the series with a 3.44 ERA while Dunedin has a .245 average with a 3.20 ERA.
LENNERTON EARNS FSL HONOR ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 16-22. The Flying Tiger first baseman hit .406 (13-for-22) for the week with five homers and nine runs batted in. He also scored seven runs and had two doubles. Lennerton is the fifth Lakeland player to earn league honors this season joining outfielder Brent Wyatt and pitchers Charlie Furbush, Adam Wilk and Jon Kibler.
GLAD WE’RE DONE WITH THOSE GUYS ... The recent series with Tampa got underway the same way the season starting for Lakeland – being shutout by the Yankees. The Flying Tigers have been kept scoreless five times this season against Tampa - a club that has posted 19 shutouts so far in 2010. It was also the second straight shutout suffered to Tampa by Lakeland with the Flying Tigers failing to score in 23 consecutive innings. Overall, it was the tenth time this season Lakeland has been shutout. Flying Tiger pitchers have posted 11 shutouts of their own, meaning 21 of Lakeland’s 126 games so far this season have ended with one of the two teams not scoring.
TOUGH TURNER ... Pitcher Jacob Turner has allowed just seven earned runs in his last eight starts dating back to July 12. That translates into a 1.60 ERA. He has 29 strikeouts in that same time frame with just eight walks and a 4-1 record.
DANDY DANIEL ... Centerfielder Daniel Fields is hitting .343 (12x35) in his last ten games and has four multi-hit games in his last seven contests. Fields has 21 multi-hit games this year – all two hit affairs.
DANDY DAN - PT. II ... Another Dan is also performing at a high level for Lakeland as Dan Gentzler has allowed just one run in his last 7.1 innings over six games.
FANTASTIC FRANCISCO ... Third baseman Francisco Martinez is 14x27 (.298) in his last 12 games.
DOUBLE TIME ... Dunedin leads the Florida State League with 235 doubles while Lakeland is last with 175 two-baggers.
BIG-TIME LEAD ... The Blue Jays lead the FSL with 103 home runs as a team – 27 more than any other team in the league and 40 more than Lakeland has clubbed this year.
LUKE THE DUKE ... Luke Putkonen has a 2.95 ERA in his last ten starts.
GO-TO GAYHART ... Reliever Jared Gayhart has adapted to the closer role for the Flying Tigers and is 2-2 with six saves over his last 11 games with a 2.76 ERA in the last 13.0 innings pitched.
RARE HOMER ... The home run surrendered to Tampa’s Anderson Feliz on Saturday was just the second homer allowed by Wilfredo Ramirez this season and was the first allowed in his last 18 appearances going back to June 15.
THREE FOR TRIPLE DIGITS ... Adam Wilk recorded his 100th strikeout on Aug. 19 joining alum Charlie Furbush (109) as Flying Tigers who have recorded triple digits in strikeouts this season. With 93 punch outs, Mark Sorensen is closing in on the milestone and will probably have two more chances to reach 100. When he does, it will be the first time since 2005 that three Lakeland starters have recorded 100 or more strikeouts.
WALK ‘EM ... In the last series between these two clubs back in mid-July, Dunedin’s Brian Van Kirk was doing his best Babe Ruth imitation. The Blue Jay’s outfielder homered in three consecutive games, capping the long ball flurry with a grand slam on July 12.
GATOR JOINS CREW ... Former University of Florida Gator Jeff Barfield has been promoted to the Lakeland club after appearing in ten games for the GCL Tigers. Barfield, who played for UF from 2009-10, signed with Detroit as a non-drafted free agent.
THANKS FOR DROPPING BY ... Outfielder Kyle Peter, who had been on the disabled list since April 3, was activated and then added the Lakeland roster on Aug. 19. Peter played in four games for Lakeland – two as DH and two in left field – and on Monday was promoted to Erie. To take his roster spot, Detroit promoted Alexander Moreno form the GCL Tigers. Moreno played in five games in Lakeland from July 2-10 and batted .357 with four runs batted in.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jordan Lennerton is second in the Detroit minor league organization with a .305 average, trailing Alden Carrithers’ mark of .314 on the year. Adam Wilk is second with a 3.01 ERA while Luke Putkonen is fifth with a 3.43 mark and Jacob Turner is ninth with a 3.59 ERA. Gustavo Nunez leads all Detroit minor leaguers with 29 stolen bases. Lakeland is second to Toledo with a .258 team batting average and second to the GCL Tigers with a 3.46 staff ERA.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Aug. 21-23)
THE FLYING TIGERS (27-26, 64-59) - Jordan Lennerton broke out his Superman cape one more time on Saturday, clubbing a one-out homer in the top of the tenth inning to break a 4-4 tie and lift Lakeland to a 5-4 win over Brevard County in extra innings. It was Lennerton’s second go-ahead home run in extra innings in the last three games and his fourth homer in his last five games. The Flying Tigers have won five of their last seven, eight of the last 11, and 19 of the last 28 contests.
THE YANKEES (33-19, 69-51) ... Tampa got thrashed by the Threshers last night, falling 18-6 at Steinbrenner Field. Clearwater out hit Tampa 20-8 while the Yankees committed four errors. The Threshers had five doubles in the contest and were 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position. With the loss, Tampa’s lead in the North Division has fallen to just one game over Daytona.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sat: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)
Sun1: Luke Putkonen (8-6, 3.31, 76 K, 42 BB, 130.1 IP)
Sun2: TBA
Mon1: Mark Sorensen (9-11, 4.38, 93 K, 25 BB, 129.1 IP)
Mon2: Wilfredo Ramirez (0-1, 4.97, 34 K, 5 BB, 41.2 IP)
THE SERIES ... The Yankees lead the series 9-6 and has won the last four straight after Lakeland had won three straight. Tampa has out hit Lakeland .265 to .245, but the Flying Tigers have outscored the Yankees 59 to 54.
FIVE IN THREE ... The Flying Tigers and the Yankees will see quite a bit of each other over the weekend, playing five games between tonight and Monday. Thanks to rainouts on June 28 and 30 in Tampa, the two clubs will play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday. Sunday’s DH in Tampa will begin at 1 p.m. while Monday’s twin-bill to be played in Lakeland, will get underway at 5 p.m. Both doubleheaders will be two seven-inning contests.
JOLTIN’ JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton enters this series with a 10-game hit streak in which he is 18x40 (.450) with five homers and 12 runs batted in. In addition to homering in four of his last five games, Lennerton has driven in at least one run in nine straight games and has hits in 16 of his last 17 games. In those 17 games, he is batting .438 (28x64). Lennerton is second on the team with seven homers (two behind Billy Nowlin who is now at Erie). Five of Lennerton’s homers have come on the road.
OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD(S) ... Daniel Fields is 9x27 (.333) in his last seven games and with two more hits last night, now has 20 games with two hits. Fields is the team leader with 12 multi-RBI games including a four-RBI effort and three games with three runs batted in.
LATEST ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland added three players to their roster on Friday and promoted four others. Making the jump to AAA Toledo is outfielder Chris White who had just rejoined Lakeland from Erie on Aug. 17. Speaking of Erie, catcher John Murrian and outfielders Brent Wyatt and Matt Mansilla have earned tickets to join the AA Seawolves. A pair of Gulf Coast League players join Lakeland in catcher Gabriel Purroy and outfielder Luis Castillo. Kyle Peter was activated from the disabled list where he had been since April 24 with a right shoulder sprain. Castillo, who played briefly for Lakeland last season, was hitting .323 in 19 games in the GCL while Purroy was batting .258 with a pair of homers.
FIVE LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, only five players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - pitchers Erik Crichton, Luke Putkonen, Mark Sorensen and Adam Wilk, and shortstop Gustavo Nunez.
THAT’S A LOTTA INNINGS ... Adam Wilk, Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen have each pitched in 129 or more innings this season. Wilk leads the FSL with 143.2 innings while Putkonen has 130.1 innings of work and Sorensen has 129.1. This is the first time since 1997 that three Lakeland pitchers have tossed as many innings.
TEAM LEADER ... Gustavo Nunez leads Lakeland with 60 runs scored this season. The slick-fielding shortstop also leads the Flying Tigers with 106 hits and 28 stolen bases.
DE-FENSE! ... Lakeland is tied with Brevard County and Clearwater for the league lead in defense with a .977 fielding percentage. Gustavo Nunez continues to lead the league with a .958 fielding percentage. Nunez also leads all Florida State League shortstops with 569 total chances, 196 putouts, 349 assists and 696 double plays. Daniel Fields tops all qualifying outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage having not committed an error in 206 total chances. Before his recent promotion, Brent Wyatt was leading all FSL outfielders with 20 assists.
CLOSE THE DOOR ... Lakeland is 52-3 when leading after seven innings and 53-2 when leading after eight innings.
ANOTHER ONE-RUN DECISION ... Lakeland’s 5-4 win in ten innings last night at Brevard County was the Flying Tigers’ 45th game decided by just one score. Lakeland is 22-23 in those 45 games.
ONE IN, ONE OUT ... Another Lakeland alum, Alfredo Figaro has joined the big club where he appeared in one game this season on May 12 against the Yankees. Unfortunately, to make room on the Tigers’ roster, former Flying Tiger Robbie Weinhardt was sent back to Toledo.
BEST IN FOUR YEARS ... Lakeland’s current win total of 64 games, is the most wins since the 2006 team finished 68-68 under manager Mike Rojas.
THE D-SQUADS ... Once the Flying Tigers complete this series against the Yankees, it will be the Dunedin Blue Jays and Daytona Cubs providing the opposition for the rest of the 2010 season. After Monday’s home doubleheader, Lakeland hits the road for three games at Dunedin on Aug. 24-26 and then traverses the state to play the Cubs on Aug. 27-29. The squad will then have Aug. 30 off before opening a season-ending six-game homestand. The Blue Jays come to Lakeland on Aug. 31-Sept. 2 while the Cubs provide the final season opposition on Sept. 3-5.
THE YANKEES (33-19, 69-51) ... Tampa got thrashed by the Threshers last night, falling 18-6 at Steinbrenner Field. Clearwater out hit Tampa 20-8 while the Yankees committed four errors. The Threshers had five doubles in the contest and were 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position. With the loss, Tampa’s lead in the North Division has fallen to just one game over Daytona.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sat: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)
Sun1: Luke Putkonen (8-6, 3.31, 76 K, 42 BB, 130.1 IP)
Sun2: TBA
Mon1: Mark Sorensen (9-11, 4.38, 93 K, 25 BB, 129.1 IP)
Mon2: Wilfredo Ramirez (0-1, 4.97, 34 K, 5 BB, 41.2 IP)
THE SERIES ... The Yankees lead the series 9-6 and has won the last four straight after Lakeland had won three straight. Tampa has out hit Lakeland .265 to .245, but the Flying Tigers have outscored the Yankees 59 to 54.
FIVE IN THREE ... The Flying Tigers and the Yankees will see quite a bit of each other over the weekend, playing five games between tonight and Monday. Thanks to rainouts on June 28 and 30 in Tampa, the two clubs will play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday. Sunday’s DH in Tampa will begin at 1 p.m. while Monday’s twin-bill to be played in Lakeland, will get underway at 5 p.m. Both doubleheaders will be two seven-inning contests.
JOLTIN’ JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton enters this series with a 10-game hit streak in which he is 18x40 (.450) with five homers and 12 runs batted in. In addition to homering in four of his last five games, Lennerton has driven in at least one run in nine straight games and has hits in 16 of his last 17 games. In those 17 games, he is batting .438 (28x64). Lennerton is second on the team with seven homers (two behind Billy Nowlin who is now at Erie). Five of Lennerton’s homers have come on the road.
OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD(S) ... Daniel Fields is 9x27 (.333) in his last seven games and with two more hits last night, now has 20 games with two hits. Fields is the team leader with 12 multi-RBI games including a four-RBI effort and three games with three runs batted in.
LATEST ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland added three players to their roster on Friday and promoted four others. Making the jump to AAA Toledo is outfielder Chris White who had just rejoined Lakeland from Erie on Aug. 17. Speaking of Erie, catcher John Murrian and outfielders Brent Wyatt and Matt Mansilla have earned tickets to join the AA Seawolves. A pair of Gulf Coast League players join Lakeland in catcher Gabriel Purroy and outfielder Luis Castillo. Kyle Peter was activated from the disabled list where he had been since April 24 with a right shoulder sprain. Castillo, who played briefly for Lakeland last season, was hitting .323 in 19 games in the GCL while Purroy was batting .258 with a pair of homers.
FIVE LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, only five players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - pitchers Erik Crichton, Luke Putkonen, Mark Sorensen and Adam Wilk, and shortstop Gustavo Nunez.
THAT’S A LOTTA INNINGS ... Adam Wilk, Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen have each pitched in 129 or more innings this season. Wilk leads the FSL with 143.2 innings while Putkonen has 130.1 innings of work and Sorensen has 129.1. This is the first time since 1997 that three Lakeland pitchers have tossed as many innings.
TEAM LEADER ... Gustavo Nunez leads Lakeland with 60 runs scored this season. The slick-fielding shortstop also leads the Flying Tigers with 106 hits and 28 stolen bases.
DE-FENSE! ... Lakeland is tied with Brevard County and Clearwater for the league lead in defense with a .977 fielding percentage. Gustavo Nunez continues to lead the league with a .958 fielding percentage. Nunez also leads all Florida State League shortstops with 569 total chances, 196 putouts, 349 assists and 696 double plays. Daniel Fields tops all qualifying outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage having not committed an error in 206 total chances. Before his recent promotion, Brent Wyatt was leading all FSL outfielders with 20 assists.
CLOSE THE DOOR ... Lakeland is 52-3 when leading after seven innings and 53-2 when leading after eight innings.
ANOTHER ONE-RUN DECISION ... Lakeland’s 5-4 win in ten innings last night at Brevard County was the Flying Tigers’ 45th game decided by just one score. Lakeland is 22-23 in those 45 games.
ONE IN, ONE OUT ... Another Lakeland alum, Alfredo Figaro has joined the big club where he appeared in one game this season on May 12 against the Yankees. Unfortunately, to make room on the Tigers’ roster, former Flying Tiger Robbie Weinhardt was sent back to Toledo.
BEST IN FOUR YEARS ... Lakeland’s current win total of 64 games, is the most wins since the 2006 team finished 68-68 under manager Mike Rojas.
THE D-SQUADS ... Once the Flying Tigers complete this series against the Yankees, it will be the Dunedin Blue Jays and Daytona Cubs providing the opposition for the rest of the 2010 season. After Monday’s home doubleheader, Lakeland hits the road for three games at Dunedin on Aug. 24-26 and then traverses the state to play the Cubs on Aug. 27-29. The squad will then have Aug. 30 off before opening a season-ending six-game homestand. The Blue Jays come to Lakeland on Aug. 31-Sept. 2 while the Cubs provide the final season opposition on Sept. 3-5.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 18-20)
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-25, 62-58) - With a 14-inning win last night in Clearwater, Lakeland has now won six of its last eight and 11 of its last 16 games. The surge has the team trailing first place Tampa by 7.5 games. The Flying Tigers are 62-58 on the season, the first time they have been four games over .500 since June 25 when the team was 38-34. The best the team has been is on May 28 when they were ten games over .500 at 29-19.
THE MANATEES (30-22, 57-64) ... Brevard County has found a new team in the second half. After finishing last in the North Division in the first half with a 27-42 record, the Manatees are now 30-22 in the second half and trail Tampa by 3.5 games and the second place Daytona Cubs by 1.5 games. But, as of late, the team may be having flashbacks as they have dropped five of their last eight contests, including a 7-5 loss against the Blue Jays last night in Viera.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Mark Sorensen (8-11, 4.50, 89 K, 23 BB, 122.0 IP)
Thu: Job Kibler (4-4, 3.44, 49 K, 18 BB, 65.1 IP)
Fri: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland enjoys a 9-6 advantage in the 15 previous meetings this season. The Flying Tigers won the first five contests this season, but Brevard County has won six of the last 10. Brock Kjeldgaard has hit four home runs for the Manatees in the series. Lakeland has batted .259 in the previous games with a 3.37 ERA while Brevard County has hit .245 with a 3.21 ERA.
LONG BALL LENNERTON ... First baseman John Lennerton hit an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence to lead off the 14th inning last night in Clearwater and lift Lakeland to a 3-2 extra-inning win. It was the second straight game the former 33rd round draft pick has gone deep and his second 14th-inning home run of the season. Lennerton also homered in the 14th inning against Tampa in a 6-5, 14-inning loss on June 27 - his only Joker Marchant Stadium homer in his six blasts this season. Lennerton enters this series with an eight-game hit streak in which he is 12x27 for a .444 average with three homers and nine runs batted in. He has now driven in at least one run in each of his last six games and has hits in 13 of last 14 games for a .431 clip.
ONE OLD, ONE NEW ... Lakeland’s latest moves on the transaction wire see Chris White coming back to Lakeland from Erie while pitcher Matt Little was promoted from West Michigan. White returns to the Flying Tigers after his second stint with the AA Seawolves. Little, the Tigers’ 31st pick in this year’s draft out of Kentucky, was 1-0 with two saves and a 4.71 ERA in 15 games with the Whitecaps. At Kentucky, the 5’10” Little was 2-2 with seven saves and a 4.93 ERA. He becomes the third 2010 draftee to play for Lakeland this season, joining sixth-round pick Bryan Holaday and #25 pick Shawn Teufel.
THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG .... Matt Little had just been promoted to Lakeland and made his first appearance last night at Clearwater. Entering the 2-2 game in the 13th inning with a runner on second and one out, Little got the first batter he faced to ground out and then, with winning run now 90-feet away at third, struck out the next batter to end the Thresher threat. Jordan Lennerton opened the 14th with a home run, giving Little a win in his Lakeland debut.
SOARING SORENSEN ... Mark Sorensen is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts and just two walks in his last four starts.
KIBLER NAMED FSL PITCHER OF THE WEEK ... Congratulations to Jon Kibler on being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 9-15. Kibler was 1-0 in two games, tossing 14.0 scoreless innings while allowing 12 hits and striking out 11 and walking two. Kibler is the second straight Lakeland pitcher to earn the award joining Adam Wilk who was so honored last week.
FLYING TIGER ALUM EARNS EASTERN LEAGUE HONOR ... Kudos to former Flying Tiger Rawley Bishop who was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for Aug. 9-15. The Erie first baseman hit .565 for the week with 10 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 homers and 13 runs batted in.
HOT TURNER ... Jacob Turner is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 22 strikeouts and six walks in his last seven starts.
GUSTO AT THE PLATE ... All season long, Lakeland fans have marveled at his defensive ability at the shortstop position. Perhaps now, fans will now give Gustavo Nunez some love for his bat. In his last 17 games, Nunez is batting .338 (26x77) and has two games with three hits in the last three Lakeland contests. He has hits in 22 of his last 26 games and has 11 games in that span with two or more hits.
DID IT TO HIM, ONE MORE TIME ... Lakeland downed Clearwater, 9-2, in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader beating the Thresher’s Jesus Sanchez for the fifth time this season. He is 8-2 against the rest of the FSL.
NOTES FROM A 14-INNING AFFAIR ... Lakeland’s 14-inning win at Clearwater last night matched the longest game in terms of innings played for Lakeland this season as the club also went 14 frames on June 27 against Tampa. The game time of 4:16 was second only to the 4:27 it took to play the June 27 game. The Flying Tiger bullpen kept Clearwater scoreless in 7.2 innings pitched and allowed only four hits and struck out four. Only one Thresher batter drew a walk in the entire 14 innings. Meanwhile, Lakeland was issued 11 walks. Lakeland was 2x16 with runners in scoring position and left 18 on base.
LAKELAND ALUMS IN INDEPENDENT BALL ... Here’s a look at where some former Lakeland players are now playing in various independent baseball leagues. Pitcher Chad Linder (2009) is with the Sherveport-Bossier Captains in the American Association. Several former players are competing in the Atlantic League including: Juan Francia (2005-06) who is playing for the Camden Riversharks; Randy Leek (2000) who is pitching for the Long Island Ducks; Daryle Ward (1996) and Eric Munson (1999) who are playing with the Newark Bears; and Michael Hernandez (2007) who is an outfielder with the Somerset Patriots. In the Canadian-American League, Angel Flores (2010) is a catcher with the New Jersey Jackals, Vince Blue (2005) is an outfielder with the Sussex Skyhawks and Alex Trezza (2003-04) is a catcher with the Worcester Tornadoes. Santo DeLeon (2008-09) is a third baseman with the Chico Outlaws while Brian Rios (1999) is a player/coach with the Victoria Seals in the Golden Baseball League. Drew Graham (2009) and Justin Justice (2007-08) play for the Winnipeg Goldeneyes in the Northern League. Maiko Loyola (2009) is an outfielder with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League. By the way, one of Loyola’s teammates of former major leagues Jose Canseco.
THE MANATEES (30-22, 57-64) ... Brevard County has found a new team in the second half. After finishing last in the North Division in the first half with a 27-42 record, the Manatees are now 30-22 in the second half and trail Tampa by 3.5 games and the second place Daytona Cubs by 1.5 games. But, as of late, the team may be having flashbacks as they have dropped five of their last eight contests, including a 7-5 loss against the Blue Jays last night in Viera.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Mark Sorensen (8-11, 4.50, 89 K, 23 BB, 122.0 IP)
Thu: Job Kibler (4-4, 3.44, 49 K, 18 BB, 65.1 IP)
Fri: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland enjoys a 9-6 advantage in the 15 previous meetings this season. The Flying Tigers won the first five contests this season, but Brevard County has won six of the last 10. Brock Kjeldgaard has hit four home runs for the Manatees in the series. Lakeland has batted .259 in the previous games with a 3.37 ERA while Brevard County has hit .245 with a 3.21 ERA.
LONG BALL LENNERTON ... First baseman John Lennerton hit an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence to lead off the 14th inning last night in Clearwater and lift Lakeland to a 3-2 extra-inning win. It was the second straight game the former 33rd round draft pick has gone deep and his second 14th-inning home run of the season. Lennerton also homered in the 14th inning against Tampa in a 6-5, 14-inning loss on June 27 - his only Joker Marchant Stadium homer in his six blasts this season. Lennerton enters this series with an eight-game hit streak in which he is 12x27 for a .444 average with three homers and nine runs batted in. He has now driven in at least one run in each of his last six games and has hits in 13 of last 14 games for a .431 clip.
ONE OLD, ONE NEW ... Lakeland’s latest moves on the transaction wire see Chris White coming back to Lakeland from Erie while pitcher Matt Little was promoted from West Michigan. White returns to the Flying Tigers after his second stint with the AA Seawolves. Little, the Tigers’ 31st pick in this year’s draft out of Kentucky, was 1-0 with two saves and a 4.71 ERA in 15 games with the Whitecaps. At Kentucky, the 5’10” Little was 2-2 with seven saves and a 4.93 ERA. He becomes the third 2010 draftee to play for Lakeland this season, joining sixth-round pick Bryan Holaday and #25 pick Shawn Teufel.
THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG .... Matt Little had just been promoted to Lakeland and made his first appearance last night at Clearwater. Entering the 2-2 game in the 13th inning with a runner on second and one out, Little got the first batter he faced to ground out and then, with winning run now 90-feet away at third, struck out the next batter to end the Thresher threat. Jordan Lennerton opened the 14th with a home run, giving Little a win in his Lakeland debut.
SOARING SORENSEN ... Mark Sorensen is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts and just two walks in his last four starts.
KIBLER NAMED FSL PITCHER OF THE WEEK ... Congratulations to Jon Kibler on being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 9-15. Kibler was 1-0 in two games, tossing 14.0 scoreless innings while allowing 12 hits and striking out 11 and walking two. Kibler is the second straight Lakeland pitcher to earn the award joining Adam Wilk who was so honored last week.
FLYING TIGER ALUM EARNS EASTERN LEAGUE HONOR ... Kudos to former Flying Tiger Rawley Bishop who was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for Aug. 9-15. The Erie first baseman hit .565 for the week with 10 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 homers and 13 runs batted in.
HOT TURNER ... Jacob Turner is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 22 strikeouts and six walks in his last seven starts.
GUSTO AT THE PLATE ... All season long, Lakeland fans have marveled at his defensive ability at the shortstop position. Perhaps now, fans will now give Gustavo Nunez some love for his bat. In his last 17 games, Nunez is batting .338 (26x77) and has two games with three hits in the last three Lakeland contests. He has hits in 22 of his last 26 games and has 11 games in that span with two or more hits.
DID IT TO HIM, ONE MORE TIME ... Lakeland downed Clearwater, 9-2, in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader beating the Thresher’s Jesus Sanchez for the fifth time this season. He is 8-2 against the rest of the FSL.
NOTES FROM A 14-INNING AFFAIR ... Lakeland’s 14-inning win at Clearwater last night matched the longest game in terms of innings played for Lakeland this season as the club also went 14 frames on June 27 against Tampa. The game time of 4:16 was second only to the 4:27 it took to play the June 27 game. The Flying Tiger bullpen kept Clearwater scoreless in 7.2 innings pitched and allowed only four hits and struck out four. Only one Thresher batter drew a walk in the entire 14 innings. Meanwhile, Lakeland was issued 11 walks. Lakeland was 2x16 with runners in scoring position and left 18 on base.
LAKELAND ALUMS IN INDEPENDENT BALL ... Here’s a look at where some former Lakeland players are now playing in various independent baseball leagues. Pitcher Chad Linder (2009) is with the Sherveport-Bossier Captains in the American Association. Several former players are competing in the Atlantic League including: Juan Francia (2005-06) who is playing for the Camden Riversharks; Randy Leek (2000) who is pitching for the Long Island Ducks; Daryle Ward (1996) and Eric Munson (1999) who are playing with the Newark Bears; and Michael Hernandez (2007) who is an outfielder with the Somerset Patriots. In the Canadian-American League, Angel Flores (2010) is a catcher with the New Jersey Jackals, Vince Blue (2005) is an outfielder with the Sussex Skyhawks and Alex Trezza (2003-04) is a catcher with the Worcester Tornadoes. Santo DeLeon (2008-09) is a third baseman with the Chico Outlaws while Brian Rios (1999) is a player/coach with the Victoria Seals in the Golden Baseball League. Drew Graham (2009) and Justin Justice (2007-08) play for the Winnipeg Goldeneyes in the Northern League. Maiko Loyola (2009) is an outfielder with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League. By the way, one of Loyola’s teammates of former major leagues Jose Canseco.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 15-17)
THE FLYING TIGERS (22-24, 59-57) - Lakeland enters this series as winners of five of their last seven games and 14 of the last 21 games. Unfortunately, the team’s dismal 2-9 start to open the second half has the club standing at 22-24 and 8.0 games back in the North Division’s second half standings. Daytona leads the race with Tampa just 1.0 game back. Overall, Lakeland is 59-57 on the season. The 59 wins is more than the 2007 and 2009 teams finished the season with. The Flying Tigers are 26-31 on the road this season and 30-38 within the Division. Lakeland is batting .261 on the year while the pitching staff has the third best ERA in the league with a 3.46 mark. One reason for the low ERA is that Lakeland has walked the fewest batters (253) of any staff in the FSL. The low walk total does not equate with a high strikeout mark, however, as Lakeland has whiffed the third fewest batters in the league.
THE THRESHERS (21-27, 58-60) ... Clearwater, coming off a 9-1 win over Tampa last night, is also on a little surge as of late winning six of its last nine games and is 10.0 games back in North Division, two games behind Lakeland and one game ahead of Dunedin, which won the first half and has already qualified for the Florida State League playoffs. The Threshers are 34-24 at home and 40-30 within the North Division. Clearwater is hitting .264 for the season while the pitching staff has a combined 3.93 ERA. One reason for the high ERA may be the fact that the Threshers are tied with Bradenton for the most homers allowed this season (76). The pitching corps does, however, rank third in strikeouts.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sun: Jon Kibler (3-4, 3.86, 43 K, 16 BB, 58.1 IP)
Mon-1: Jacob Turner (3-2, 4.14, 30 K, 10 BB, 41.1 IP)
Mon-2: Wildredo Ramirez (0-1, 5.11, 29 K, 5 BB, 37.0 IP)
Tue: Luke Putkonen (8-6, 3.34, 71 K, 42 BB, 124.0 IP)
THE SERIES ... Clearwater won seven of the first nine meetings between the two clubs, but Lakeland has won three of the last five. The Flying Tigers are hitting .251 in the series with a 3.98 ERA while the Threshers are batting .274 in the 14 games while the pitching staff has a 3.94 ERA. Clearwater has outscored Lakeland by a slim 61-58 margin in the series.
DOUBLE DIP ON MONDAY ... The August 11 postponed game between the Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Clearwater Threshers will be made up in Clearwater on Monday, August 16 as part of a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. with the second game starting approximately 25 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be seven inning contests and Clearwater will be the home team for both games.
MLB REHAB ... Philadelphia Phillies’ second baseman Chase Utley is currently on a rehab assignment with the Clearwater Threshers. The five-time Major League All-Star injured his thumb while sliding in the June 28 game at Cincinnati and underwent surgery on July 1. He returns to Clearwater where he batted .257 in 2001.
THROW YOUR BEST AT US ... Pitcher Jesus Sanchez leads the FSL with a 2.77 ERA to go with his 8-6 record. However, four of his losses have come at the hands of the Flying Tigers, including a 4-0 loss in his last start on August 10 in Lakeland. Sanchez is 1-4 with a 3.34 ERA against Lakeland this season and 7-2 with a 2.58 ERA against the rest of the league.
THRESHERS IN THE FSL ... Pitcher Austin Hyatt is tied for the league lead with 11 wins and is fourth in the league with a 3.04 ERA. Tim Kennelly is tenth with a .286 batting average. In addition to having the best ERA in the league as mentioned, Jesus Sanchez leads the FSL with a 1.06 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) while Hyatt is second at 1.09. The duo is tied for second in opponents’ batting average with both allowing a .228 mark. Hyatt is also second with 11.50 strikeouts per nine innings. Heitor Correa has been called for a FSL-high five balks this season.
LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Pitcher Adam Wilk is fifth in the FSL with a 3.05 ERA while Luke Putkonen is eighth with a 3.34 ERA. Wilk leads the league with 138.2 innings pitched and 1.23 walks allowed per nine innings while third with a 1.10 WHIP. Mark Sorensen is second with 1.62 walks issued per nine frames. Gustavo Nunez is tied for the league lead with 11 sacrifice bunts.
STINGY PITCHERS ... The league’s three best pitchers, in terms of allowing the fewest baserunners, are on the two staffs in this series. Clearwater’s Jesus Sanchez has allowed a league-low 10.00 baserunners (thru hits, walks and hit batsmen) while Lakeland’s Adam Wilk is second with a 10.06 ratio. The Threshers’ Austin Hyatt is third with 10.38 baserunners allowed.
FLYING HIGH ... Jordan Lennerton is 17x40 (.425) his last ten games and has hits in nine of his last ten, including five games with two or more hits. Brent Wyatt is 7x17 (.412) his last six games and 15x43 (.349) in his last 15 contests. Francisco Martinez is 7x19 (.368) his last five games. Gustavo Nunez is 19x59 (.322) his last 13 games and enters this series with a nine-game hit streak in which he is 13x40 (.325). Pat McKenna is 14x44 (.318) in the 13 games he has started since joining the club. John Murrian is 13x44 (.295) his last 12 games.
ARMS UP ... Mark Sorensen is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts in his last four starts. Jacon Turner is 3-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his last six starts. Jay Voss has a 1.29 ERA in his last nine relief appearances. Jared Gayhart has seven saves and a 2.35 ERA in his last 14 trips out of the bullpen. Jon Kibler worked seven scoreless innings in his last start on Aug. 9 against the Threshers. Luke Putkonen tossed six shutout innings against Clearwater on Aug. 12 in his last start.
FSL NUMBERS ... As a whole, Florida State League teams have a .255 batting average. Combined, FSL batters have made 52,799 trips to the plate this season and scored 5,909 runs on 11,993 hits. There have been 2,378 doubles, 350 triples and 708 homers hit so far this season. Almost 750 batters have been hit by a pitch while 136 have been intentionally walked. Once on base, 1,270 total stolen bases have been accumulated while 539 have been gunned down on the base paths.
LAKELAND INSIDE THE NUMBERS ... Lakeland is 21-23 in one-run games; 10-9 in shutouts; 4-7 in extra innings; 41-15 when outhitting opponents; 46-22 when scoring four or more runs; 13-35 when being held to three or fewer runs; 7-7 on Sundays; 5-6 on Mondays; 11-8 on Tuesdays; 11-5 on Wednesdays; 8-11 on Thursdays; 10-8 on Fridays; 7-12 on Saturdays.
THE THRESHERS (21-27, 58-60) ... Clearwater, coming off a 9-1 win over Tampa last night, is also on a little surge as of late winning six of its last nine games and is 10.0 games back in North Division, two games behind Lakeland and one game ahead of Dunedin, which won the first half and has already qualified for the Florida State League playoffs. The Threshers are 34-24 at home and 40-30 within the North Division. Clearwater is hitting .264 for the season while the pitching staff has a combined 3.93 ERA. One reason for the high ERA may be the fact that the Threshers are tied with Bradenton for the most homers allowed this season (76). The pitching corps does, however, rank third in strikeouts.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sun: Jon Kibler (3-4, 3.86, 43 K, 16 BB, 58.1 IP)
Mon-1: Jacob Turner (3-2, 4.14, 30 K, 10 BB, 41.1 IP)
Mon-2: Wildredo Ramirez (0-1, 5.11, 29 K, 5 BB, 37.0 IP)
Tue: Luke Putkonen (8-6, 3.34, 71 K, 42 BB, 124.0 IP)
THE SERIES ... Clearwater won seven of the first nine meetings between the two clubs, but Lakeland has won three of the last five. The Flying Tigers are hitting .251 in the series with a 3.98 ERA while the Threshers are batting .274 in the 14 games while the pitching staff has a 3.94 ERA. Clearwater has outscored Lakeland by a slim 61-58 margin in the series.
DOUBLE DIP ON MONDAY ... The August 11 postponed game between the Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Clearwater Threshers will be made up in Clearwater on Monday, August 16 as part of a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. with the second game starting approximately 25 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be seven inning contests and Clearwater will be the home team for both games.
MLB REHAB ... Philadelphia Phillies’ second baseman Chase Utley is currently on a rehab assignment with the Clearwater Threshers. The five-time Major League All-Star injured his thumb while sliding in the June 28 game at Cincinnati and underwent surgery on July 1. He returns to Clearwater where he batted .257 in 2001.
THROW YOUR BEST AT US ... Pitcher Jesus Sanchez leads the FSL with a 2.77 ERA to go with his 8-6 record. However, four of his losses have come at the hands of the Flying Tigers, including a 4-0 loss in his last start on August 10 in Lakeland. Sanchez is 1-4 with a 3.34 ERA against Lakeland this season and 7-2 with a 2.58 ERA against the rest of the league.
THRESHERS IN THE FSL ... Pitcher Austin Hyatt is tied for the league lead with 11 wins and is fourth in the league with a 3.04 ERA. Tim Kennelly is tenth with a .286 batting average. In addition to having the best ERA in the league as mentioned, Jesus Sanchez leads the FSL with a 1.06 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) while Hyatt is second at 1.09. The duo is tied for second in opponents’ batting average with both allowing a .228 mark. Hyatt is also second with 11.50 strikeouts per nine innings. Heitor Correa has been called for a FSL-high five balks this season.
LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Pitcher Adam Wilk is fifth in the FSL with a 3.05 ERA while Luke Putkonen is eighth with a 3.34 ERA. Wilk leads the league with 138.2 innings pitched and 1.23 walks allowed per nine innings while third with a 1.10 WHIP. Mark Sorensen is second with 1.62 walks issued per nine frames. Gustavo Nunez is tied for the league lead with 11 sacrifice bunts.
STINGY PITCHERS ... The league’s three best pitchers, in terms of allowing the fewest baserunners, are on the two staffs in this series. Clearwater’s Jesus Sanchez has allowed a league-low 10.00 baserunners (thru hits, walks and hit batsmen) while Lakeland’s Adam Wilk is second with a 10.06 ratio. The Threshers’ Austin Hyatt is third with 10.38 baserunners allowed.
FLYING HIGH ... Jordan Lennerton is 17x40 (.425) his last ten games and has hits in nine of his last ten, including five games with two or more hits. Brent Wyatt is 7x17 (.412) his last six games and 15x43 (.349) in his last 15 contests. Francisco Martinez is 7x19 (.368) his last five games. Gustavo Nunez is 19x59 (.322) his last 13 games and enters this series with a nine-game hit streak in which he is 13x40 (.325). Pat McKenna is 14x44 (.318) in the 13 games he has started since joining the club. John Murrian is 13x44 (.295) his last 12 games.
ARMS UP ... Mark Sorensen is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts in his last four starts. Jacon Turner is 3-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his last six starts. Jay Voss has a 1.29 ERA in his last nine relief appearances. Jared Gayhart has seven saves and a 2.35 ERA in his last 14 trips out of the bullpen. Jon Kibler worked seven scoreless innings in his last start on Aug. 9 against the Threshers. Luke Putkonen tossed six shutout innings against Clearwater on Aug. 12 in his last start.
FSL NUMBERS ... As a whole, Florida State League teams have a .255 batting average. Combined, FSL batters have made 52,799 trips to the plate this season and scored 5,909 runs on 11,993 hits. There have been 2,378 doubles, 350 triples and 708 homers hit so far this season. Almost 750 batters have been hit by a pitch while 136 have been intentionally walked. Once on base, 1,270 total stolen bases have been accumulated while 539 have been gunned down on the base paths.
LAKELAND INSIDE THE NUMBERS ... Lakeland is 21-23 in one-run games; 10-9 in shutouts; 4-7 in extra innings; 41-15 when outhitting opponents; 46-22 when scoring four or more runs; 13-35 when being held to three or fewer runs; 7-7 on Sundays; 5-6 on Mondays; 11-8 on Tuesdays; 11-5 on Wednesdays; 8-11 on Thursdays; 10-8 on Fridays; 7-12 on Saturdays.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 12-14)
THE FLYING TIGERS (20-23, 57-55) - Winners of six of their last nine, the Flying Tigers are 20-23 in the second half and 57-56 overall. Lakeland had won three of the last four, including two games by shutout. Wednesday’s game was postponed due to wet grounds and will be made up as part of a doubleheader in Clearwater during the Aug. 15-17 series.
THE MANATEES (27-18, 55-60) ... Brevard County, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, rebounded from a dismal 27-42 first half and is now nine games over .500 in the second half, 2.5 games behind Tampa and 1.5 games behind Daytona. The Manatees have split their last six games, but are winners of three of the last four. Like Lakeland, Brevard County did not play Wednesday night, but for the Manatees, it was a scheduled off night.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Thu: Luke Putkonen (7-6, 3.51, 67 K, 39 BB, 118.0 IP)
Fri: Mark Sorensen (7-11, 4.50, 87 K, 22 BB, 116.0 IP)
Sat: Adam Wilk (9-4, 2.99, 91 K, 16 BB, 135.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland has a 7-5 advantage in the series, but the Manatees have won two in a row and four of the last five meetings. The two clubs are almost equal at the plate in the series as Lakeland has a .242 average against Brevard County while the Manatees are hitting .244 against the Flying Tigers. Brevard County has scored 42 runs in the 12 games while Lakeland has crossed the plate 39 times. The big difference comes in the pitching as the Manatees have a 2.97 ERA while Lakeland has a 3.44 ERA in the series.
WILK EARNS FSL HONOR ... Adam Wilk was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week Aug. 2-8. Wilk started and won two games in the week, allowing just one run on 10 hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks for a 0.60 ERA over 15 innings. He is the second Lakeland pitcher to earn the honor this season, joining Charlie Furbush who was picked for the week of May 24-30. In addition, Brett Wyatt was named as FSL Player of the Week for May 17-23.
THE UNTOUCHABLES ... Lakeland starting pitchers have combined to throw 20.1 scoreless innings over the last three games while the bullpen has been touched for just one run over 6.2 innings. Mathematicians out there will realize that’s 27.0 innings (or three nine inning games) with just one opponent crossing the plate. Adam Wilk got the ball rolling with eight scoreless innings on Aug. 7 at Charlotte in a 1-0 win. Jon Kibler followed on Aug. 8 with seven innings of zeros while Jacob Turner did his part on Aug. 10 tossing 5.1 shutout innings at Clearwater on two hits. All three hurlers struck out five batters in their outings. Turner is 3-1 with a 1.84 ERA with 20 punch-outs and five walks in his last six starts.
MARVELOUS MARK ... Starter Mark Sorensen is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last three starts with 16 strikeouts and just one walk in 18.1 innings pitched.
THE HITTER JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton has carried a hot bat to the plate as of late, going 12x28 over the last seven games for a .429 clip. He is also 20x58 (.345) in his last 14 games.
PAT THE BAT ... Second baseman Patrick McKenna has started 11 games for Lakeland since joining the club on July 19 and has responded with a 14x37 effort at the plate for a .378 average as a starter.
CATCHER OR DH? ... Bryan Holaday has started 16 games behind the plate and six games as the designated hitter since joining Lakeland on June 7. In his 16 games behind the dish, Holaday is 15x57 (.263) with two homers and six runs batted in. As the DH, the former sixth-round pick is 12x31 (.387), and has driven in one run with no homers.
RED-HOT RIJO ... Outfielder Samir Rijo is 8x22 in his last seven games for a .364 batting average in that stretch.
HIGH NOON-YES ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez is 15x46 during the last 10 games for a .326 mark. He now has a team-best 28 multi-hit games, including four games with three hits.
WICKED WYATT ... Outfielder Brett Wyatt is 11x36 (.306) in his last 13 games.
FEASTING ON TIGER ... Brevard County’s Brock Kjeldgaard is batting .295 in 12 games against Lakeland and has hit four home runs int he series - the most of any Flying Tiger opponent this season.
CLOSE ONES ... Four of Lakeland’s last five games have been decided by just one run with the Flying Tigers splitting the four contests. This season, Lakeland has a 20-23 in one-run games, but has won eight of the last 11 games decided by one run.
BLANK ‘EM ... The last three Lakeland games have ended in a shutout with Lakeland coming out on top in two of those outings. Overall, Lakeland has a 10-9 record in shutout games.
TEN GAMES OVER ... Lakeland finished with a 29-19 record against the South Division including a eight-game season series sweep of Jupiter. Lakeland was 6-2 against St. Lucie and 5-3 against Charlotte. Fort Myers and Palm Beach each posted a 5-3 record against Lakeland while the Flying Tigers split eight games with Bradenton.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT ... After Thursday’s home game, Lakeland has just ten home games left in the 2010 season. The Flying Tigers will host Brevard County for a two-game series once again on Aug. 18-19 and then the Tampa Yankees come to town on Aug. 21 and 22. The squad then hits the road for two three-game series at Dunedin and Daytona before returning home on Aug. 31 to close out the season with a six-game homestand against the Blue Jays and Cubs.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jordan Lennerton is batting .289 to rank fifth in the Detroit minor league organization. Gustavo Nunez leads all Tiger minor leaguers with 23 stolen bases. Adam Wilk ranks third with a 2.99 ERA and is tied for second with nine wins. Luke Putkonen is eighth with a 3.51 ERA.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Alden Carrithers leads Detroit minor leaguers with a .310 batting average while Kody Kaiser is third with a .300 mark and fifth with 60 runs batted in. Rawley Bishop is ninth with a .276 stat and is second with 67 RBI. Bryan Villarreal is sixth with a 3.31 ERA while Charlie Furbush is 10th with a 3.69 ERA. Furbush has a huge lead in the strikeout department with 163 - 53 more than Villarreal’s second place total of 110. Lester Oliveros has 15 saves to rank second in the organization.
THE MANATEES (27-18, 55-60) ... Brevard County, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, rebounded from a dismal 27-42 first half and is now nine games over .500 in the second half, 2.5 games behind Tampa and 1.5 games behind Daytona. The Manatees have split their last six games, but are winners of three of the last four. Like Lakeland, Brevard County did not play Wednesday night, but for the Manatees, it was a scheduled off night.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Thu: Luke Putkonen (7-6, 3.51, 67 K, 39 BB, 118.0 IP)
Fri: Mark Sorensen (7-11, 4.50, 87 K, 22 BB, 116.0 IP)
Sat: Adam Wilk (9-4, 2.99, 91 K, 16 BB, 135.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland has a 7-5 advantage in the series, but the Manatees have won two in a row and four of the last five meetings. The two clubs are almost equal at the plate in the series as Lakeland has a .242 average against Brevard County while the Manatees are hitting .244 against the Flying Tigers. Brevard County has scored 42 runs in the 12 games while Lakeland has crossed the plate 39 times. The big difference comes in the pitching as the Manatees have a 2.97 ERA while Lakeland has a 3.44 ERA in the series.
WILK EARNS FSL HONOR ... Adam Wilk was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week Aug. 2-8. Wilk started and won two games in the week, allowing just one run on 10 hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks for a 0.60 ERA over 15 innings. He is the second Lakeland pitcher to earn the honor this season, joining Charlie Furbush who was picked for the week of May 24-30. In addition, Brett Wyatt was named as FSL Player of the Week for May 17-23.
THE UNTOUCHABLES ... Lakeland starting pitchers have combined to throw 20.1 scoreless innings over the last three games while the bullpen has been touched for just one run over 6.2 innings. Mathematicians out there will realize that’s 27.0 innings (or three nine inning games) with just one opponent crossing the plate. Adam Wilk got the ball rolling with eight scoreless innings on Aug. 7 at Charlotte in a 1-0 win. Jon Kibler followed on Aug. 8 with seven innings of zeros while Jacob Turner did his part on Aug. 10 tossing 5.1 shutout innings at Clearwater on two hits. All three hurlers struck out five batters in their outings. Turner is 3-1 with a 1.84 ERA with 20 punch-outs and five walks in his last six starts.
MARVELOUS MARK ... Starter Mark Sorensen is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last three starts with 16 strikeouts and just one walk in 18.1 innings pitched.
THE HITTER JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton has carried a hot bat to the plate as of late, going 12x28 over the last seven games for a .429 clip. He is also 20x58 (.345) in his last 14 games.
PAT THE BAT ... Second baseman Patrick McKenna has started 11 games for Lakeland since joining the club on July 19 and has responded with a 14x37 effort at the plate for a .378 average as a starter.
CATCHER OR DH? ... Bryan Holaday has started 16 games behind the plate and six games as the designated hitter since joining Lakeland on June 7. In his 16 games behind the dish, Holaday is 15x57 (.263) with two homers and six runs batted in. As the DH, the former sixth-round pick is 12x31 (.387), and has driven in one run with no homers.
RED-HOT RIJO ... Outfielder Samir Rijo is 8x22 in his last seven games for a .364 batting average in that stretch.
HIGH NOON-YES ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez is 15x46 during the last 10 games for a .326 mark. He now has a team-best 28 multi-hit games, including four games with three hits.
WICKED WYATT ... Outfielder Brett Wyatt is 11x36 (.306) in his last 13 games.
FEASTING ON TIGER ... Brevard County’s Brock Kjeldgaard is batting .295 in 12 games against Lakeland and has hit four home runs int he series - the most of any Flying Tiger opponent this season.
CLOSE ONES ... Four of Lakeland’s last five games have been decided by just one run with the Flying Tigers splitting the four contests. This season, Lakeland has a 20-23 in one-run games, but has won eight of the last 11 games decided by one run.
BLANK ‘EM ... The last three Lakeland games have ended in a shutout with Lakeland coming out on top in two of those outings. Overall, Lakeland has a 10-9 record in shutout games.
TEN GAMES OVER ... Lakeland finished with a 29-19 record against the South Division including a eight-game season series sweep of Jupiter. Lakeland was 6-2 against St. Lucie and 5-3 against Charlotte. Fort Myers and Palm Beach each posted a 5-3 record against Lakeland while the Flying Tigers split eight games with Bradenton.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT ... After Thursday’s home game, Lakeland has just ten home games left in the 2010 season. The Flying Tigers will host Brevard County for a two-game series once again on Aug. 18-19 and then the Tampa Yankees come to town on Aug. 21 and 22. The squad then hits the road for two three-game series at Dunedin and Daytona before returning home on Aug. 31 to close out the season with a six-game homestand against the Blue Jays and Cubs.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jordan Lennerton is batting .289 to rank fifth in the Detroit minor league organization. Gustavo Nunez leads all Tiger minor leaguers with 23 stolen bases. Adam Wilk ranks third with a 2.99 ERA and is tied for second with nine wins. Luke Putkonen is eighth with a 3.51 ERA.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Alden Carrithers leads Detroit minor leaguers with a .310 batting average while Kody Kaiser is third with a .300 mark and fifth with 60 runs batted in. Rawley Bishop is ninth with a .276 stat and is second with 67 RBI. Bryan Villarreal is sixth with a 3.31 ERA while Charlie Furbush is 10th with a 3.69 ERA. Furbush has a huge lead in the strikeout department with 163 - 53 more than Villarreal’s second place total of 110. Lester Oliveros has 15 saves to rank second in the organization.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 9-11)
THE FLYING TIGERS (19-22, 56-55) - Winners of six of their last nine contests, the Flying Tigers are in fourth place in the North Division, 8.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Yankees. Lakeland is tied for fourth in the league with a .260 batting average and third with a 3.52 staff ERA.
THE THRESHERS (18-25, 55-58) ... Clearwater, winner of four of its last six games, enters the series in last place in the North Division, 10.5 games behind the Yankees. The Threshers are third in the league with a .262 batting average and tenth with a 3.91 staff ERA. Clearwater pitchers have surrendered 73 home runs this season - most of any FSL team.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Jon Kibler, LAK (2-1, 4.99, 21 K, 8 BB, 30.2 IP) vs. Edgar Garcia, CLR (2-2, 4.29, 66 K, 21 BB, 65.0 IP)
Thu: Jacob Turner, LAK (7-6, 3.54, 64 K, 37 BB, 112.0 IP) vs. Phillippe Aumont, CLR (2-3, 3.97, 49 K, 29 BB, 45.1 IP)
Mon: Luke Putkonen, LAK (6-11, 4.58, 84 K, 33 BB, 110.1 IP) vs. Hector Correa (6-11, 5.63, 73 K, 48 BB, 115.0 IP)
THE SERIES ... Clearwater enjoys a 8-4 advantage in this year’s series, but Lakeland has won two of the last three.
STARTERS GETTING IT DONE ... In their last four games, Jacob Turner, Luke Putkonen, Mark Sorensen and Adam Wilk had earned their keep, posting a 2.13 ERA as a group. The quartet has struck out 15 and walked four over 25.1 innings pitched.
SPEAKING OF WILK ... Adam Wilk is third in the FSL with a 2.99 ERA to go with his 9.4 record and leads the league with 135.1 innings pitched. He is also third with a 1.07 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) and has walked just 1.06 batters per nine innings - best in the Florida State League. In his last two games, he has allowed just one run while striking out 10 and walking none.
DEFENSE HOLDING TOUGH ... Lakeland continues to lead the Florida State League with a .978 fielding percentage. Gustavo Nunez also continues to lead all FSL shortstops in fielding percentage with a .964 mark as well as total chances (524), putouts (180), assists (325) and double plays (64). Center fielder Daniel Fields has played 80 games and handled 182 chances without committing an error.
THEY WEREN’T STRIKING OUT ENOUGH? ... Lakeland is 6-3 in its last nine games and the answer may be their ability to strike out? Eight times in the last nine games the Flying Tigers have struck out 10 or more times, including a season high 19 in Saturday’s game.
COULD GET DRAFTY ... Fans might get a chill courtesy of swings and misses during the Clearwater series as the Threshers pitchers rank third in the league with 882 strikeouts (Charlotte is first with 959). With 103 K’s in their last nine games, Lakeland batters have struck out 844 times - fifth most of any FSL club.
FOND MEMORIES ... Catcher Bryan Holaday has happy memories of his last meeting with the Threshers. In addition to making his professional debut against Clearwater, Holaday made it a memorable one as the Tigers’ sixth-round pick went 5x5 with a double and three runs scored in the game. The game came just two days after Holaday had signed his contract with Detroit.
TIME FOR JAIL BREAK? ... Lakeland enters this series with 110 stolen bases - fourth most in the FSL while Clearwater catchers are last in the league throwing out just 23.2 percent of would-be base stealers. Clearwater is third in the league with 118 thefts and Lakeland catchers are ninth, throwing out 27.1 percent.
TOUGHEST TO STEAL AGAINST ... Lakeland has the most success throwing out base stealers when Mark Sorensen is on the mound. Opponents have stolen just three bases and been caught stealing seven times with Sorensen pitching. The 70 percent is the best among all FSL pitchers. Sorensen is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 16 strikeouts with one walk his last three starts.
TURNING THEM BACK ... Jacob Turner is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA with 15 strikeouts and five walks his last five starts.
LENNERTON BRINGS THE STICK ... Jordan Lennerton has a five-game hit streak entering this series and is 10x21 during those five games for a .476 clip.
NUNEZ STEPPING UP AT THE PLATE ... Known for his defense, shortstop Gustavo Nunez may now cause opponents to notice his bat as well. In his last eight games, Nunez is 12x38 for a .316 mark. He is team’s active leader with 26 multi-hit games.
FROM THE PEN ... Jared Gayhart is 1-1 with sixs saves in the last 12 appearances out of the Lakeland bullpen. The former 13th round pick has allowed just three earned runs in 14.2 innings in that stretch for a 1.84 ERA. Jay Voss has a 1.38 ERA in his last eight appearances.
10-YEAR VET ... Clearwater pitcher Juan Sandoval is in his 10th season in professional baseball. Originally signed by Seattle as a non-drafted free agent in 2000, Sandoval was a member of the Mariners’ organization for eight seasons before going to the Brewers in a Rule V draft in 2008. He was signed by the Phillies to a minor league contract in 2010.
FORMER LAKELAND SKIPPER PROMOTED ... Former Lakeland manager Mike Rojas was named Director of Player Development by Detroit on Friday. He will work directly with Dan Lunetta, the club’s Director of Minor League Operations, in overseeing the Tigers minor league system. In his new role, Rojas is directly responsible for all the on-field instruction at the minor league level during Spring Training, the regular season and instructional league.
Rojas joined the Tigers organization as the manager at Single A Oneonta in 2004, before he served as the manager at High-A Lakeland for two seasons (2005-06) and Triple A Toledo for one season (2007). He was named the organization’s minor league field coordinator prior to the 2008 season, a position he held until the recent promotion.
EX-TIGER LARISH MAKES IMPACT ... Former Lakeland Tiger Jeff Larish (2006) recently joined the Oakland organization and quickly made an impact with the A’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. In just his third day with his new club, Larish drove in 10 runs in a doubleheader on Aug. 6. Larish went 2x4 in the opening game with a three-run homer. In the nightcap, the former Detroit fifth-round pick hit two home runs for seven runs batted in.
THE THRESHERS (18-25, 55-58) ... Clearwater, winner of four of its last six games, enters the series in last place in the North Division, 10.5 games behind the Yankees. The Threshers are third in the league with a .262 batting average and tenth with a 3.91 staff ERA. Clearwater pitchers have surrendered 73 home runs this season - most of any FSL team.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Jon Kibler, LAK (2-1, 4.99, 21 K, 8 BB, 30.2 IP) vs. Edgar Garcia, CLR (2-2, 4.29, 66 K, 21 BB, 65.0 IP)
Thu: Jacob Turner, LAK (7-6, 3.54, 64 K, 37 BB, 112.0 IP) vs. Phillippe Aumont, CLR (2-3, 3.97, 49 K, 29 BB, 45.1 IP)
Mon: Luke Putkonen, LAK (6-11, 4.58, 84 K, 33 BB, 110.1 IP) vs. Hector Correa (6-11, 5.63, 73 K, 48 BB, 115.0 IP)
THE SERIES ... Clearwater enjoys a 8-4 advantage in this year’s series, but Lakeland has won two of the last three.
STARTERS GETTING IT DONE ... In their last four games, Jacob Turner, Luke Putkonen, Mark Sorensen and Adam Wilk had earned their keep, posting a 2.13 ERA as a group. The quartet has struck out 15 and walked four over 25.1 innings pitched.
SPEAKING OF WILK ... Adam Wilk is third in the FSL with a 2.99 ERA to go with his 9.4 record and leads the league with 135.1 innings pitched. He is also third with a 1.07 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) and has walked just 1.06 batters per nine innings - best in the Florida State League. In his last two games, he has allowed just one run while striking out 10 and walking none.
DEFENSE HOLDING TOUGH ... Lakeland continues to lead the Florida State League with a .978 fielding percentage. Gustavo Nunez also continues to lead all FSL shortstops in fielding percentage with a .964 mark as well as total chances (524), putouts (180), assists (325) and double plays (64). Center fielder Daniel Fields has played 80 games and handled 182 chances without committing an error.
THEY WEREN’T STRIKING OUT ENOUGH? ... Lakeland is 6-3 in its last nine games and the answer may be their ability to strike out? Eight times in the last nine games the Flying Tigers have struck out 10 or more times, including a season high 19 in Saturday’s game.
COULD GET DRAFTY ... Fans might get a chill courtesy of swings and misses during the Clearwater series as the Threshers pitchers rank third in the league with 882 strikeouts (Charlotte is first with 959). With 103 K’s in their last nine games, Lakeland batters have struck out 844 times - fifth most of any FSL club.
FOND MEMORIES ... Catcher Bryan Holaday has happy memories of his last meeting with the Threshers. In addition to making his professional debut against Clearwater, Holaday made it a memorable one as the Tigers’ sixth-round pick went 5x5 with a double and three runs scored in the game. The game came just two days after Holaday had signed his contract with Detroit.
TIME FOR JAIL BREAK? ... Lakeland enters this series with 110 stolen bases - fourth most in the FSL while Clearwater catchers are last in the league throwing out just 23.2 percent of would-be base stealers. Clearwater is third in the league with 118 thefts and Lakeland catchers are ninth, throwing out 27.1 percent.
TOUGHEST TO STEAL AGAINST ... Lakeland has the most success throwing out base stealers when Mark Sorensen is on the mound. Opponents have stolen just three bases and been caught stealing seven times with Sorensen pitching. The 70 percent is the best among all FSL pitchers. Sorensen is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 16 strikeouts with one walk his last three starts.
TURNING THEM BACK ... Jacob Turner is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA with 15 strikeouts and five walks his last five starts.
LENNERTON BRINGS THE STICK ... Jordan Lennerton has a five-game hit streak entering this series and is 10x21 during those five games for a .476 clip.
NUNEZ STEPPING UP AT THE PLATE ... Known for his defense, shortstop Gustavo Nunez may now cause opponents to notice his bat as well. In his last eight games, Nunez is 12x38 for a .316 mark. He is team’s active leader with 26 multi-hit games.
FROM THE PEN ... Jared Gayhart is 1-1 with sixs saves in the last 12 appearances out of the Lakeland bullpen. The former 13th round pick has allowed just three earned runs in 14.2 innings in that stretch for a 1.84 ERA. Jay Voss has a 1.38 ERA in his last eight appearances.
10-YEAR VET ... Clearwater pitcher Juan Sandoval is in his 10th season in professional baseball. Originally signed by Seattle as a non-drafted free agent in 2000, Sandoval was a member of the Mariners’ organization for eight seasons before going to the Brewers in a Rule V draft in 2008. He was signed by the Phillies to a minor league contract in 2010.
FORMER LAKELAND SKIPPER PROMOTED ... Former Lakeland manager Mike Rojas was named Director of Player Development by Detroit on Friday. He will work directly with Dan Lunetta, the club’s Director of Minor League Operations, in overseeing the Tigers minor league system. In his new role, Rojas is directly responsible for all the on-field instruction at the minor league level during Spring Training, the regular season and instructional league.
Rojas joined the Tigers organization as the manager at Single A Oneonta in 2004, before he served as the manager at High-A Lakeland for two seasons (2005-06) and Triple A Toledo for one season (2007). He was named the organization’s minor league field coordinator prior to the 2008 season, a position he held until the recent promotion.
EX-TIGER LARISH MAKES IMPACT ... Former Lakeland Tiger Jeff Larish (2006) recently joined the Oakland organization and quickly made an impact with the A’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. In just his third day with his new club, Larish drove in 10 runs in a doubleheader on Aug. 6. Larish went 2x4 in the opening game with a three-run homer. In the nightcap, the former Detroit fifth-round pick hit two home runs for seven runs batted in.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (Aug. 4-7)
THE FLYING TIGERS (17-20, 54-53) - Lakeland erupted for seven runs in the top of the fifth inning last night enroute to a 9-5 win over St. Lucie. The win is Lakeland’s third in a row and ninth in the last 12 games and puts Lakeland in fourth place in the North Division, 7.5 games out of first place. The streak also puts Lakeland one game over .500 for the first time since June 27. Lakeland’s fielding percentage of .977 is tied for best in the Florida State League.
THE STONE CRABS (17-22, 60-48) ... Charlotte split a doubleheader with Dunedin last night as each team claimed a 5-0 win.The Stone Crabs lost the opener and took the nightcap and now stand at 17-22 and are 4.0 games behind Bradenton. Stephen Vogt is the Florida State League’s top hitter with a .329 average while Isaias Velasquez is 10th with a .282 mark. On the mound, Nick Barnese (8-4) and Joseph Cruz (9-6) are third and fourth in the FSL with ERAs of 3.01 and 3.15, respectively. Matthew Moore tops all pitchers in the league with 157 strikeouts while holding opponents to a league low .222 batting average. Charlotte, 2008 Florida State League champions and winners of the first half of the South Division this season, are an affiliate of Rays.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Jacob Turner (2-1, 4.99 ERA, 21 K, 8 BB, 30.2 IP)
Thu: Luke Putkonen (7-6, 3.54 ERA, 64 K, 37 BB, 112.0 IP)
Mon: Mark Sorensen (6-11, 4.58 ERA, 84 K, 33 BB, 110.1 IP)
Tue: Adam Wilk (8-4, 3.18 ERA, 86 K, 16 BB, 127.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers won three of four games played earlier this season in Lakeland including the last three straight. In game one, Henry Wrigley hit a two-run homer lifting Charlotte to a 2-1 win in the opener, spoiling a 13-strikeout performance by Charlie Furbush. In the second game, Luke Putkonen, Tyler Conn and Erik Crichton combined on a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 Flying Tiger win. Rawley Bishop went 3-for-4 while Kody Kaiser extended his hit steak to eight games as Lakeland took game three, 3-1. Alden Carrithers and Brent Wyatt racked up five hits between them to spark a 4-3 Lakeland victory in the final game.
DOOR SPINS AGAIN ... Rob Waite earned a promotion to AA Erie on Tuesday and was replaced on the roster by Shawn Teufel. A 6’3” lefthanded pitcher, Teufel was the 25th round pick of the Tigers in this year’s draft out of Liberty University. Lakeland is his third stop on the organizational ladder having already played for Connecticut and West Michigan. Teufel, who was 10-4 at Liberty with a 2.44 ERA, is the son of former Major League Tim Teufel.
ANOTHER MONTH, ANOTHER HOME RUN ... Something about tearing off a new page on a calendar that gets to Brent Wyatt. On June 1, Wyatt homered at Bradenton for his second homer of the season. Exactly one month later, he hit his second home run on July 1 at Clearwater. This past Monday, August 2, Wyatt clubbed a grand slam and also singled to drive in a run. His five runs batted in is a season-high for Lakeland. Wyatt did his damage in just two at bats after entering the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-runner.
WALKING ON SUNSHINE ... Lakeland pitches have issued the fewest walks of any FSL team while Lakeland batters have drawn the most walks of any FSL team.
IT’S OK TO KO ... Normally, a team that strikes out ten times a game might be looking for some answers at the plate. However, the only answers the Flying Tigers have found the last five games is victories. Despite totalling 53 strikeouts the last five games, Lakeland is 4-1 in those contests.
THE GREAT GAYHART ... Reliever Jared Gayhart is 1-0 with five saves and a 1.35 ERA in his last 10 appearances.
JOLLY JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton is batting .314 (11x35) over his last nine games despite striking out 12 times in those games.
MARVELOUS MURRIAN ... Catcher John Murrian is hitting .417 (5x12) his last three games and is batting .303 (10x33) in his last nine games.
GO, GO, GUSTAVO ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez is batting .306 (11x36) over his last eight games and leads the Florida State League with 11 sacrifice hits. Defensively, he leads all FSL shortstops in fielding percentage (.963), total chances (507), putouts (173), assists (315) and double plays participated in (63).
WILD WYATT ... Brent Wyatt leads all Florida State League outfielders with 18 assists.
LIVING UP TO HIS NAME ... With a name that defines your position, you better back it up and that is exactly what Daniel Fields has done this season. Thru 77 games played, he has not committed an error and leads the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
STONE CRAB SHORT HOPS ... Pitcher Matt Bush was a first-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004 and was later traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009 and then released before signing with the Rays. Shortstop Tim Beckham was the Ray’s top pick in the 2008 draft. Reliever Brian Shouse appeared in 45 games last year for the Texas Rangers while utfielder Rocco Baldelli played for the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2003-04, 2006-08 seasons and the Boston Red Sox in 2009.
ONE RESCUED, ONE EXILED ... Former Lakeland Flying Tiger Jeff Larish (2006), recently released by Detroit, was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics and assigned to their AAA affiliate in Sacramento. Meanwhile, a long-time Lakeland alum, Anderson Hernandez (2001-04) has been designated for assignment by Houston.
ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS
Detroit - 53-53, 3rd in AL Central Division
Toledo - 55-56, 4th in West Division
Erie - 45-65 - 6th in Western Division
Lakeland - 17-20, 4th in North Division
West Michigan - 14-23, 7th in Eastern Division
Connecticut - 23-21, 2nd in Stedler Division
Gulf Coast - 17-21, 5th in North Division
Dominican - 16-34, 5th in San Pedro Division
Venezuelan - 20-43, 7th in VSL
THE STONE CRABS (17-22, 60-48) ... Charlotte split a doubleheader with Dunedin last night as each team claimed a 5-0 win.The Stone Crabs lost the opener and took the nightcap and now stand at 17-22 and are 4.0 games behind Bradenton. Stephen Vogt is the Florida State League’s top hitter with a .329 average while Isaias Velasquez is 10th with a .282 mark. On the mound, Nick Barnese (8-4) and Joseph Cruz (9-6) are third and fourth in the FSL with ERAs of 3.01 and 3.15, respectively. Matthew Moore tops all pitchers in the league with 157 strikeouts while holding opponents to a league low .222 batting average. Charlotte, 2008 Florida State League champions and winners of the first half of the South Division this season, are an affiliate of Rays.
PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Jacob Turner (2-1, 4.99 ERA, 21 K, 8 BB, 30.2 IP)
Thu: Luke Putkonen (7-6, 3.54 ERA, 64 K, 37 BB, 112.0 IP)
Mon: Mark Sorensen (6-11, 4.58 ERA, 84 K, 33 BB, 110.1 IP)
Tue: Adam Wilk (8-4, 3.18 ERA, 86 K, 16 BB, 127.1 IP)
THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers won three of four games played earlier this season in Lakeland including the last three straight. In game one, Henry Wrigley hit a two-run homer lifting Charlotte to a 2-1 win in the opener, spoiling a 13-strikeout performance by Charlie Furbush. In the second game, Luke Putkonen, Tyler Conn and Erik Crichton combined on a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 Flying Tiger win. Rawley Bishop went 3-for-4 while Kody Kaiser extended his hit steak to eight games as Lakeland took game three, 3-1. Alden Carrithers and Brent Wyatt racked up five hits between them to spark a 4-3 Lakeland victory in the final game.
DOOR SPINS AGAIN ... Rob Waite earned a promotion to AA Erie on Tuesday and was replaced on the roster by Shawn Teufel. A 6’3” lefthanded pitcher, Teufel was the 25th round pick of the Tigers in this year’s draft out of Liberty University. Lakeland is his third stop on the organizational ladder having already played for Connecticut and West Michigan. Teufel, who was 10-4 at Liberty with a 2.44 ERA, is the son of former Major League Tim Teufel.
ANOTHER MONTH, ANOTHER HOME RUN ... Something about tearing off a new page on a calendar that gets to Brent Wyatt. On June 1, Wyatt homered at Bradenton for his second homer of the season. Exactly one month later, he hit his second home run on July 1 at Clearwater. This past Monday, August 2, Wyatt clubbed a grand slam and also singled to drive in a run. His five runs batted in is a season-high for Lakeland. Wyatt did his damage in just two at bats after entering the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-runner.
WALKING ON SUNSHINE ... Lakeland pitches have issued the fewest walks of any FSL team while Lakeland batters have drawn the most walks of any FSL team.
IT’S OK TO KO ... Normally, a team that strikes out ten times a game might be looking for some answers at the plate. However, the only answers the Flying Tigers have found the last five games is victories. Despite totalling 53 strikeouts the last five games, Lakeland is 4-1 in those contests.
THE GREAT GAYHART ... Reliever Jared Gayhart is 1-0 with five saves and a 1.35 ERA in his last 10 appearances.
JOLLY JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton is batting .314 (11x35) over his last nine games despite striking out 12 times in those games.
MARVELOUS MURRIAN ... Catcher John Murrian is hitting .417 (5x12) his last three games and is batting .303 (10x33) in his last nine games.
GO, GO, GUSTAVO ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez is batting .306 (11x36) over his last eight games and leads the Florida State League with 11 sacrifice hits. Defensively, he leads all FSL shortstops in fielding percentage (.963), total chances (507), putouts (173), assists (315) and double plays participated in (63).
WILD WYATT ... Brent Wyatt leads all Florida State League outfielders with 18 assists.
LIVING UP TO HIS NAME ... With a name that defines your position, you better back it up and that is exactly what Daniel Fields has done this season. Thru 77 games played, he has not committed an error and leads the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
STONE CRAB SHORT HOPS ... Pitcher Matt Bush was a first-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004 and was later traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009 and then released before signing with the Rays. Shortstop Tim Beckham was the Ray’s top pick in the 2008 draft. Reliever Brian Shouse appeared in 45 games last year for the Texas Rangers while utfielder Rocco Baldelli played for the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2003-04, 2006-08 seasons and the Boston Red Sox in 2009.
ONE RESCUED, ONE EXILED ... Former Lakeland Flying Tiger Jeff Larish (2006), recently released by Detroit, was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics and assigned to their AAA affiliate in Sacramento. Meanwhile, a long-time Lakeland alum, Anderson Hernandez (2001-04) has been designated for assignment by Houston.
ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS
Detroit - 53-53, 3rd in AL Central Division
Toledo - 55-56, 4th in West Division
Erie - 45-65 - 6th in Western Division
Lakeland - 17-20, 4th in North Division
West Michigan - 14-23, 7th in Eastern Division
Connecticut - 23-21, 2nd in Stedler Division
Gulf Coast - 17-21, 5th in North Division
Dominican - 16-34, 5th in San Pedro Division
Venezuelan - 20-43, 7th in VSL
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