THE FLYING TIGERS (29-21) - After posting a 10-2 record in three previous series against South Division teams, Lakeland found its latest series a bit tougher as Palm Beach took three of four from the Flying Tigers over the past weekend. The series left Lakeland 1.5 games behind Dunedin and 2.0 games ahead of Clearwater in the North Division standings. The first half ends on June 23 with the first half division winners qualifying for the postseason playoffs. The Flying Tigers are tied for third in the league with a .266 average, second with 208 doubles and third with 167 walks. The staff ERA of 2.83 is best in the FSL while the 97 walks issued is the fewest allowed in the league.
THE MARAUDERS (29-21) ... The league’s newest team, Bradenton is an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. With an identical record to Lakeland, Bradenton tops the South Division by 1.5 games over Palm Beach. Both teams are 6-4 in the last 10 games. The Marauders top the FSL with a .275 batting average and are the highest scoring team in the league with 259 runs scored. Their pitching staff is fourth in the league with a 3.60 ERA.
LAKELAND’s PROBABLE STARTERS ... Tue: Luke Putkonen (5-2, 2.70); Wed: Mark Sorensen (4-5, 4.18); Thu: Brayan Villarreal (6-3, 3.30).
FOUR FLYING TIGERS NAMED TO FSL ALL-STAR TEAM ... Pitchers Charlie Furbush and Brayan Villarreal along with first baseman Rawley Bishop and outfielder Kody Kaiser have been named to the 2010 FSL Mid-Season All-Star Game and will represent Lakeland in the 49th Annual event on June 12 at Space Coast Stadium in Viera.
OVERLOOKED? ... Second baseman Alden Carrithers still sits atop the Florida State League with a .364 batting average - 18 points better than Brevard County’s Matt Cline. His .469 on base percentage is also best in the league while his 32 walks is second best. He has now reached base in 30 consecutive games - the longest active streak in the FSL. All this and yet, he was not named to the Florida State League All-Star team.
KAISER AT 16 ... Kody Kaiser singled in his first at bat Sunday to extend his hit streak to 16 games. The Lakeland outfielder is hitting .478 (32x67) during the streak with six doubles, two triples, three homers and 12 runs batted in. He is third in the FSL with a .344 batting average and his 63 hits is the most in the FSL. The 16 games is the longest active streak in the FSL this season. Earlier this season Alden Carrithers posted a 13-game hit streak.
WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? ... Heading into Palm Beach series, designated hitter Billy Nowlin had not hit a home run this season after clubbing 13 at West Michigan last season. On Thursday, he hit his first homer of the year. On Friday, he hit another one On Saturday, he homered yet once again for his third consecutive game.
DOUBLE DIGITS AGAIN ... Charlie Furbush recorded ten strikeouts on Sunday, marking his third straight game, and fourth in his last five starts, that he has had 10 or more strikeouts in a game. He now has 54 strikeouts in those five starts and has 90 K’s for the season – 10 more than any other minor league pitcher this season. In his last five starts, Furbush is 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA.
BISHOP ... First baseman Rawley Bishop is fourth in the FSL with a .341 average, tops with 34 runs scored, third with 16 doubles, tied for third with 61 hits, fourth with 34 RBI and 21 extra-base hits, and fifth with a .508 slugging percentage.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez is tied for the FSL lead with five sacrifice bunts this season.
BUSY WEEK FOR DETROIT ORGANIZATION ... Lots of former Flying Tigers involved in movements throughout the Detroit minor league organization this past week. Up in Detroit, Danny Worth was sent back to Toledo when Carlos Guillen returned from the DL. West Michigan went through a major rehaul with four new players added to replace four other sent to extended spring training. Among the added players was Jimmy Gulliver who was briefly on the Lakeland roster this season while Mike Gosse was released. The week started with Robbie Weinhardt being placed on the DL at Toledo with a shoulder problem while Brendan Wise was sent to Toledo and Matt Hoffman promoted from Lakeland to Erie.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS ... Lakeland takes an 11-5 record against South Division teams into the Bradenton series. The Flying Tigers are 14-10 at home and 15-11 on the road. Sunday’s 5-4 loss to Palm Beach was Lakeland’s 17th game decided by one run this season with the Flying Tigers winning seven of those games. The Flying Tigers are 24-2 when leading after seven innings and 27-2 when taking lead into the ninth inning. Lakeland has scored first in 33 of its 50 games and has won 23 of those contests.
LAKELAND IN DETROIT ORGANIZATION ... Lakeland has the top four hitters in terms of batting average in the Detroit minor leagues in Alden Carrithers (.364), Kody Kaiser (.344), Rawley Bishop (.341) and Brent Wyatt (.314). The Flying Tigers also have two of the top three pitchers in Luke Putkonen (2nd with a 2.70 ERA) and Charlie Furbush (3rd with a 2.76 ERA). In addition, Brayan Villarreal is 7th with a 3.30 ERA. Gustavo Nunez tops Detroit minor leaguers with 11 stolen bases.
LAKELAND ALUMNI ... Wilkin Ramirez leads the Eastern League with 14 home runs and is second with 38 RBI for Erie. Thad Weber is second in the Eastern League with 62.0 innings pitched. Brendan Wise’s .157 opponents batting average is best among relievers in the Eastern League. Trevor Feeney is second in the Midwest League with 60 strikeouts at West Michigan.
COLLEGE TEAMMATES ... Flying Tigers’ second baseman Alden Carrithers and Marauders’ outfielder Anthony Norman were teammates at UCLA in 2007.
FIRST ROUNDER ... Marauder catcher Tony Sanchez was Pittsburgh first-round draft pick (fourth overall) in last year’s draft out of Boston College.
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR ... Marauder second baseman James Skelton was a mid-season All-Star catcher for the 2008 Flying Tigers, playing in 63 games before moving on to AA Erie. In 2009, he was traded to Arizona for RHP Brooks Brown.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Palm Beach (May 26-30)
THE FLYING TIGERS (28-18) - It took a while for Lakeland to get in gear in its last game. Trailing 2-1, the Flying Tigers scored four times in the seventh and two more in the eighth to record a 7-2 win over Tampa. It was Lakeland’s 16th win in the last 19 contests. Thanks to a little help from Clearwater, the Flying Tigers are now just 1/2 game behind division-leading Dunedin. Lakeland is now third in the league with a .267 average. The Flying Tigers’ staff ERA of 2.69 is best in the FSL.
THE CARDINALS (24-21) ... The Cardinals are tied for second in the South Division with Charlotte, 3-1/2 games behind the new kids on the block, the Bradenton Marauders. Palm Beach has won their last two games after dropping five in a row. The 10 runs scored in their last game was more than the club had scored in their previous six games combined.
LAKELAND’s PROBABLE STARTERS ... Thu: Mark Sorensen (4-4, 3.86); Fri: Brayan Villarreal (5-3, 3.40); Sat: Adam Wilk (3-2, 3.64); Sun: Charlie Furbush (3-3, 2.73).
WYATT NAMED FSL PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... Brent Wyatt has been honored as the Florida State League Player of the Week for the week May 17-23. Wyatt batted .484 for the week with 15 hits and 11 runs scored. The former Lewis-Clark State College athlete drove in eight runs last week with two doubles, a triple and a homer. He also walked six times and posted a .579 on base percentage. Wyatt beat out fellow Flying Tigers Kody Kaiser (.467, 14 hits, 12 RBI) and Alden Carrithers (.452, 14 hits). He is the first Lakeland player to be named FSL Player of the Week since Andy Dirks took the award for the week May 4-10, 2009. Charlie Furbush was the FSL Pitcher of the Week last season for the week July 27-Aug. 2.
TOP BATS IN THE FSL ... Flying Tiger teammates Alden Carrithers and Rawley Bishop rank first and second, respectively, in the Florida State League in terms of batting average. Carrithers leads the FSL with a .361 mark while Bishop is hitting .350. In addition, Kody Kaiser is fifth at .335 and Brent Wyatt is seventh with a .333 mark.
OTHER FSL LEADERS ... In addition to leading the league in hitting, Alden Carrithers is tops with .466 on base percentage and second with 29 walks. Rawley Bishop is second in the FSL with 31 runs scored, 34 RBI and 15 doubles, third with 57 hits, 86 total bases and a .528 on base percentage, and fourth with 20 extra base hits. Kody Kaiser is second in the FSL with five triples.
ARMS GOOD AS WELL ... Luke Putkonen is eighth in the FSL with a 2.70 ERA while Charlie Furbush is 10th with a 2.73 ERA.
STAYING ON THE HILL ... The starting pitchers have been pitching to such a level that they are staying in the game for more innings. Entering this series, Lakeland has three of the top four pitchers in terms of innings pitched in Luke Putkonen (56.2), Charlie Furbush (56.0) and Adam Wilk (54.1).
DOWN SOUTH ... After taking three of their four games against St. Lucie earlier this week, the Flying Tigers own a 10-2 record against teams from the South Division. Earlier, Lakeland swept Jupiter and took three of four from Charlotte.
A DOZEN FOR KODY ... Kody Kaiser enters Thursday’s game with a 12-game hit streak in which he is hitting .490 (25x51) with three doubles, two triples a homer and 19 RBI. His 25 hits is the most for any minor league hitter since May 15 while his .490 average and 19 runs batted is second most. He has also walked six times and stole three bases in his last 12 games.
10 GAMES OVER .500 ... At 28-18, the Flying Tigers are 10 games above .500 in the standings. The last time the club was ten or more games over .500 this late in the season was in 2005 when that club was 32-14 thru 46 games. The 2005 Tigers lost to Palm Beach Cardinals three games to two in the Florida State League championship.
THE FURBUSH PHENOMENA ... With 44 strikeouts in his last four games, Charlie Furbush now has 80 strikeouts on the season - more than any other minor league pitcher. He leads the FSL by 15 K’s over Clearwater’s Austin Hyatt. His walks/hits per nine innings (WHIP) is the league’s lowest at 0.93 while his .203 opponents batting average is also best in the league. His 12.86 strikeouts per nine innings is second highest in the FSL. The 80 strikeouts is 13 fewer than Furbush had in 24 games last season. In his last four games he has walked just two batters and had issued just ten free passes all year in 56.0 innings (and one of those was an intentional walk).
ALL OR NOTHING .. Brent Wyatt has gotten hits in seven of last ten games. In each of those seven games, he has had two hits or more, including four games with three hits. In the other three games, he has been held hitless.
NO CONTROL ISSUES ... Lakeland has recorded 366 strikeouts this season while walking 86 batters in 412.0 innings pitched. The Flying Tigers have reached double digits in strikeouts in 13 games this season and have yet to walk more than four batters in one game. Eight times this season they have not issued a free pass. In addition to leading the FSL in ERA, the staff also has walked the fewest batters (86), tossed the fewest wild pitches (9) and hit the fewest batters (15).
KEEP HIM BACK THERE ... Lakeland is a perfect 15-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez is the starting catcher.
DE-FENSE ... The Flying Tigers continue to lead the league in fielding percentage (.980) while first baseman Rawley Bishop, second baseman Alden Carrithers and shortstop Gustavo Nunez all lead the FSL at their respective positions. In addition, there have been no errors charged to any of the Lakeland outfielders.
HEY THERE, TEAMMATE ... Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush and Palm Beach’s Jared Bradford were two-thirds of Louisiana State’s starting pitching staff in 2007. Bradford was 10-4 while Furbush was 3-9. Furbush was a fourth round pick of Detroit in 2007 while Bradford was a 18th round pick by St. Louis in 2008. Former Flying Tiger Nolan Cain was also on that 2007 LSU team as a short reliever.
THE CARDINALS (24-21) ... The Cardinals are tied for second in the South Division with Charlotte, 3-1/2 games behind the new kids on the block, the Bradenton Marauders. Palm Beach has won their last two games after dropping five in a row. The 10 runs scored in their last game was more than the club had scored in their previous six games combined.
LAKELAND’s PROBABLE STARTERS ... Thu: Mark Sorensen (4-4, 3.86); Fri: Brayan Villarreal (5-3, 3.40); Sat: Adam Wilk (3-2, 3.64); Sun: Charlie Furbush (3-3, 2.73).
WYATT NAMED FSL PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... Brent Wyatt has been honored as the Florida State League Player of the Week for the week May 17-23. Wyatt batted .484 for the week with 15 hits and 11 runs scored. The former Lewis-Clark State College athlete drove in eight runs last week with two doubles, a triple and a homer. He also walked six times and posted a .579 on base percentage. Wyatt beat out fellow Flying Tigers Kody Kaiser (.467, 14 hits, 12 RBI) and Alden Carrithers (.452, 14 hits). He is the first Lakeland player to be named FSL Player of the Week since Andy Dirks took the award for the week May 4-10, 2009. Charlie Furbush was the FSL Pitcher of the Week last season for the week July 27-Aug. 2.
TOP BATS IN THE FSL ... Flying Tiger teammates Alden Carrithers and Rawley Bishop rank first and second, respectively, in the Florida State League in terms of batting average. Carrithers leads the FSL with a .361 mark while Bishop is hitting .350. In addition, Kody Kaiser is fifth at .335 and Brent Wyatt is seventh with a .333 mark.
OTHER FSL LEADERS ... In addition to leading the league in hitting, Alden Carrithers is tops with .466 on base percentage and second with 29 walks. Rawley Bishop is second in the FSL with 31 runs scored, 34 RBI and 15 doubles, third with 57 hits, 86 total bases and a .528 on base percentage, and fourth with 20 extra base hits. Kody Kaiser is second in the FSL with five triples.
ARMS GOOD AS WELL ... Luke Putkonen is eighth in the FSL with a 2.70 ERA while Charlie Furbush is 10th with a 2.73 ERA.
STAYING ON THE HILL ... The starting pitchers have been pitching to such a level that they are staying in the game for more innings. Entering this series, Lakeland has three of the top four pitchers in terms of innings pitched in Luke Putkonen (56.2), Charlie Furbush (56.0) and Adam Wilk (54.1).
DOWN SOUTH ... After taking three of their four games against St. Lucie earlier this week, the Flying Tigers own a 10-2 record against teams from the South Division. Earlier, Lakeland swept Jupiter and took three of four from Charlotte.
A DOZEN FOR KODY ... Kody Kaiser enters Thursday’s game with a 12-game hit streak in which he is hitting .490 (25x51) with three doubles, two triples a homer and 19 RBI. His 25 hits is the most for any minor league hitter since May 15 while his .490 average and 19 runs batted is second most. He has also walked six times and stole three bases in his last 12 games.
10 GAMES OVER .500 ... At 28-18, the Flying Tigers are 10 games above .500 in the standings. The last time the club was ten or more games over .500 this late in the season was in 2005 when that club was 32-14 thru 46 games. The 2005 Tigers lost to Palm Beach Cardinals three games to two in the Florida State League championship.
THE FURBUSH PHENOMENA ... With 44 strikeouts in his last four games, Charlie Furbush now has 80 strikeouts on the season - more than any other minor league pitcher. He leads the FSL by 15 K’s over Clearwater’s Austin Hyatt. His walks/hits per nine innings (WHIP) is the league’s lowest at 0.93 while his .203 opponents batting average is also best in the league. His 12.86 strikeouts per nine innings is second highest in the FSL. The 80 strikeouts is 13 fewer than Furbush had in 24 games last season. In his last four games he has walked just two batters and had issued just ten free passes all year in 56.0 innings (and one of those was an intentional walk).
ALL OR NOTHING .. Brent Wyatt has gotten hits in seven of last ten games. In each of those seven games, he has had two hits or more, including four games with three hits. In the other three games, he has been held hitless.
NO CONTROL ISSUES ... Lakeland has recorded 366 strikeouts this season while walking 86 batters in 412.0 innings pitched. The Flying Tigers have reached double digits in strikeouts in 13 games this season and have yet to walk more than four batters in one game. Eight times this season they have not issued a free pass. In addition to leading the FSL in ERA, the staff also has walked the fewest batters (86), tossed the fewest wild pitches (9) and hit the fewest batters (15).
KEEP HIM BACK THERE ... Lakeland is a perfect 15-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez is the starting catcher.
DE-FENSE ... The Flying Tigers continue to lead the league in fielding percentage (.980) while first baseman Rawley Bishop, second baseman Alden Carrithers and shortstop Gustavo Nunez all lead the FSL at their respective positions. In addition, there have been no errors charged to any of the Lakeland outfielders.
HEY THERE, TEAMMATE ... Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush and Palm Beach’s Jared Bradford were two-thirds of Louisiana State’s starting pitching staff in 2007. Bradford was 10-4 while Furbush was 3-9. Furbush was a fourth round pick of Detroit in 2007 while Bradford was a 18th round pick by St. Louis in 2008. Former Flying Tiger Nolan Cain was also on that 2007 LSU team as a short reliever.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Tampa (May 24-26)
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-18) - Lakeland is back in the thick of the FSL North Division race, now trailing first place Dunedin by 1.5 games and second place Clearwater by 1.0 game. The winner of the first half earns a bid to the league players in September. The Flying Tigers have won seven of their last eight games and 13 of their last 15 contests.
THE YANKEES (24-20) ... Tampa is 3.0 games back in the North Division race and have gone 7-2 their last nine games. The Yankees took four games from Palm Beach over the weekend, outscoring the Cardinals 14-3. They have done so without two of their top hitters as Walter Ibarra (.378) went on the disabled list on May 18 and Jack Rye (.321) was placed on the temporary inactive list on May 20.
LAKELAND’s PROBABLE STARTERS ... Mon @ TPA: Adam Wilk (2-2, 4.08) ... Tue @ LAK: Charlie Furbush (2-3, 3.00) ... Wed @ TPA: Luke Putkonen (4-2, 2.72).
THE BATMEN RETURN ... A big reason for the Flying Tigers surge has been the awakening of the Lakeland offense. With double digits in hits in eight of their last ten games, Lakeland is hitting .327 (126x385) since May 14 with 19 doubles, seven triples and three homers. In addition, the team has drawn 108 walks since the 14th. With all the hits, Lakeland is now third in the FSL with a .266 team batting average.
BRIGHT HOUSE EQUALS BIG CROWDS ... Last Saturday was Bright House Networks Night at Joker Marchant Stadium and 5,514 fans turned out. It was the largest home crowd in the last six years and is the seventh home crowd this season with 2,000 or more fans in attendance. Lakeland is now 13-10 since 2005 when playing in front of crowds of 2,000 or more.
LET’S MOVE SOUTH ... After taking three of their four games against St. Lucie, the Flying Tigers own a 10-2 record against teams from the South Division. Earlier, Lakeland swept Jupiter and took three of four from Charlotte.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Despite seeing his 13-game hit streak (in which he hit .481) snapped over the weekend, second baseman Alden Carrithers still leads the Florida State League with a .368 average and a .466 on base percentage. He is fourth in the league with 27 runs scored and second with 25 walks. He has now reached base in 23 consecutive games (the longest streak in the FSL this season). Since moving into the lead-off role 11 games ago, Carrithers is batting .449 with 22 hits, 13 runs scored and nine walks.
RIGHT ON RAWLEY ... Rawley Bishop is third in the FSL with a .355 batting average, second with 54 hits, third with a .539 slugging percentage and 82 total bases. With two hits yesterday, he now has hits in 13 of his last 15 games.
KRAZY KODY ... Kody Kaiser enters the Tampa series with a nine-game hit streak in which he is hitting .476 (20x42) with two doubles, two triples a homer and 15 RBI. The .476 mark is the second highest total for any minor league hitter since May 18 (three others hit .500) while his 15 RBI is the second most in the minors in that same time span.
IMPRESSIVE STREAK SNAPPED .... Brent Wyatt collected two or more hits in each of his six previous games prior to Sunday in which he was held hitless. During those six previous games, Wyatt was 15x27 for a .555 clip.
WELCOME FRANCISCO ... Newcomer Francisco Martinez has hits in each of his four games since joining the Flying Tigers and sports a .385 average.
KEEP HIM BACK THERE ... Lakeland is a perfect 12-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez is the starting catcher. Now, Julio seems to have found his groove, hitting .400 over the last four games.
THE ARMS ... A strong point of the team throughout the season has been the pitching. The staff ERA of just 2.74 leads the league and Lakeland is the only staff in the FSL with an ERA under the 3.00 mark. The ERA is the fourth lowest of any club in Minor League Baseball (through Sunday’s games).
SORRY CHARLIE ... If you look up tough luck in the dictionary, you might find a photo of Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush. The second-year Flying Tiger has struck out seven or more in each of his eight starts and has a ERA of 3.00, but is 2-3 on the year. Twice, he was struck out 10 or more batters and is 0-1 in those two games. In his last five starts, he has struck out 47 batters, walked five, and given up just seven hits (!) and has a 1.64 ERA, yet only has one win to show for his efforts. He does lead the league with 68 strikeouts (second among all minor league pitchers) and second with 12.75 strikeouts per nine innings. His 1.00 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is third best in the league as is his .212 opponents batting average.
THE MEN IN RELIEF ... While the starting pitching has remained steady, the boys in the pen have stepped it up a notch. The relievers have a combined 1.38 ERA since May 6 with 43 strikeouts and just 10 walks in the last 51.1 innings pitched. Here’s a quick look at the men in relief: Tyler Conn has allowed just one earned with eight strikeouts in his last six appearances; Erik Crichton has allowed two earned runs with nine K’s in his last nine games; Cory Hamilton has not allowed a run in four outings with Lakeland and has issued just one walk; Matt Hoffman has not walked a batter in his last 14.1 innings over 12 appearances with 12 punch outs; Rob Waite has 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings over seven appearances.
WELCOME BACK LESTER ... The Flying Tigers welcomed back Lester Oliveros was was 5-for-5 in save opportunities before heading to the disabled list with a biceps problem. To make room, Lakeland sent Jimmy Gulliver back to extended spring training.
CROSBY REPORT ... According to the Detroit News, Casey Crosby is working on a “bullpen progression” that saw him for eight minutes on Friday.
PEN MEN IMPORTANT ... Lakeland is 7-8 in games decided by one-run decision. That’s a total of 15 games or over one-third of the team’s games so far this season
THE YANKEES (24-20) ... Tampa is 3.0 games back in the North Division race and have gone 7-2 their last nine games. The Yankees took four games from Palm Beach over the weekend, outscoring the Cardinals 14-3. They have done so without two of their top hitters as Walter Ibarra (.378) went on the disabled list on May 18 and Jack Rye (.321) was placed on the temporary inactive list on May 20.
LAKELAND’s PROBABLE STARTERS ... Mon @ TPA: Adam Wilk (2-2, 4.08) ... Tue @ LAK: Charlie Furbush (2-3, 3.00) ... Wed @ TPA: Luke Putkonen (4-2, 2.72).
THE BATMEN RETURN ... A big reason for the Flying Tigers surge has been the awakening of the Lakeland offense. With double digits in hits in eight of their last ten games, Lakeland is hitting .327 (126x385) since May 14 with 19 doubles, seven triples and three homers. In addition, the team has drawn 108 walks since the 14th. With all the hits, Lakeland is now third in the FSL with a .266 team batting average.
BRIGHT HOUSE EQUALS BIG CROWDS ... Last Saturday was Bright House Networks Night at Joker Marchant Stadium and 5,514 fans turned out. It was the largest home crowd in the last six years and is the seventh home crowd this season with 2,000 or more fans in attendance. Lakeland is now 13-10 since 2005 when playing in front of crowds of 2,000 or more.
LET’S MOVE SOUTH ... After taking three of their four games against St. Lucie, the Flying Tigers own a 10-2 record against teams from the South Division. Earlier, Lakeland swept Jupiter and took three of four from Charlotte.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Despite seeing his 13-game hit streak (in which he hit .481) snapped over the weekend, second baseman Alden Carrithers still leads the Florida State League with a .368 average and a .466 on base percentage. He is fourth in the league with 27 runs scored and second with 25 walks. He has now reached base in 23 consecutive games (the longest streak in the FSL this season). Since moving into the lead-off role 11 games ago, Carrithers is batting .449 with 22 hits, 13 runs scored and nine walks.
RIGHT ON RAWLEY ... Rawley Bishop is third in the FSL with a .355 batting average, second with 54 hits, third with a .539 slugging percentage and 82 total bases. With two hits yesterday, he now has hits in 13 of his last 15 games.
KRAZY KODY ... Kody Kaiser enters the Tampa series with a nine-game hit streak in which he is hitting .476 (20x42) with two doubles, two triples a homer and 15 RBI. The .476 mark is the second highest total for any minor league hitter since May 18 (three others hit .500) while his 15 RBI is the second most in the minors in that same time span.
IMPRESSIVE STREAK SNAPPED .... Brent Wyatt collected two or more hits in each of his six previous games prior to Sunday in which he was held hitless. During those six previous games, Wyatt was 15x27 for a .555 clip.
WELCOME FRANCISCO ... Newcomer Francisco Martinez has hits in each of his four games since joining the Flying Tigers and sports a .385 average.
KEEP HIM BACK THERE ... Lakeland is a perfect 12-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez is the starting catcher. Now, Julio seems to have found his groove, hitting .400 over the last four games.
THE ARMS ... A strong point of the team throughout the season has been the pitching. The staff ERA of just 2.74 leads the league and Lakeland is the only staff in the FSL with an ERA under the 3.00 mark. The ERA is the fourth lowest of any club in Minor League Baseball (through Sunday’s games).
SORRY CHARLIE ... If you look up tough luck in the dictionary, you might find a photo of Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush. The second-year Flying Tiger has struck out seven or more in each of his eight starts and has a ERA of 3.00, but is 2-3 on the year. Twice, he was struck out 10 or more batters and is 0-1 in those two games. In his last five starts, he has struck out 47 batters, walked five, and given up just seven hits (!) and has a 1.64 ERA, yet only has one win to show for his efforts. He does lead the league with 68 strikeouts (second among all minor league pitchers) and second with 12.75 strikeouts per nine innings. His 1.00 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is third best in the league as is his .212 opponents batting average.
THE MEN IN RELIEF ... While the starting pitching has remained steady, the boys in the pen have stepped it up a notch. The relievers have a combined 1.38 ERA since May 6 with 43 strikeouts and just 10 walks in the last 51.1 innings pitched. Here’s a quick look at the men in relief: Tyler Conn has allowed just one earned with eight strikeouts in his last six appearances; Erik Crichton has allowed two earned runs with nine K’s in his last nine games; Cory Hamilton has not allowed a run in four outings with Lakeland and has issued just one walk; Matt Hoffman has not walked a batter in his last 14.1 innings over 12 appearances with 12 punch outs; Rob Waite has 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings over seven appearances.
WELCOME BACK LESTER ... The Flying Tigers welcomed back Lester Oliveros was was 5-for-5 in save opportunities before heading to the disabled list with a biceps problem. To make room, Lakeland sent Jimmy Gulliver back to extended spring training.
CROSBY REPORT ... According to the Detroit News, Casey Crosby is working on a “bullpen progression” that saw him for eight minutes on Friday.
PEN MEN IMPORTANT ... Lakeland is 7-8 in games decided by one-run decision. That’s a total of 15 games or over one-third of the team’s games so far this season
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mission Notes vs. St. Lucie (May 20-23)
THE FLYING TIGERS (22-17) - Lakeland is coming off a four-game sweep of the Jupiter Hammerheads. The sweep gives the Flying Tigers a 7-1 mark in the South Division and has thrust the team back into the first-half pennant race, just 3.5 games out of first place. The Flying Tigers continue to lead the FSL with a 2.70 team ERA (second lowest team ERA in all of minor league baseball) and have walked the fewest batters in the league. Lakeland is hitting .258 as a team and leads the Florida State League with a .979 fielding percentage. First baseman Rawley Bishop, second baseman Alden Carrithers and shortstop Gustavo Nunez all lead the league at the respective positions in fielding percentage.
ST LUCIE (19-20) ... The Mets split their four-game series at Daytona winning the first two and losing the last two. The two loses come on the heels of a six-game win streak by the Mets. Like Lakeland St. Lucie played in the morning on Wednesday. Eric Campbell leads the Mets with a .346 average (4th in the FSL) with a team-leading 12 doubles to go with his four homers and 19 RBI. Joshua Satin is second with a .336 average (8th in the FSL) and 10 doubles. His 23 RBI tops the team. St. Lucie is batting .268 as a team and has a 4.47 team ERA.
LAKELAND’S PROBABLE STARTERS ... Thu: Charlie Furbush (2-3, 3.05) ... Fri: Luke Putkonen (3-2, 2.53) ... Sat: Mark Sorensen (4-3, 3.59) ... Sun: Brayan Villarreal (4-3, 3.45)
NOTES FROM TUESDAY’S BIG WIN ... Lakeland beat Jupiter 15-2 on Tuesday. The 15 runs were the most scored by Lakeland this season while the 19 hits were the most for the Flying Tigers since May 11, 2007 when the club equaled that total in a 6-5, 17-inning win over Daytona. It was the most hits in a nine-inning game since July 28, 2005 when the club had 21 in a 13-7 win over Vero Beach in a game that featured six Lakeland home runs and a 5x5 night by Russ Cleveland. Alden Carrithers and Kody Kaiser each had four hits for Lakeland which marked season-highs for each player. It was the third time in Carrithers’ career that he has had four hits in one game. He accomplished the feat on Aug. 12, 2008 against the Blue Jays in a Gulf Coast League Game and on Aug. 6, 2009 against South Bend in a Midwest League game. For Kaiser, it was his first four-hit game. He has come close collecting three hits in a game 16 times in his career.
BATS COME ALIVE ... In the last three games vs. Jupiter, Lakeland hit .359 (47x131) with six doubles, three triples and two home runs. The team scored 31 runs in those three games and could have a bunch more as the Flying Tigers also stranded 39 runners during the trio of contests. Lakeland has reached double figures in hits in five of the last six games for a .315 clip.
CARRITHERS LEADS THE FSL ... Thanks to a move into the lead-off spot, Alden Carrithers is now leading the league with a .367 average - nine points better than the next batter. Since the move to the #1 slot seven games ago, Carrithers is batting 16x33 (.485) with nine runs scored and a .553 on-base percentage. He enters the St. Lucie series with an 11-game hit streak in which he is 22x45 (.489) with 14 runs scored and 10 walks. He has had two or more hits in three straight games and six of his last seven contests. His season on-base percentage of .461 also leads the league while his .367 batting average is best for any Detroit minor league player.
KOSY KODY ... Kody Kaiser has had two or more hits in four of his last five games and is 13x24 (.542) during that span with eight runs batted in. He now has a five-game hit streak and has had at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games.
BISHOP FALLS TO THIRD ... An 0x5 night on Wednesday has dropped Rawley Bishop to .348 on the season and third place in the FSL batting race. Bishop was 8x19 (.421) prior to yesterday’s game and has hits in nine of his last 11 games.
NOWLIN KNOW HOW ... Billy Nowlin has also jumped on the multi-hit bandwagon with two or more hits in four of last six games and is 10x26 (.385) in that span.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 9-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had eight saves since April 29 with six different pitchers taking the honors including Cory Hamilton who picked up the save in Monday night’s 3-0 win over the Hammerheads.
FEW PINCH-HITTERS ... Lakeland has only pinch-hit six times this season and no player has pinch-hit more than once. Bryan Pounds and Brent Wyatt each singled in their respective appearances while Andy Bouchie (now at AA) walked in his one shot at the plate. Three other pinch-hitters have struck out.
BULLISH BULLPEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has allowed just three runs in the last 13 games for a 0.69 ERA and 29 strikeouts and six walks.
FURBUSH STAYS IN K RACE ... Charlie Furbush stuck out nine in his last outing with no walks. That effort came on the heels of a 13-K effort on May 10 and gives Furbush 58 strikeouts on the year, just one behind Clearwater’s Austin Hyatt who leads the FSL with 59.
HUFF AND A PUFF FROM HOFFMAN ... Reliever Matt Hoffman has picked up three saves since April 20 and has not walked a batter in his last 10 outings and has issued only two free bases all season.
STRONG START TO THE WEEK ... The Flying Tigers are 5-1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and .500 on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, but a combined 4-7 on Saturdays and Sundays.
LATEST LAKELAND ALUMS TO MAKE BIG CLUB ... Former Flying Tigers Danny Worth and Casper Wells were called up the big club last week while Clete Thomas was placed on the disabled list and Scott Sizemore was sent back to Toledo.
22’s WILD .. Four of Detroit organization teams have each won 22 games. Detroit, Toledo and Erie all has 22 victories and stand at second place while the Flying Tigers are in third place with 22 wins. Only West Michigan, at 14-24, is out of the first half races.
ST LUCIE (19-20) ... The Mets split their four-game series at Daytona winning the first two and losing the last two. The two loses come on the heels of a six-game win streak by the Mets. Like Lakeland St. Lucie played in the morning on Wednesday. Eric Campbell leads the Mets with a .346 average (4th in the FSL) with a team-leading 12 doubles to go with his four homers and 19 RBI. Joshua Satin is second with a .336 average (8th in the FSL) and 10 doubles. His 23 RBI tops the team. St. Lucie is batting .268 as a team and has a 4.47 team ERA.
LAKELAND’S PROBABLE STARTERS ... Thu: Charlie Furbush (2-3, 3.05) ... Fri: Luke Putkonen (3-2, 2.53) ... Sat: Mark Sorensen (4-3, 3.59) ... Sun: Brayan Villarreal (4-3, 3.45)
NOTES FROM TUESDAY’S BIG WIN ... Lakeland beat Jupiter 15-2 on Tuesday. The 15 runs were the most scored by Lakeland this season while the 19 hits were the most for the Flying Tigers since May 11, 2007 when the club equaled that total in a 6-5, 17-inning win over Daytona. It was the most hits in a nine-inning game since July 28, 2005 when the club had 21 in a 13-7 win over Vero Beach in a game that featured six Lakeland home runs and a 5x5 night by Russ Cleveland. Alden Carrithers and Kody Kaiser each had four hits for Lakeland which marked season-highs for each player. It was the third time in Carrithers’ career that he has had four hits in one game. He accomplished the feat on Aug. 12, 2008 against the Blue Jays in a Gulf Coast League Game and on Aug. 6, 2009 against South Bend in a Midwest League game. For Kaiser, it was his first four-hit game. He has come close collecting three hits in a game 16 times in his career.
BATS COME ALIVE ... In the last three games vs. Jupiter, Lakeland hit .359 (47x131) with six doubles, three triples and two home runs. The team scored 31 runs in those three games and could have a bunch more as the Flying Tigers also stranded 39 runners during the trio of contests. Lakeland has reached double figures in hits in five of the last six games for a .315 clip.
CARRITHERS LEADS THE FSL ... Thanks to a move into the lead-off spot, Alden Carrithers is now leading the league with a .367 average - nine points better than the next batter. Since the move to the #1 slot seven games ago, Carrithers is batting 16x33 (.485) with nine runs scored and a .553 on-base percentage. He enters the St. Lucie series with an 11-game hit streak in which he is 22x45 (.489) with 14 runs scored and 10 walks. He has had two or more hits in three straight games and six of his last seven contests. His season on-base percentage of .461 also leads the league while his .367 batting average is best for any Detroit minor league player.
KOSY KODY ... Kody Kaiser has had two or more hits in four of his last five games and is 13x24 (.542) during that span with eight runs batted in. He now has a five-game hit streak and has had at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games.
BISHOP FALLS TO THIRD ... An 0x5 night on Wednesday has dropped Rawley Bishop to .348 on the season and third place in the FSL batting race. Bishop was 8x19 (.421) prior to yesterday’s game and has hits in nine of his last 11 games.
NOWLIN KNOW HOW ... Billy Nowlin has also jumped on the multi-hit bandwagon with two or more hits in four of last six games and is 10x26 (.385) in that span.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 9-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had eight saves since April 29 with six different pitchers taking the honors including Cory Hamilton who picked up the save in Monday night’s 3-0 win over the Hammerheads.
FEW PINCH-HITTERS ... Lakeland has only pinch-hit six times this season and no player has pinch-hit more than once. Bryan Pounds and Brent Wyatt each singled in their respective appearances while Andy Bouchie (now at AA) walked in his one shot at the plate. Three other pinch-hitters have struck out.
BULLISH BULLPEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has allowed just three runs in the last 13 games for a 0.69 ERA and 29 strikeouts and six walks.
FURBUSH STAYS IN K RACE ... Charlie Furbush stuck out nine in his last outing with no walks. That effort came on the heels of a 13-K effort on May 10 and gives Furbush 58 strikeouts on the year, just one behind Clearwater’s Austin Hyatt who leads the FSL with 59.
HUFF AND A PUFF FROM HOFFMAN ... Reliever Matt Hoffman has picked up three saves since April 20 and has not walked a batter in his last 10 outings and has issued only two free bases all season.
STRONG START TO THE WEEK ... The Flying Tigers are 5-1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and .500 on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, but a combined 4-7 on Saturdays and Sundays.
LATEST LAKELAND ALUMS TO MAKE BIG CLUB ... Former Flying Tigers Danny Worth and Casper Wells were called up the big club last week while Clete Thomas was placed on the disabled list and Scott Sizemore was sent back to Toledo.
22’s WILD .. Four of Detroit organization teams have each won 22 games. Detroit, Toledo and Erie all has 22 victories and stand at second place while the Flying Tigers are in third place with 22 wins. Only West Michigan, at 14-24, is out of the first half races.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Jupiter (May 16-19)
THE FLYING TIGERS (18-17) - Lakeland’s 2-1 loss to Tampa in 11 innings on Saturday snapped a four-game winning streak by the Flying Tigers. The 11 innings marked Lakeland’s longest game of the year and was just the second extra inning affair this season for the team. The Flying Tigers continue to lead the FSL with a 2.61 team ERA (the only team under 3.00) and have walked the fewest batters in the league. Lakeland is hitting .249 as a team and is second in the Florida State League with a .979 fielding percentage.
THE HAMMERHEADS (13-22) - Jupiter is hitting just .218 as a team while Emilio Ontiveros and Ben Lasater are leading the club with .275 and .273 averages, respectively. The Hammerheads are tied for second in the league with 42 stolen bases, thanks in large part to Kevin Mattison who leads the league with 20 thefts. The staff ERA of 3.90 ranks 10th in the FSL.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
SUNDAY - LUKE PUTKONEN (2-2, 3.09) ... Putkonen won his last start, tossing six shutout innings against Charlotte on May 11. He walked three in that game and also struck out three while allowing three hits. His longest outing came in a no-decistion on April 30 as he worked 7.0 innings allowing one run on six hits. Putkonen is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two road starts while 2-1 with a 2.36 ERA in five home starts.
MONDAY - MARK SORENSEN (3-3, 3.79) ... Sorensen won his last start with his longest outing of the season (7.0 innings) on May 12 against Charlotte. He struck out five in that game to give him 13 strikeouts in his last two starts and allowed just one run while scattering five hits. Eight of his 15 earned runs this season came in back-to-back games. He is 0-2 with a 5.17 ERA in three road starts and 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four home starts.
TUESDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL ... Villarreal has won his last two starts, including his last game on May 13 against Charlotte. He opened the season striking out 26 batters in his first three games, and has mowed down five in each of his last two appearances. Villarreal tossed a complete game on April 27 against Daytona, but took the loss despite allowing just three hits and striking out six. He is 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA on the road and 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA at home and his opponents .200 batting average is second best in the Florida State League.
WEDNESDAY - ADAM WILK ... Wilk has now won his last two starts after going 0-2 with three no-decisions in his first five starts. In his last start, he tossed his longest game with 7.0 innings againt Tampa on May 14, allowing four hits. Wilk struck out 10 batters in his first five starts, but has 14 in his last two. He is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA on the road and 0-1 with a 3.27 at home.
BISHOP TIED FOR LEAGUE BATTING LEAD ... Thanks to a 2x5 effort in last night’s game, Rawley Bishop has now moved into a tie for first place with Clearwater’s Matt Rizzotti with each batter hitting .358 on the season. Bishop is also tied for the league lead with 44 hits along with two other players. His .553 slugging percentage is second in the league while his 12 doubles in third best. With seven hits in his last three games, Alden Carrithers is now fourth in the league with a .350 mark while leading the league with a .449 on-base percentage.
GAME TIME SHUFFLE ... Each of Lakeland’s four games in Jupiter will start at different times. Sunday’s game is slated for a 5:05 p.m. start with Monday taking place at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday games for Jupiter now start at 6:35 p.m. with Thursday’s game being a morning affair at 10:35.
FURBUSH RETAKES STRIKEOUT LEAD ... With nine more strikeouts on Saturday, Charlie Furbush now tops the Florida State League with 58 K’s on the season. Furbush has struck out 22 in his last two games and at least seven in each of his seven starts.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had seven saves since April 29 with five different pitchers taking the honors including Miguel Mejia who picked up the save in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over Charlotte.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Second baseman Alden Carrithers moved into the lead-off spot on May 13 and has been 7x13 (.538) since making the move. He was 3x3 in his first game and has two hits in each of the last two games. The two hits in last night’s game makes him 13x25 (.520) the last seven games.
MULTI-BISHOP ... Rawley Bishop is 9x25 (.360) his last five games with two or more hits in four of those starts. For the season he leads the team with 17 multi-hit games, Alden Carrithers is next with 12 while Kody Kaiser has 10 multi-hit games.
KUDOS TO KAISER ... Kody Kaiser has hits in nine of his last ten games and 22 of his last 26 games.
POUNDS TAKING OFF ... Bryan Pounds has two hits in each of the last two games and is 6x16 (.375) his last four games and 10x34 (.294) since May 7. On April 14, he has one of those games where everything dropped in, going 5x5 against Brevard County.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 6-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate. He has four hits on the season - two of them for home runs.
ORGANIZATIONAL NOTES ... Rawley Bishop leads all Detroit minor leaguers with his .356 average with Alden Carrithers, and Brent Wyatt right behind with .351 and .308 averages, respectively. Brayan Villarreal is fourth with a 2.97 ERA with Adam Wilk (6th, 3.02), Luke Putkonen (7th, 3.09) and Charlie Furbush (10th, 3.49) all ranking in the top ten.
HAMMERHEAD HITS ... Jonathan Fulton was a third round pick of the Marlins in the 2003 draft out of high school. After five seasons as an infielder, he made the move to the mound in 2008.
FORMER FLYING TIGER STARS IN NO-HITTER ... Former Lakeland pitcher Andrew Miller tossed six no-hit innings as the Hammerheads recorded a no-hitter on May 6 at Palm Beach. Miller, who played for Lakeland in 2006, was on a re-hab assignment from the Marlins. Detroit’s first-round pick in 2006, struck out six and walked six in the no-hit effort.
THE HAMMERHEADS (13-22) - Jupiter is hitting just .218 as a team while Emilio Ontiveros and Ben Lasater are leading the club with .275 and .273 averages, respectively. The Hammerheads are tied for second in the league with 42 stolen bases, thanks in large part to Kevin Mattison who leads the league with 20 thefts. The staff ERA of 3.90 ranks 10th in the FSL.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
SUNDAY - LUKE PUTKONEN (2-2, 3.09) ... Putkonen won his last start, tossing six shutout innings against Charlotte on May 11. He walked three in that game and also struck out three while allowing three hits. His longest outing came in a no-decistion on April 30 as he worked 7.0 innings allowing one run on six hits. Putkonen is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two road starts while 2-1 with a 2.36 ERA in five home starts.
MONDAY - MARK SORENSEN (3-3, 3.79) ... Sorensen won his last start with his longest outing of the season (7.0 innings) on May 12 against Charlotte. He struck out five in that game to give him 13 strikeouts in his last two starts and allowed just one run while scattering five hits. Eight of his 15 earned runs this season came in back-to-back games. He is 0-2 with a 5.17 ERA in three road starts and 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four home starts.
TUESDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL ... Villarreal has won his last two starts, including his last game on May 13 against Charlotte. He opened the season striking out 26 batters in his first three games, and has mowed down five in each of his last two appearances. Villarreal tossed a complete game on April 27 against Daytona, but took the loss despite allowing just three hits and striking out six. He is 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA on the road and 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA at home and his opponents .200 batting average is second best in the Florida State League.
WEDNESDAY - ADAM WILK ... Wilk has now won his last two starts after going 0-2 with three no-decisions in his first five starts. In his last start, he tossed his longest game with 7.0 innings againt Tampa on May 14, allowing four hits. Wilk struck out 10 batters in his first five starts, but has 14 in his last two. He is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA on the road and 0-1 with a 3.27 at home.
BISHOP TIED FOR LEAGUE BATTING LEAD ... Thanks to a 2x5 effort in last night’s game, Rawley Bishop has now moved into a tie for first place with Clearwater’s Matt Rizzotti with each batter hitting .358 on the season. Bishop is also tied for the league lead with 44 hits along with two other players. His .553 slugging percentage is second in the league while his 12 doubles in third best. With seven hits in his last three games, Alden Carrithers is now fourth in the league with a .350 mark while leading the league with a .449 on-base percentage.
GAME TIME SHUFFLE ... Each of Lakeland’s four games in Jupiter will start at different times. Sunday’s game is slated for a 5:05 p.m. start with Monday taking place at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday games for Jupiter now start at 6:35 p.m. with Thursday’s game being a morning affair at 10:35.
FURBUSH RETAKES STRIKEOUT LEAD ... With nine more strikeouts on Saturday, Charlie Furbush now tops the Florida State League with 58 K’s on the season. Furbush has struck out 22 in his last two games and at least seven in each of his seven starts.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had seven saves since April 29 with five different pitchers taking the honors including Miguel Mejia who picked up the save in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over Charlotte.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Second baseman Alden Carrithers moved into the lead-off spot on May 13 and has been 7x13 (.538) since making the move. He was 3x3 in his first game and has two hits in each of the last two games. The two hits in last night’s game makes him 13x25 (.520) the last seven games.
MULTI-BISHOP ... Rawley Bishop is 9x25 (.360) his last five games with two or more hits in four of those starts. For the season he leads the team with 17 multi-hit games, Alden Carrithers is next with 12 while Kody Kaiser has 10 multi-hit games.
KUDOS TO KAISER ... Kody Kaiser has hits in nine of his last ten games and 22 of his last 26 games.
POUNDS TAKING OFF ... Bryan Pounds has two hits in each of the last two games and is 6x16 (.375) his last four games and 10x34 (.294) since May 7. On April 14, he has one of those games where everything dropped in, going 5x5 against Brevard County.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 6-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate. He has four hits on the season - two of them for home runs.
ORGANIZATIONAL NOTES ... Rawley Bishop leads all Detroit minor leaguers with his .356 average with Alden Carrithers, and Brent Wyatt right behind with .351 and .308 averages, respectively. Brayan Villarreal is fourth with a 2.97 ERA with Adam Wilk (6th, 3.02), Luke Putkonen (7th, 3.09) and Charlie Furbush (10th, 3.49) all ranking in the top ten.
HAMMERHEAD HITS ... Jonathan Fulton was a third round pick of the Marlins in the 2003 draft out of high school. After five seasons as an infielder, he made the move to the mound in 2008.
FORMER FLYING TIGER STARS IN NO-HITTER ... Former Lakeland pitcher Andrew Miller tossed six no-hit innings as the Hammerheads recorded a no-hitter on May 6 at Palm Beach. Miller, who played for Lakeland in 2006, was on a re-hab assignment from the Marlins. Detroit’s first-round pick in 2006, struck out six and walked six in the no-hit effort.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Tampa (May 14-15)
THE FLYING TIGERS (17-16) - With a 4-2 decision over Charlotte on Thursday, Lakeland has now won three straight and five of its last six games. The Flying Tigers continue to lead the FSL with a 2.70 team ERA and have walked the fewest batters in the league. Lakeland is hitting .245 as a teamnand is second in the Florida State League with a .979 fielding percentage.
THE YANKEES (17-17) - Tampa beat Fort Myers 6-2 on Thursday with Bradley Suttle and Walter Ibarra each getting three hits to pace a 13-hit Yankee attack. Tampa is batting .257 as a team and has a 3.29 staff ERA. The Yankees have hit only eight home runs this season which is second fewest to Brevard County, which, incredibly, has hit just one home run this season.
THE SERIES - The Yankees have won four of the six previous meetings this year. Tampa shutout Lakeland in three of four games as the two clubs opened the season. The Flying Tigers have had their best offensive outings in two wins against Tampa winning 6-0 on April 9 and then recording season-highs with 13 runs on 18 hits in a 13-7 victory on April 24.
PROMOTIONAL EVENTS ... The Yankees will stage their Bright House Networks night on Friday night - traditionally some of the largest crowds of the season - while the Flying Tigers will honor military personnel on Saturday in honor of Armed Forces Day.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY - ADAM WILK (1-2, 3.38) - recorded his first win of the season in last start on May 8 against Dunedin - struck out nine and walked none in 5.2 innings ... has not walked a batter in last three starts and 18.2 innings.
SATURDAY - CHARLIE FURBUSH (2-3, 3.67) - coming off a tough-luck loss on May 10 - striking out 13 and walking one while allowing four hits over 6.1 IP ... has struck out seven or more in each of his six starts and has 28 K his last three games ... longest outing of 7.0 IP on May 4 against Daytona ... ranks second in the FSL with 49 strikeouts and third with 12.84 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
TRANSACTION SHUFFLE ... Two Flying Tigers earned promotions on Thursday as RHP Anthony Shawler and C Andy Bouchie were sent to Erie. Taking their place on the Lakeland roster are LHP Wilfredo Ramirez and C Angel Florie. Ramirez, who played three seasons in the Indians organization before being signed by Detroit, joins the club from extended spring while Florie comes to Lakeland from AAA Toledo where he was 3x8 in two games.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had seven saves since April 29 with five different pitchers taking the honors including Miguel Mejia who picked up the save in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over Charlotte.
BULLPEN STRENGTH ... The Flying Tiger bullpen has not allowed a run over the last four games (11.2 IP) and just one earned run in the last seven contests (20.1) for a 0.44 ERA over that span. In addition the bullpen has recorded 21 strikeouts and walked just one batter in the last seven games.
EIGHT IS GREAT ... Lakeland has had eight hits in each of the last three games and came out victorious in each contest.
THREE TOP TEN HITTERS ... Fans attending this brief two-games series with get to see three of the league’s top ten hitters in terms of batting average. Tampa’s Jack Rye is second in the FSL with a .353 mark while Lakeland’s Rawley Bishop and Alden Carrithers are fifth and sixth with a .351 and .344 averages, respectively.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Second baseman Alden Carrithers moved into the lead-off spot on Thursday and responded with a perfect 3x3 night with a walk. It was the third time this season he has had three hits in one game. The three hits makes him 9x15 (.600) the last five games. The three hits also improves his average to .344 - second on the team. He is tied for second with 31 hits while leading the league with a .449 on-base percentage.
WICKED WYATT ... Left fielder Brent Wyatt was 2x3 in the #2 slot in the batting order on Thursday, giving him five hits in the last three gamesand seven hits in his last eight games.
STREAK SNAPPED ... Kody Kaiser saw his eight-game hit streak come to an end on Thursday. The right fielder was 10x28 (.357) during the streak.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 5-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate. He has four hits on the season - two of them for home runs.
NICE DEBUT ... Cory Hamilton made his Flying Tiger debut on Thursday by tossing three shutout innings. The former West Michigan Whitecap allowed two hits and struck out one on the night.
FABULOUS FURBUSH ... Charlie Furbush’s 13 strikeouts on May 10 were a season-high for any Lakeland pitcher this season. It was the fourth time in his career he has reached double-digits in strikeouts. His 49 K’s ranks second in the Florida State League.
BATTLIN’ BISHOP ... Despite being held hitless on Thursday for just the second time since April 28, Rawley Bishop continues to lead Lakeland with a .361 average, 19 runs scored, 40 hits, 10 doubles, four homers, 23 RBI, 62 stolen bases and a .544 slugging percentage (third in the FSL). Bishop has not walked in 49 plate appearances in the month of May.
ANOTHER EX-LAKELANDER MAKES THE SHOW ... Former Lakeland pitcher Alfredo Figaro got the call to the big show on May 12. He was 2-2 last season for Detroit. Figaro joins fellow Lakeland alums OF Brennan Boesch, 3B Don Kelly, SS Ramon Santiago and 2B Scott Sizemore along with pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Eddie Bonine, Ryan Perry, Rick Porcello, Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis and Joel Zumaya on the big-league roster. (Since this blog was posted, Figaro was sent back to Toledo, but former Flying Tiger Casper Wells was called up to Detroit)
THE YANKEES (17-17) - Tampa beat Fort Myers 6-2 on Thursday with Bradley Suttle and Walter Ibarra each getting three hits to pace a 13-hit Yankee attack. Tampa is batting .257 as a team and has a 3.29 staff ERA. The Yankees have hit only eight home runs this season which is second fewest to Brevard County, which, incredibly, has hit just one home run this season.
THE SERIES - The Yankees have won four of the six previous meetings this year. Tampa shutout Lakeland in three of four games as the two clubs opened the season. The Flying Tigers have had their best offensive outings in two wins against Tampa winning 6-0 on April 9 and then recording season-highs with 13 runs on 18 hits in a 13-7 victory on April 24.
PROMOTIONAL EVENTS ... The Yankees will stage their Bright House Networks night on Friday night - traditionally some of the largest crowds of the season - while the Flying Tigers will honor military personnel on Saturday in honor of Armed Forces Day.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY - ADAM WILK (1-2, 3.38) - recorded his first win of the season in last start on May 8 against Dunedin - struck out nine and walked none in 5.2 innings ... has not walked a batter in last three starts and 18.2 innings.
SATURDAY - CHARLIE FURBUSH (2-3, 3.67) - coming off a tough-luck loss on May 10 - striking out 13 and walking one while allowing four hits over 6.1 IP ... has struck out seven or more in each of his six starts and has 28 K his last three games ... longest outing of 7.0 IP on May 4 against Daytona ... ranks second in the FSL with 49 strikeouts and third with 12.84 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
TRANSACTION SHUFFLE ... Two Flying Tigers earned promotions on Thursday as RHP Anthony Shawler and C Andy Bouchie were sent to Erie. Taking their place on the Lakeland roster are LHP Wilfredo Ramirez and C Angel Florie. Ramirez, who played three seasons in the Indians organization before being signed by Detroit, joins the club from extended spring while Florie comes to Lakeland from AAA Toledo where he was 3x8 in two games.
CLOSER BY COMMITTEE ... With save leader Lester Oliveros on the disabled list, the closer role has been by committee. Lakeland has had seven saves since April 29 with five different pitchers taking the honors including Miguel Mejia who picked up the save in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over Charlotte.
BULLPEN STRENGTH ... The Flying Tiger bullpen has not allowed a run over the last four games (11.2 IP) and just one earned run in the last seven contests (20.1) for a 0.44 ERA over that span. In addition the bullpen has recorded 21 strikeouts and walked just one batter in the last seven games.
EIGHT IS GREAT ... Lakeland has had eight hits in each of the last three games and came out victorious in each contest.
THREE TOP TEN HITTERS ... Fans attending this brief two-games series with get to see three of the league’s top ten hitters in terms of batting average. Tampa’s Jack Rye is second in the FSL with a .353 mark while Lakeland’s Rawley Bishop and Alden Carrithers are fifth and sixth with a .351 and .344 averages, respectively.
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Second baseman Alden Carrithers moved into the lead-off spot on Thursday and responded with a perfect 3x3 night with a walk. It was the third time this season he has had three hits in one game. The three hits makes him 9x15 (.600) the last five games. The three hits also improves his average to .344 - second on the team. He is tied for second with 31 hits while leading the league with a .449 on-base percentage.
WICKED WYATT ... Left fielder Brent Wyatt was 2x3 in the #2 slot in the batting order on Thursday, giving him five hits in the last three gamesand seven hits in his last eight games.
STREAK SNAPPED ... Kody Kaiser saw his eight-game hit streak come to an end on Thursday. The right fielder was 10x28 (.357) during the streak.
THE MAGIC OF JULIO ... The Flying Tigers are a perfect 5-0 in games in which Julio Rodriguez starts behind the plate. He has four hits on the season - two of them for home runs.
NICE DEBUT ... Cory Hamilton made his Flying Tiger debut on Thursday by tossing three shutout innings. The former West Michigan Whitecap allowed two hits and struck out one on the night.
FABULOUS FURBUSH ... Charlie Furbush’s 13 strikeouts on May 10 were a season-high for any Lakeland pitcher this season. It was the fourth time in his career he has reached double-digits in strikeouts. His 49 K’s ranks second in the Florida State League.
BATTLIN’ BISHOP ... Despite being held hitless on Thursday for just the second time since April 28, Rawley Bishop continues to lead Lakeland with a .361 average, 19 runs scored, 40 hits, 10 doubles, four homers, 23 RBI, 62 stolen bases and a .544 slugging percentage (third in the FSL). Bishop has not walked in 49 plate appearances in the month of May.
ANOTHER EX-LAKELANDER MAKES THE SHOW ... Former Lakeland pitcher Alfredo Figaro got the call to the big show on May 12. He was 2-2 last season for Detroit. Figaro joins fellow Lakeland alums OF Brennan Boesch, 3B Don Kelly, SS Ramon Santiago and 2B Scott Sizemore along with pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Eddie Bonine, Ryan Perry, Rick Porcello, Justin Verlander, Dontrelle Willis and Joel Zumaya on the big-league roster. (Since this blog was posted, Figaro was sent back to Toledo, but former Flying Tiger Casper Wells was called up to Detroit)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (May 10-13)
THE FLYING TIGERS (14-15, 6.0 GB) ... Lakeland took two of three at Dunedin last week, including a 5-4 win in the series finale on Saturday. Five Flying Tigers each had two hits in Saturday’s game while Alden Carrithers scored three times. Bryan Pounds cross the plate twice to account for the other two Lakeland scores. Adam Wilk struck out a season-high nine batters in his 5.2 innings to pick up the win while Anthony Shawler picked up his second save in as many nights for the Flying Tigers. Lakeland continues to lead the Florida State League with a 2.91 staff ERA and fewest walks issued (56 – 10 fewer than any other team). The Flying Tigers rank ninth with a .246 team batting average.
THE STONE CRABS (16-12, 1.0 GB) ... Charlotte lost two of three to Bradenton and have now lost three of their last four games. Henry Wrigley leads the club with a .333 average while Isaias Velasquez is close behind at .324 on the season. Wrigley is tied for second in the FSL with five homers while Velasquez is second with 18 stolen bases. The Stone Crabs have the third highest average in the league at .265 and are second with 18 homers. Their team ERA of 3.32 is also third best while they lead the league in strikeouts. An affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Stone Crabs joined the Florida State League last season and just missed capturing the league title, falling to Tampa in the FSL championship series. The club’s principle owner is the Ripken Group that represents Cal Ripken.
THE SERIES ... This is Lakeland’s first series outside of the North Division this season. Charlotte won five of the eight contests in 2009. One game that stands out in the series is the game on July 18 in Lakeland. The Flying Tigers build a 11-3 lead in the seventh, thanks in large part to Michael Bertram hitting for the cycle, but the Stone Crabs rallied with a 9-run eighth inning to take a 12-11 decision. Bertram was 11x17 at the plate in the four-game home series.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
MONDAY - CHARLIE FURBUSH (2-2, 3.86) ... won his last decision with a season-high 7.0 innings pitched against Daytona on May 4 ... has struck out seven or more batters in each of his five starts ... has a 1.38 ERA his last two starts ... his 11.57 strikeouts per nine innings is the seventh best in minor league baseball.
TUESDAY - LUKE PUTKONEN (1-2, 3.72) ... lost his last start on May 5 against Daytona ... struck out five in that game, his second start with five or more strikeouts ... longest outing was 7.0 innings on April 30 against Dunedin.
WEDNESDAY - MARK SORENSEN (2-3, 4.40) ... has lost his last three starts with an 8.03 ERA in those games ... was 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in first three starts ... longest outing of 6.0 innings came on April 20 against Brevard County.
THURSDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL (3-3, 2.88) ... won his last start with 6.0 innings pitched at Dunedin on May 7 ... struck out 26 in first three starts and 15 in the last three ... tossed a complete game on April 27 in loss at Daytona – one of just four complete games tossed in the FSL this season ... his 41 strikeouts is seventh most among all of minor league baseball through Saturday’s games.
PITCHING DUEL ... Although they won’t go head-to-head in this series, Lakeland’s Brayan Villarreal and Charlotte’s Matthew Moore are battling in the FSL statistics. Villarreal leads the league with 41 strikeouts while Moore is just one behind with 40. Villarreal also leads the league with 0.84 WHIP (walks + hits per nine innings) while the Stone Crabs’ Nick Barnese is second with a 0.94 WHIP. In addition, Villarreal has the lowest opponent batting average in the league (.183) among starters. Moore has 13.67 strikeouts per nine innings with Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush in second at 11.57. Villarreal ranks fifth with a 10.75 mark.
OFFENSIVELY IN THE FSL ... Lakeland’s Rawley Bishop is third in the FSL with a .347 batting average while Charlotte’s Henry Wrigley is eighth with a .333 average. Wrigley is second with a .576 slugging percentage while Bishop’s .561 is fourth best.
FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop is hitting .400 with 12 RBI since April 28 ... Bishop (2 doubles), Alden Carrithers, Bryan Pounds, Daniel Fields and Billy Nowlin each had two hits on Saturday ... Kody Kaiser is 7x19 (.368) his last five games.
HOMER JULIO ... Julio Rodriguez has played in just three games since joining Lakeland on May 4, but has hit home runs in two of those three games. The Lakeland catcher now has three hits – two of them for home runs – and has started the last two games.
FLASHING THE LEATHER ... Lakeland is the second best defensive team in the league with a .980 fielding percentage with three players topping the league at their position. Rawley Bishop is the top fielding first baseman in the league and not committed an error in 209 total chances. Alden Carrithers leads the league’s second baseman with a .980 mark having erred twice in 102 total chances. Gustavo Nunez is the best fielding shortstop in the league having committed just five errors in 146 chances for a .966 fielding percentage. The team’s outfielders (Daniel Fields, Kody Kaiser, Chao-Ting Tang, Josh Workman, Brent Wyatt) have been perfect in the field as well.
I’VE SEEN BOTH SIDES NOW ... Brent Wyatt ranks 13th among switch-hitters in minor league baseball with a .321 average.
IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Rawley Bishop leads all Detroit minor leaguers with a .347 average. Brent Wyatt is second at .321 while Alden Carrithers is fourth with a .312 mark and Kody Kaiser (.272) and Bryan Pounds (.271) rank ninth and tenth, respectively ... Brayan Villarreal ranks fourth with a 2.88 ERA while Adam Wilk (3.38) and Luke Putkonen (3.72) rank seventh and 10th, respectively. Villarreal leads the Detroit minor leaguers with 41 K’s while Charlie Furbush is third with 36 strikeouts.
CHARLOTTE CRUMBS ... Pitcher Matt Bush was a first round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004 ... shortstop Tim Beckham was the Ray’s top pick in 2008 ... former Lakeland Tiger manager Skeeter Barnes (2000) is Tampa Bay’s’ outfield and baserunning coordinator.
THE STONE CRABS (16-12, 1.0 GB) ... Charlotte lost two of three to Bradenton and have now lost three of their last four games. Henry Wrigley leads the club with a .333 average while Isaias Velasquez is close behind at .324 on the season. Wrigley is tied for second in the FSL with five homers while Velasquez is second with 18 stolen bases. The Stone Crabs have the third highest average in the league at .265 and are second with 18 homers. Their team ERA of 3.32 is also third best while they lead the league in strikeouts. An affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Stone Crabs joined the Florida State League last season and just missed capturing the league title, falling to Tampa in the FSL championship series. The club’s principle owner is the Ripken Group that represents Cal Ripken.
THE SERIES ... This is Lakeland’s first series outside of the North Division this season. Charlotte won five of the eight contests in 2009. One game that stands out in the series is the game on July 18 in Lakeland. The Flying Tigers build a 11-3 lead in the seventh, thanks in large part to Michael Bertram hitting for the cycle, but the Stone Crabs rallied with a 9-run eighth inning to take a 12-11 decision. Bertram was 11x17 at the plate in the four-game home series.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
MONDAY - CHARLIE FURBUSH (2-2, 3.86) ... won his last decision with a season-high 7.0 innings pitched against Daytona on May 4 ... has struck out seven or more batters in each of his five starts ... has a 1.38 ERA his last two starts ... his 11.57 strikeouts per nine innings is the seventh best in minor league baseball.
TUESDAY - LUKE PUTKONEN (1-2, 3.72) ... lost his last start on May 5 against Daytona ... struck out five in that game, his second start with five or more strikeouts ... longest outing was 7.0 innings on April 30 against Dunedin.
WEDNESDAY - MARK SORENSEN (2-3, 4.40) ... has lost his last three starts with an 8.03 ERA in those games ... was 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in first three starts ... longest outing of 6.0 innings came on April 20 against Brevard County.
THURSDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL (3-3, 2.88) ... won his last start with 6.0 innings pitched at Dunedin on May 7 ... struck out 26 in first three starts and 15 in the last three ... tossed a complete game on April 27 in loss at Daytona – one of just four complete games tossed in the FSL this season ... his 41 strikeouts is seventh most among all of minor league baseball through Saturday’s games.
PITCHING DUEL ... Although they won’t go head-to-head in this series, Lakeland’s Brayan Villarreal and Charlotte’s Matthew Moore are battling in the FSL statistics. Villarreal leads the league with 41 strikeouts while Moore is just one behind with 40. Villarreal also leads the league with 0.84 WHIP (walks + hits per nine innings) while the Stone Crabs’ Nick Barnese is second with a 0.94 WHIP. In addition, Villarreal has the lowest opponent batting average in the league (.183) among starters. Moore has 13.67 strikeouts per nine innings with Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush in second at 11.57. Villarreal ranks fifth with a 10.75 mark.
OFFENSIVELY IN THE FSL ... Lakeland’s Rawley Bishop is third in the FSL with a .347 batting average while Charlotte’s Henry Wrigley is eighth with a .333 average. Wrigley is second with a .576 slugging percentage while Bishop’s .561 is fourth best.
FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop is hitting .400 with 12 RBI since April 28 ... Bishop (2 doubles), Alden Carrithers, Bryan Pounds, Daniel Fields and Billy Nowlin each had two hits on Saturday ... Kody Kaiser is 7x19 (.368) his last five games.
HOMER JULIO ... Julio Rodriguez has played in just three games since joining Lakeland on May 4, but has hit home runs in two of those three games. The Lakeland catcher now has three hits – two of them for home runs – and has started the last two games.
FLASHING THE LEATHER ... Lakeland is the second best defensive team in the league with a .980 fielding percentage with three players topping the league at their position. Rawley Bishop is the top fielding first baseman in the league and not committed an error in 209 total chances. Alden Carrithers leads the league’s second baseman with a .980 mark having erred twice in 102 total chances. Gustavo Nunez is the best fielding shortstop in the league having committed just five errors in 146 chances for a .966 fielding percentage. The team’s outfielders (Daniel Fields, Kody Kaiser, Chao-Ting Tang, Josh Workman, Brent Wyatt) have been perfect in the field as well.
I’VE SEEN BOTH SIDES NOW ... Brent Wyatt ranks 13th among switch-hitters in minor league baseball with a .321 average.
IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Rawley Bishop leads all Detroit minor leaguers with a .347 average. Brent Wyatt is second at .321 while Alden Carrithers is fourth with a .312 mark and Kody Kaiser (.272) and Bryan Pounds (.271) rank ninth and tenth, respectively ... Brayan Villarreal ranks fourth with a 2.88 ERA while Adam Wilk (3.38) and Luke Putkonen (3.72) rank seventh and 10th, respectively. Villarreal leads the Detroit minor leaguers with 41 K’s while Charlie Furbush is third with 36 strikeouts.
CHARLOTTE CRUMBS ... Pitcher Matt Bush was a first round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004 ... shortstop Tim Beckham was the Ray’s top pick in 2008 ... former Lakeland Tiger manager Skeeter Barnes (2000) is Tampa Bay’s’ outfield and baserunning coordinator.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (May 6-8)
THE FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland dropped two of three to Daytona and has now lost four of its last five and seven of its last ten. The Flying Tigers are now 12-14 on the season and are in fourth place in the North Division, 6.0 games behind Clearwater. Rawley Bishop is third in the Florida State League with a .360 average and Brent Wyatt is 10th at .325 on the season. The Flying Tigers have the best earned run average in the league at 2.92 while the team batting average of .247 ranks ninth.
DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS ... The Blue Jays were swept by Tampa and were outscored in the series 23-4. Prior to the Yankee series, the club had won five of six including a three-game sweep of the Flying Tigers in Lakeland. Dunedin is 14-12 on the season and are in third place, 4.0 games behind the Threshers. Matt Rizzotti leads the Florida State League with a .379 average while teammate Cody Overbeck is right behind at .372 to go with his league-leading eight homers and 35 hits. Overbeck is also tied for second with 21 runs batted in. Dunedin is tied for fifth with a .260 team batting average while the staff ERA of 3.70 ranks seventh.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
THURSDAY - MARK SORENSEN (2-2, 4.30) ... has allowed four earned runs in each of his last two starts after giving up three in his first three starts ... was 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 15 strikeouts in first three starts and is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA and 1 strike out the last two ... righthanders are hitting .196 against him ... had longest outing of 6.0 innings in win against Brevard on April 20 ... struck out season-high seven batters in no-decision outing vs. the Manatees on April 14.
FRIDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL (2-3, 2.86) ... leads the FSL with a .190 opponents batting average ... third in the league with a 11.44 strikeouts per nine innings ratio ... was 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 1 walk in first three starts and is 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA, 10 strikeouts and three walks his last two starts ... has 36 strikeouts and five walks in 28.1 innings ... longest outing of 8.0 innings came in complete game loss at Daytona on April 27 despite allowing just three hits in the game ... twice struck out season-high nine batters on April 15 and April 21 ... righthanders are batting .167 against him while lefties are hitting .217... he is limiting opponents to a .190 batting average.
SATURDAY - ADAM WILK (0-2, 3.41) ... has not factored in a decision since dropping his first two starts ... has allowed two or more runs in each of his five starts ... struck out seven in first two starts, but just three since ... walked five his first three starts, but none in his last two outings .... longest outing of 7.0 innings came versus Daytona in last start on May 3.
PINCH-HITTING POUNDS ... Bryan Pounds pinch-hit for Chao-Ting Tang in the 7th inning of Wednesday’s game vs. Daytona and singled to collect Lakeland’s first pinch-hit of the season.
HIGH WATER MARK ... The Flying Tigers’ second Education Day on May 4 brought 3,543 fans to Joker Marchant Stadium, the largest crowd of the 2010 season and the ninth largest crowd in the last four seasons. That day’s crowd also marks the fifth gate this season in excess of 2,000 fans.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING ... The Flying Tigers collected doubles by Rawley Bishop and Gustavo Nunez in the May 4 game vs. Daytona along with a triple by Bryan Pounds and a home run by newcomer Julio Rodriguez. The combo marked the first time this season that Lakeland has had the cycle in one game.
HIT STREAK EXTENDED ... Rawley Bishop homered on Wednesday in his last at bat to extend his hit streak to eight games. He is 15x33 (.455) since April 28. Bishop had two or more hits in four straight games prior to Wednesday’s game and now has 12 multi-hit games on the season. The homer was his fourth of the season, putting him in a tie with eight others for second in the league.
ANOTHER STREAK SNAPPED ... Gustavo Nunez had his six-game hit streak on Wednesday. In his six games prior to Wednesday, Nunez was 10x24 (.417)
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Alden Carrithers is 12x35 (.433) in his last nine games dating back to April 24.
HELLO, JULIO ... Newcomer Julio Rodriguez made his Lakeland 2010 debut a memorable one with two hits including a home run on Tuesday, May 4.
WILD WYATT ... Brent Wyatt collected three hits on Wednesday versus Daytona to become the first Lakeland player this season to twice have three hits in one game. He also accomplished the feat on April 25 against Tampa.
THRICE IS NICE ... Through their first 23 games, the Flying Tigers had just four triples. Lakeland has now tripled in three straight games.
SOMEBODY GET ME HOME ... Dating back to April 30, Lakeland has stranded 57 runners - an average of 9.5 per game.
BULLPEN GETTING IT DONE ... Although they have made a couple of the last few games interesting in the late innings, the bullpen now has a 0.89 ERA in the last nine game, part of the reason why Lakeland now leads the Florida State League in earned run average.
A NO-NO WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE ... Charlie Furbush took a no-hitter into the fifth on May 4 against Daytona before Josh Vitters singled up the middle to lead off the fifth inning. The last time a Lakeland club had a no-hitter came on July 19, 2008 when Rick Porcello, Robbie Weinhardt and Cody Satterwhite combined on the no-no. The last Lakeland pitcher to toss a complete game no-hitter was Rob Haas who accomplished the feat on April 14, 1989 versus Clearwater. Matt O’Brien tossed a one-hitter on Mar 3, 2008 shutting out St. Lucie, 6-0.
WAY TO GO, WILKIN ... Former Flying Tiger Wilkin Ramirez was honored as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending May 2. Ramirez hit .500 (11x22) with two doubles, three home runs and nine runs batted in last week for AA Erie.
Complete statistical packages for this series and past series for the 2010 season are available at http://issuu.com/mocman/docs
_____________________
Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS ... The Blue Jays were swept by Tampa and were outscored in the series 23-4. Prior to the Yankee series, the club had won five of six including a three-game sweep of the Flying Tigers in Lakeland. Dunedin is 14-12 on the season and are in third place, 4.0 games behind the Threshers. Matt Rizzotti leads the Florida State League with a .379 average while teammate Cody Overbeck is right behind at .372 to go with his league-leading eight homers and 35 hits. Overbeck is also tied for second with 21 runs batted in. Dunedin is tied for fifth with a .260 team batting average while the staff ERA of 3.70 ranks seventh.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
THURSDAY - MARK SORENSEN (2-2, 4.30) ... has allowed four earned runs in each of his last two starts after giving up three in his first three starts ... was 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 15 strikeouts in first three starts and is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA and 1 strike out the last two ... righthanders are hitting .196 against him ... had longest outing of 6.0 innings in win against Brevard on April 20 ... struck out season-high seven batters in no-decision outing vs. the Manatees on April 14.
FRIDAY - BRAYAN VILLARREAL (2-3, 2.86) ... leads the FSL with a .190 opponents batting average ... third in the league with a 11.44 strikeouts per nine innings ratio ... was 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 1 walk in first three starts and is 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA, 10 strikeouts and three walks his last two starts ... has 36 strikeouts and five walks in 28.1 innings ... longest outing of 8.0 innings came in complete game loss at Daytona on April 27 despite allowing just three hits in the game ... twice struck out season-high nine batters on April 15 and April 21 ... righthanders are batting .167 against him while lefties are hitting .217... he is limiting opponents to a .190 batting average.
SATURDAY - ADAM WILK (0-2, 3.41) ... has not factored in a decision since dropping his first two starts ... has allowed two or more runs in each of his five starts ... struck out seven in first two starts, but just three since ... walked five his first three starts, but none in his last two outings .... longest outing of 7.0 innings came versus Daytona in last start on May 3.
PINCH-HITTING POUNDS ... Bryan Pounds pinch-hit for Chao-Ting Tang in the 7th inning of Wednesday’s game vs. Daytona and singled to collect Lakeland’s first pinch-hit of the season.
HIGH WATER MARK ... The Flying Tigers’ second Education Day on May 4 brought 3,543 fans to Joker Marchant Stadium, the largest crowd of the 2010 season and the ninth largest crowd in the last four seasons. That day’s crowd also marks the fifth gate this season in excess of 2,000 fans.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING ... The Flying Tigers collected doubles by Rawley Bishop and Gustavo Nunez in the May 4 game vs. Daytona along with a triple by Bryan Pounds and a home run by newcomer Julio Rodriguez. The combo marked the first time this season that Lakeland has had the cycle in one game.
HIT STREAK EXTENDED ... Rawley Bishop homered on Wednesday in his last at bat to extend his hit streak to eight games. He is 15x33 (.455) since April 28. Bishop had two or more hits in four straight games prior to Wednesday’s game and now has 12 multi-hit games on the season. The homer was his fourth of the season, putting him in a tie with eight others for second in the league.
ANOTHER STREAK SNAPPED ... Gustavo Nunez had his six-game hit streak on Wednesday. In his six games prior to Wednesday, Nunez was 10x24 (.417)
ALRIGHT ALDEN ... Alden Carrithers is 12x35 (.433) in his last nine games dating back to April 24.
HELLO, JULIO ... Newcomer Julio Rodriguez made his Lakeland 2010 debut a memorable one with two hits including a home run on Tuesday, May 4.
WILD WYATT ... Brent Wyatt collected three hits on Wednesday versus Daytona to become the first Lakeland player this season to twice have three hits in one game. He also accomplished the feat on April 25 against Tampa.
THRICE IS NICE ... Through their first 23 games, the Flying Tigers had just four triples. Lakeland has now tripled in three straight games.
SOMEBODY GET ME HOME ... Dating back to April 30, Lakeland has stranded 57 runners - an average of 9.5 per game.
BULLPEN GETTING IT DONE ... Although they have made a couple of the last few games interesting in the late innings, the bullpen now has a 0.89 ERA in the last nine game, part of the reason why Lakeland now leads the Florida State League in earned run average.
A NO-NO WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE ... Charlie Furbush took a no-hitter into the fifth on May 4 against Daytona before Josh Vitters singled up the middle to lead off the fifth inning. The last time a Lakeland club had a no-hitter came on July 19, 2008 when Rick Porcello, Robbie Weinhardt and Cody Satterwhite combined on the no-no. The last Lakeland pitcher to toss a complete game no-hitter was Rob Haas who accomplished the feat on April 14, 1989 versus Clearwater. Matt O’Brien tossed a one-hitter on Mar 3, 2008 shutting out St. Lucie, 6-0.
WAY TO GO, WILKIN ... Former Flying Tiger Wilkin Ramirez was honored as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending May 2. Ramirez hit .500 (11x22) with two doubles, three home runs and nine runs batted in last week for AA Erie.
Complete statistical packages for this series and past series for the 2010 season are available at http://issuu.com/mocman/docs
_____________________
Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (May 3-5)
THE FLYING TIGERS (11-12, fourth place, 4.0 GB) ... Lakeland was swept in three games over the weekend by Dunedin. The Flying Tigers hit .252 for the series, but stranded 10 runners in each of the three games. Rawley Bishop led the team with five hits over the weekend while Alden Carrithers had four hits. Starting pitching was victimized for a 4.50 ERA in the series, but struck out 21 batters over 28.0 innings. The three losses give Lakeland seven defeats in the last 10 games. The Flying Tigers are batting .245 as a team and have a 2.96 team ERA.
DAYTONA (8-16, sixth place 7.5 GB) ... Daytona has dropped five in a row and 10 of its last 13 games. The Cubs are led by Brett Jackson who is hitting .301 on the season. Marwin Gonzalez is close behind at .292 while Josh Vitters carries a .278 average. Daytona has a .240 team batting average and a 3.98 team ERA.
THE SERIES ... Lakeland took two out of three in Daytona on April 27-29. Daytona took the opener 3-1 despite a 3-hit complete game performance by Brayan Villarreal. The Flying Tigers won game two as Bryan Pounds drove in a pair of run in the top of the ninth for a 5-3 win. Lakeland then took the rubber match, 4-3 as Rawley Bishop had two hits including a homer to drive in three runs and Gustavo Nunez collected three hits. Lakeland ranks ninth in the FSL with a .245 team average while Daytona is 10th at .240.
LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
MONDAY: Adam Wilk (1-1, 4.50) ... Making his first home start since facing Tampa on April 11 ... has worked into the 7th inning in each of his last two starts (including season-long 6.2 IP on April 22 vs. Clearwater), but has not factored into the decision ... 11th round pick in 2009 out of Cal State Long Beach (“The Dirtbags”) ... was 4-1 with a 1.97 combined at West Michigan and Oneonta last season.
TUESDAY: Charlie Furbush (2-1, 2.10) ... Worked a season-high 6.0 innings in his last start on April 29 at Daytona ... has struck out seven or more batters in each of his four starts including eight in his last outing ... has an 0.77 ERA in his first and last starts sandwiched around a 9.00 in two other starts ... six of his 11 runs allowed have come in the fourth inning ... was 6-7 with a 3.96 ERA last season in Lakeland ... 4th round pick in 2007 out of LSU.
WEDNESDAY: Luke Putkonen (2-2, 2.70) ... Making his fourth straight start at home ... worked a season-high 7.0 innings in last start against Dunedin on April 30 ... left April 24 start in the second inning with injury ... one-third of his runs allowed have come in the third inning ... was 7-8 with a 3.13 ERA at West Michigan in 2009 ... 3rd round pick in 2007 out of North Carolina.
LAKELAND INSIDE THE FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE ... Rawley Bishop is fifth with a .338 average and a .432 on-base percentage ... Brayan Villarreal leads the league with 36 strikeouts and owns one of four complete games thrown in the league this season. His opponents batting average of .190 is second best in the FSL ... Lakeland ranks second with a .296 staff ERA and has allowed just 44 walks, fewest of any FSL team. The staff has allowed 66 earned runs, second fewest in the league.
NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Welcome to the new and welcome back to the old. The Flying Tigers welcome catcher Julio Rodriguez who joins the club from Extended Spring Training to fill a roster spot vacated by John Murrian’s placement on the DL (knee). Lakeland welcomes back Lester Oliveros from the DL (bicep soreness) who takes the spot opened when Austin Wood went on the DL (shoulder) for the second time this season.
FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop has a five-game hit streak (9x21, .428) with two hits in four of the last five games. Bishop now has 10 games with two or more hits in the last 17 games ... Alden Carrithers has hits in each of his last four games and is 11x28 (.393) in his last seven games ... Gustavo Nunez has hits in each of his last four games (6x16, .375) and is 19x64 (.297) since April 15 after starting the season 2x23 ... Chao-Ting Tang is 3x7 (.429) his last two games ... Josh Workman is 5x10 (.500) his last three games after starting the season hitless ... Brent Wyatt had his seven-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, but is still 11x31 (.355) since April 23.
THE ARMS ... Erik Crichton has five scoreless outings in his last six appearances out of the bullpen ... Charlie Furbush has struck out seven or more in each of his four starts ... Michael Morrison has allowed two hits and no runs or walks in his three appearances since joining Lakeland on April 25 ... Lester Oliveros had five saves in his five previous appearances before going on the disabled list on April 21. He returned with a shutout inning pitched against Dunedin on May 1 ... Anthony Shawler has not allowed a run in this last six innings over two appearances ... Rob Waite worked 4.0 shutout innings on May 1 - his longest outing in two seasons with Lakeland.
IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Brennan Boesch hit a grand slam for Detroit on April 30 and is 7x26 with four doubles and the HR ... Scott Sizemore is hitting .265 for Detroit ... Brent Dlugach has a .270 mark for Toledo with a team-leading 11 runs batted in ... Will Rhymes is hitting .348 while Deik Scram is hitting .296 for the Mud Hens ... Alfredo Figaro is 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA for Toledo ... Shawn Roof and Audy Ciriaco are leading Erie with .297 and .292 averages, respectively, while Wilkin Ramirez is third with a .291 mark ... L.J. Gagnier is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five starts for the Sea Wolves.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:
DAYTONA (8-16, sixth place 7.5 GB) ... Daytona has dropped five in a row and 10 of its last 13 games. The Cubs are led by Brett Jackson who is hitting .301 on the season. Marwin Gonzalez is close behind at .292 while Josh Vitters carries a .278 average. Daytona has a .240 team batting average and a 3.98 team ERA.
THE SERIES ... Lakeland took two out of three in Daytona on April 27-29. Daytona took the opener 3-1 despite a 3-hit complete game performance by Brayan Villarreal. The Flying Tigers won game two as Bryan Pounds drove in a pair of run in the top of the ninth for a 5-3 win. Lakeland then took the rubber match, 4-3 as Rawley Bishop had two hits including a homer to drive in three runs and Gustavo Nunez collected three hits. Lakeland ranks ninth in the FSL with a .245 team average while Daytona is 10th at .240.
LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
MONDAY: Adam Wilk (1-1, 4.50) ... Making his first home start since facing Tampa on April 11 ... has worked into the 7th inning in each of his last two starts (including season-long 6.2 IP on April 22 vs. Clearwater), but has not factored into the decision ... 11th round pick in 2009 out of Cal State Long Beach (“The Dirtbags”) ... was 4-1 with a 1.97 combined at West Michigan and Oneonta last season.
TUESDAY: Charlie Furbush (2-1, 2.10) ... Worked a season-high 6.0 innings in his last start on April 29 at Daytona ... has struck out seven or more batters in each of his four starts including eight in his last outing ... has an 0.77 ERA in his first and last starts sandwiched around a 9.00 in two other starts ... six of his 11 runs allowed have come in the fourth inning ... was 6-7 with a 3.96 ERA last season in Lakeland ... 4th round pick in 2007 out of LSU.
WEDNESDAY: Luke Putkonen (2-2, 2.70) ... Making his fourth straight start at home ... worked a season-high 7.0 innings in last start against Dunedin on April 30 ... left April 24 start in the second inning with injury ... one-third of his runs allowed have come in the third inning ... was 7-8 with a 3.13 ERA at West Michigan in 2009 ... 3rd round pick in 2007 out of North Carolina.
LAKELAND INSIDE THE FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE ... Rawley Bishop is fifth with a .338 average and a .432 on-base percentage ... Brayan Villarreal leads the league with 36 strikeouts and owns one of four complete games thrown in the league this season. His opponents batting average of .190 is second best in the FSL ... Lakeland ranks second with a .296 staff ERA and has allowed just 44 walks, fewest of any FSL team. The staff has allowed 66 earned runs, second fewest in the league.
NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Welcome to the new and welcome back to the old. The Flying Tigers welcome catcher Julio Rodriguez who joins the club from Extended Spring Training to fill a roster spot vacated by John Murrian’s placement on the DL (knee). Lakeland welcomes back Lester Oliveros from the DL (bicep soreness) who takes the spot opened when Austin Wood went on the DL (shoulder) for the second time this season.
FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop has a five-game hit streak (9x21, .428) with two hits in four of the last five games. Bishop now has 10 games with two or more hits in the last 17 games ... Alden Carrithers has hits in each of his last four games and is 11x28 (.393) in his last seven games ... Gustavo Nunez has hits in each of his last four games (6x16, .375) and is 19x64 (.297) since April 15 after starting the season 2x23 ... Chao-Ting Tang is 3x7 (.429) his last two games ... Josh Workman is 5x10 (.500) his last three games after starting the season hitless ... Brent Wyatt had his seven-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, but is still 11x31 (.355) since April 23.
THE ARMS ... Erik Crichton has five scoreless outings in his last six appearances out of the bullpen ... Charlie Furbush has struck out seven or more in each of his four starts ... Michael Morrison has allowed two hits and no runs or walks in his three appearances since joining Lakeland on April 25 ... Lester Oliveros had five saves in his five previous appearances before going on the disabled list on April 21. He returned with a shutout inning pitched against Dunedin on May 1 ... Anthony Shawler has not allowed a run in this last six innings over two appearances ... Rob Waite worked 4.0 shutout innings on May 1 - his longest outing in two seasons with Lakeland.
IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Brennan Boesch hit a grand slam for Detroit on April 30 and is 7x26 with four doubles and the HR ... Scott Sizemore is hitting .265 for Detroit ... Brent Dlugach has a .270 mark for Toledo with a team-leading 11 runs batted in ... Will Rhymes is hitting .348 while Deik Scram is hitting .296 for the Mud Hens ... Alfredo Figaro is 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA for Toledo ... Shawn Roof and Audy Ciriaco are leading Erie with .297 and .292 averages, respectively, while Wilkin Ramirez is third with a .291 mark ... L.J. Gagnier is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five starts for the Sea Wolves.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:
- Monday - $1 Hot Dogs; Check The Ledger for 2-for-1 game ticket offer
- Tuesday - Education Day #1 (10:30 a.m. start); Kraft Singles (Buy one ticket, get one ticker free with package wrapper
- Wednesday - All-You-Can-Eat ($10 includes ticket)
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