Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 29-May 2)

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games are at Brevard County: Saturday, 7:05 pm; Sunday, 5:05 pm; Monday, 10:35 am.

THE FLYING TIGERS (11-11, 3rd, 4.5 GB) ... The Flying Tigers batted around in the fourth inning last night and held on to defeat Clearwater 4-2 to climb back to .500 on the season with an 11-11 record. All the runs came off of Jonathan Pettibone, who entered the game with a 3-0 record and a remarkable 0.38 ERA. The win is just the second in the last nine games for Lakeland which is 3-8 over the last 11 outings. Lakeland is seventh in the FSL with a .257 team batting average and continues to rank second in batters hit by a pitch with 18. The team has left 174 runners on base this season, the most of any FSL team. The Flying Tigers have a 4.19 staff ERA, a mark that ranks eighth in the league.

BREVARD COUNTY (9-13, 4th, 6.5 GB) ... The Manatees began the season losing their first five games and nine of their first 12. Since then, the club is 6-4. Josh Prince is tied for the league lead with eight stolen bases. Scott Krieger is seventh in the FSL with a .364 average while Khristopher Davis is tied for third with five home runs and tied for fourth with 19 RBI. Krieger is fourth in the league with a .636 slugging percentage while Davis is fifth with a .623 mark. Brevard County is ninth in the FSL with a .254 team batting average. The Manatees staff ERA of 4.09 is tied for sixth in the league and has surrendered a FSL-high 19 home runs.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Saturday (4/30) - Cole Nelson (1-1, 4.87) ... Nelson is 1-1 with two no decision in four starts. He has allowed two or more earned runs in each start and has walked nine batters his last two outings. Ironically, in his one win on April 19 against Dunedin, he allowed a season-high four runs and walked a season-high five batters. He worked 5.0 innings in his last start on April 25 against the Manatees, holding Brevard County to four hits and three runs – two earned – while striking out two and walking four.
• Sunday (5/01) - Jared Wesson (1-2, 9.98) ... Jared Wesson is 1-3 in four starts. In his last two outings, he has been tagged for ten hits in each start while surrendering a combined 12 earned runs, including a season-high seven tallies in his last start on April 26 against the Manatees.
• Monday (4/29) - Victor Larez (2-2, 4.03) ... Victor Larez won his first two starts working a combined 13.0 innings and allowing three runs with ten hits, seven strikeouts and zero walks. He has dropped his last two starts, going 9.1 innings while surrendering 12 runs – seven earned – on 13 hits, five strikeouts and four walks. He has not faced Brevard County this season.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The Manatees took two of three games played earlier in Lakeland, winning the opener 9-6 in 11 innings scoring three times in the 11th on a fielder’s choice, passed ball and a single. Game three was all Manatees as four players each had three hits as Brevard County collected 18 hits including six doubles and three home runs. In between, Lakeland won 4-3, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth with Brent Wyatt racing home on a wild pitch for the winning run. Julio Rodriguez went 5x8 (.625) with four runs batted in over two games while Jordan Lennerton hit .455 (5x11) in the three games for Lakeland. Brock Kjeldgaard was 6x15 (.429) and Scott Krieger went 6x15 (.400) for Brevard County while Ryan Gennett was 5x13 (.385) and Khristopher Davis went 4x11 (.364).

FAULK IS ALMOST FAULTLESS ... Kenny Faulk has allowed just one run in his 10 appearances out of the bullpen this season and has not been scored upon in his last five games. He has struck out 17 while walking just one batter all season.

FLYING HIGH ... Tony Plagman leads the FSL with 23 RBI ... Kenny Faulk is tied for second in the FSL with five saves.

OCHO FOR JULIO ... Catcher Julio Rodriguez went 1x3 in last night’s game to extend his hit streak to eight games. He is 12x26 (.462) in those eight games with a pair of doubles and seven runs batted in.

SIX AND COUNTING ... Avisail Garcia has hits in each of his last six games going 9x26 (.346) with six singles, a double, triple and home run. Gustavo Nunez also has a six-game hit streak going 7x24 (.293) in those games. He is 13x39 (.333) his last ten games with three doubles and a pair of triples. Since April 11, Nunez is 23x66 (.348).

GAYNOR GAININ’ ... Wade Gaynor has hits in four straight games going 6x13 (.462) with four singles and two doubles.

JONES’ TURNAROUND ... Corey Jones was 2x28 (.071) in nine games from April 9-18, but is 10x38 (.263) in 10 games since then.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... Lakeland is 3-6 on the road in 2011.

FOUR TO DOUBLE ... Lakeland has stolen one base in each of the last four games to double their season total on the season to eight stolen bases.

KEEP THOSE DOUBLES COMING ... The Flying Tigers have recorded at least one double in each of the last eight games (included five on April 27 at Clearwater) and in 12 of the last 13 games. Lakeland has doubles in 19 of their 22 games played this season.

EDUCATION DAY #2 ... Lakeland’s next home will be Wednesday, May 4 at 10:30 in the morning as the Flying Tigers play host to Clearwater and an expected Education Day crowd of 3,000

ON THE FARM ... Scott Sizemore leads Detroit minor leaguers with a .397 average at Toledo while Ben Guez is second with a .379 at Erie. Bryan Pounds is fourth with a .343 for the Mud Hens while Andy Dirks is sixth with a .337, also for Toledo. Gustavo Nunez is eighth in the organization with a .325 for Lakeland. On the mound, Charlie Furbush has an organization-low 1.90 ERA to go with his 2-1 mark for Toledo with 32 strikeouts and five walks in 23.2 innings. Adam Wilk is second with a 2.49 ERA for the Mud Hens while L.J. Gagnier is third at 2.63 for Erie. Jacob Turner (2.70, Erie 4th), Duane Below (3.63, Toledo, 5th), Victor Larez (4.03, Lakeland, 8th), Drew Smyly (4.08, Lakeland, 9th) and Thad Weber (4.18, Toledo, 10th) also rank in top ten. Lakeland’s Tony Plagman leads with 23 RBI and is second with four homes while Kenny Faulk is tops with five saves (three more than anyone else) ... Detroit (12-14); Toledo (11-12); Erie (9-11); Lakeland (11-11); West Michigan (7-13).

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (April 27-29)

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Wednesday at Clearwater, 1 pm; Thursday at Clearwater, 7 pm; Friday at Lakeland, 7 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (10-9, 3rd, 3.5 GB) ... Lakeland dropped a 12-3 loss at home on Tuesday to Brevard County as the Manatees collected 18 hits, half of them for extra bases, including three home runs. The loss was the Flying Tigers’ fifth in the last six games. Lakeland has the second lowest team batting average in the FSL with a .247 mark and has swiped a league-low five stolen bases. The Flying Tigers are also second in the FSL with 17 batters hit by pitch. The pitching staff is sixth with a 4.22 team ERA.

CLEARWATER (11-8, 2nd, 1.5 GB) ... The Threshers are coming off a split of a doubleheader with Tampa on Tuesday. Clearwater took game one by a 10-1 score behind a 3-for-5 night by Darin Ruf who had a double, homer and five runs batted in. The Threshers were shutout 4-0 in game two. Ruf is hitting .353 his last ten games while Joe Slavery and Brian Gump are batting .333 and .321, respectively in the same time frame. With the split, Clearwater is now 3-7 its last seven games and has been shutout twice in those six games. There last two wins were by a combined 18-2 score. Clearwater is sixth in the FSL with a .264 average and have allowed just 63 runs, the second fewest in the league. The Threshers’ staff ERA of 3.15 ranks third in the FSL.

SLAVERY SLAUGHTER ... Clearwater’s Joe Slavey leads all of minor league baseball with a lofty .456 average. He has 31 base hits already this season, including six doubles, a triple and a homer.

BIG MAC ... Thresher reliever Matt McSwain is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA in one start and three relief appearances. In his one start, he tossed six shutout innings against Jupiter, holding the Hammerheads with three hits with 11 strikeouts and zero walks.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Wednesday (4/27) - Victor Larez (2-1, 4.24) ... Tossed 7.0 shutout innings in first start on 4/11, holding Dunedin to four hits with four strikeouts and no walks ... picked up win in second game on 4/16 vs. Daytona, going 6.0 innings, allowed three runs on six hits ... took the loss on 4/21 after allowing five runs on six hits in 4.0 innings at Daytona.
• Thursday (4/28) - Trevor Feeney (2-1, 3.47) ... Picked up wins on 4/7 vs. Tampa and 4/17 vs. Dunedin ... took the loss on 4/22 vs. Daytona despite limiting the Cubs to two runs on six hits ... has allowed eight earned runs in last three 18.1 innings over three starts (3.93).
• Friday (4/29) - Jay Voss (0-0, 1.59) ... Made start on 4/23 in place of Drew Smyly (DL) ... worked 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and one run against Brevard County; struck out two and walked four.

LAST SEASON ... Clearwater took 10 of the 18 games played last season. Jordan Lennerton hit three home runs in the series while Gustavo Nunez swiped eight bases.

FLYING HIGH ... Gustavo Nunez and Tony Plagman are tied for the team lead with .338 averages. Julio Rodriguez is second with a .313 average while Brent Wyatt is third with a .295 average. Kenny Faulk is 1-0 with a 1.04 and four saves while Trevor Feeney is 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA.

WHO DAT JULIO? ... Catcher Julio Rodriguez is 9-for-16 (.563) over his last five games with two doubles and five runs batted in. He is hitting .417 (5-for-12) against lefties.

WILD WYATT ... Outfielder Brent Wyatt was 8-for-20 (.400) before having his five-game hit streak snapped on Tuesday. He is hitting .533 (8-for-15) against lefties.

DOUBLE THE FUN ... Lakeland has hit at least one double in each of the last five games and has at least one double in 16 of their 19 games this season.

NEWEST CREW MEMBER ... Starting pitcher Drew Smyly was placed on the disabled list on 4/23 with Nate Newman taking his place from extended spring training. Newman was selected by Detroit in the 17th round of the 2009 draft out of Pepperdine University. He was 0-5 with a 4.46 ERA at West Michigan last season and 2-1 with a 2.34 ERA at Oneonta in 2009. He was also drafted by Seattle in the 10th round of the 2008 draft, but did not sign.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT ... Lakeland skipper Dave Huppert managed the Clearwater Threshers to the 2007 Florida State League Championship in his only season with the club.

LAKELAND FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is second with 18 RBI ... Jordan Lennerton is fifth with 14 walks.

CLEARWATER FSL LEADERS ... As mentioned, Joe Slavery is hitting a league-leading .456 with a FSL-best 31 hits. He is also tied for second with a .472 on-base percentage ... Justin Friend is second with six saves.

HEY CUZ! ... Thresher outfielder is the cousin of NBA player Shaquille O’Neal.

THRESHER HONORED ... Clearwater’s Jonathan Pettibone is the reigning FSL’s Pitcher of the Week. Pettibone tossed seven shutout innings against Tampa on April 23 and held the Yankees to four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

UP ON THE FARM:

• Detroit (12-11, 2nd, 2.5 GB) ... The big Tigers are 6-4 in their last ten games and are 6-4 at home and 6-7 on the road.
• Toledo (7-12, 3rd, 7.0 GB) ... The Mud Hens have dropped six of their last ten games and at 4-6 at home and 3-6 on the road.
• Erie (9-8, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... The SeaWolves have jumped into first place in the Eastern League Western Division in which just 1.5 games separate them from the last place Richmond Flying Squirrels. Toledo is 7-4 at home and 2-4 on the road.
• West Michigan (7-9, 6th, 3.5 GB) ... The WhiteCaps are on a six-game losing streak, but have dropped just one game in the standings, falling 3.5 games behind the Lansing Lugnuts. West Michigan is 5-7 at home and 2-2 on the road.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

• Friday (April 29): Myron Noodleman: The Hippest Nerd in the Business; Pin Wheels in the Park; Team Photo Giveaway.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 23, 25-26)

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-7, T-2nd, 2.0 GB) ... Lakeland will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak after getting swept by the Daytona Cubs. The Cubs scored a combined seven runs in the first inning of games one and two while three Cub pitchers held Lakeland to just three hits in game three. Despite the losses the Flying Tigers are tied for second place with Clearwater, two games behind Daytona. Lakeland is ninth with a .253 team average and is second with 13 batters hit by pitch. On the mound, the Flying Tigers are sixth with a 3.80 ERA.

BREVARD COUNTY (6-10, 5th, 5.0 GB) ... The Manatees improved to 6-10 with a 6-0 shutout of Clearwater on Friday. Brevard County has now won three of their last four games after dropping four straight. The Manatees rank 11th out of 12 teams with a .248 team batting average but leads the league with 20 stolen bases. Brevard County pitchers are 10th with a 4.95 staff ERA. The staff has allowed a league-high 16 home runs. Thru his eight games played, Scott Krieger is hitting .483 (he does not have enough at bats to qualify for league leaders). Hunter Morris (.300) is the only other Manatee batting .300 or better.

LAST SEASON ... Lakeland won 11 of the 18 games played in 2010. Jordan Lennerton hit .364 in eight games with three doubles and three homers while Daniel Fields hit .333 in 13 games.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Saturday (4/23) - Drew Smyly (0-1, 4.08) ... had best outing in his season debut on April 8 at Tampa, going 5.2 innings and holding the Yankees to one run with six strikeouts and zero walks ... Has allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in 12 innings over his last two starts.
• Monday (4/25) - Cole Nelson (1-1, 5.28) ... picked up win in 5.1 innings of work on April 19 at home against Dunedin despite allowing five walks ... all appearances have come at Joker Marchant Stadium ... righties are hitting .350 against Nelson.
• Friday (4/26) - Jared Wesson (1-1, 6.92) ... got win in 5.1 innings on April 15 at home against Daytona ... allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings in last start at Daytona on April 20 ... righthanders are hitting .424 against Wesson while lefties are limited to a .190 average.

LAKELAND FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is tied with Jupiter’s Kyle Jensen for the league lead with 17 RBI; is third with 23 hits; is sixth with a .390 batting average ... Gustavo Nunez is tied for second with 14 runs scored and is tied with two others for third with 35 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is tied for second with 12 walks ... Kenny Faulk ranks second with four saves.

BREVARD COUNTY FSL LEADERS ... Scott Krieger and Hunter Morris are tied with two others for second with six doubles

FURBUSH FIRES ONE-HITTER FOR TOLEDO ... Former Flying Tiger Charlie Furbush tossed a one-hitter on Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader for AAA Toledo. Furbush, who was 4-5 for Lakeland in 2010, went the distance allowing just the one hit with nine strikeouts and no walks over his seven inning stint.

FIRST ROUNDER ... The Manatees’ Kentrail Davis was Milwaukee’s first round pick (39th overall) in 2009 out of the University of Tennessee.

FLYING HIGH ... Kenny Faulk has 13 strikeouts and one walk and has allowed just one run in seven appearances ... The bullpen has a 0.46 ERA in the last six outings.

GROUNDED ... Starting pitchers have a combined 7.20 ERA in the last four games.

FINALLY ... Brett Wyatt’s stolen base on April 21 at Daytona was Lakeland’s first since Gustavo Nunez had swiped a base on April 12 at Dunedin. Overall, Lakeland has four stolen bases and has been caught stealing five times.

COLLEGE TEAMMATES ... Brevard County’s Kyle Heckathorn and Lakeland’s Kenny Faulk were teammates at Kennesaw State University in 2009. Heckathorn was selected by the Brewers in the supplemental first round of the 2009 draft while Faulk was the Tigers’ 16th round pick that season ... Lakeland’s Cole Nelson and Brevard County’s Hunter Morris were teammates last year at Auburn University. Nelson was a 10th round pick by Detroit while Morris was a fourth round pick of the Brewers ... Flying Tiger Cole Nelson and the Manatee’s Khristopher Davis were teammates at Cal State Fullerton in 2009 ... Brevard County’s Scott Krieger and Lakeland’s Ryan Soares both played for George Mason University in 2009.

UP ON THE FARM:

• Detroit (10-10, 3rd, 3.5 GB) ... Brennan Boesch is tied with Miguel Cabrera for the team lead with a .333 average and is second to Cabrera with 11 RBI.
• Toledo (5-10, 3rd, 4.5 GB) ... Scott Sizemore is leading the team with a .390 average ... Ryan Strieby and Clete Thomas are tied for the team lead with 20 RBI ... Charlie Furbush is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA. He has 21 strikeouts and four walks in 16.2 innings pitched.
• Erie (6-7, 5th, 1.0 GB) ... Ben Guez leads with a .324 average. Bryan Pounds is hitting .302 and is tied with the team lead with two home runs. Jared Gayhart is 1-0 with a miniscule 1.04 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. He has not walked a batter. Lester Oliveros is 2-0 with an amazing 0.90 in five appearances with 16 strikeouts in 10.0 innings.
• West Michigan (7-4, 3rd, 2.5 GB) ... Bruce Rondon is 2-0 and has not allowed a run or hit in five appearances for a 0.00 ERA. Michael Torrealba is also 2-0 and has a 2.08 ERA in four appearances.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

• Saturday (April 23): The Flying Tigers will stage their annual Easter Egg Hunt after the game with 20,000 eggs and a special appearance by the Easter Bunny. Fireworks Extravaganza will follow the egg hunt.
• Monday (April 25): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.
• Tuesday (April 26): Education Day #1 (Special start time of 10:30 a.m.). Kraft Singles Tuesday: Buy one ticket, get one free ticket with Kraft Singles wrapper.
• Friday (April 29): Myron Noodleman: The Hippest Nerd in the Business. Pin Wheels in the Park. Team Photo Giveaway.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (April 20-22)

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-4) ... With their 8-6 win over Dunedin last night, Lakeland has taken over sole possession of first place in the FSL North Division. The win was the Flying Tigers’ eighth in the last ten games while their 9-4 start is the best for a Flying Tiger since 2005. In last night’s game, the 3-4-5 hitters (Wade Gaynor, Tony Plagman, Avisail Garcia) combined for six hits, five runs scored, and five runs batted in. Lakeland is now hitting .253 on the season with eight homers while the pitching staff has a 3.55 ERA. The Flying Tigers will play two games in Daytona before returning home for a Friday night game at 7 against these same Daytona Cubs.

DAYTONA CUBS (8-5) ... The Cubs bumped Clearwater out of first place last night by handing the Threshers a 4-3 defeat. At 8-5 the two clubs are tied for second place, just one game behind the Flying Tigers. Jae-Hoon Ha is fourth in the FSL with a .415 average and second with 22 hits while Michael Burgess is tied for the league-lead with four home runs. Robert Whitenack is eighth in the FSL with a 1.06 ERA to go with his 2-0 record and is third in the league with 18 strikeouts.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland swept the Cubs in three games last week in Lakeland winning games one and two by identical 4-3 margins and taking game three, 9-6. Tony Plagman was an impressive 9x12 with eight runs batted in the previous three games while Brent Wyatt (4x7, .571) and Wade Gaynor (4x8, .500) also had impressive marks. Matt Cerda has hit 6x12 (.500) in the series for the Cubs while Jae-Hoon Ha is 6x13 (.462).

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Wednesday - Jared Wesson (1-0, 5.19) ... picked up the win on April 15 going 5.2 innings on five strikeouts ... worked 3.0 innings in first start on April 10, striking out two and walking four ... four of five runs allowed have come in the third inning ... righthanders are batting .350 against him while holding lefties to a .083 average.
• Thursday - Victor Larez (2-0, 2.08) ... picked up the win on April 16 working 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits ... worked 7.0 shutout innings on April 11 at Dunedin, getting the win, holding Dunedin to four hits ... has seven strikeouts in the two games ... has not walked a batter in two outings ... righties hitting .231 against while lefties have a .182 average.
• Friday - Trevor Feeney (2-0, 3.71) ... did not face Daytona in the first series ... picked up wins in his first and third starts ... went 6.2 innings in win on April 17 despite allowing nine hits ... righties hitting .385 against Feeney while lefties have a .256 average.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE ... The Flying Tigers have knocked out nine doubles in the last four games and have had at least one double in all but two games this season.

WHERE ARE THE THIEVES? ... Daniel Fields, Gustavo Nunez and Shawn Roof are all tied for the team lead in stolen bases –with one each. They are also the only three Flying Tigers that have attempted a stolen base in 2011.

LEFT STRANDED ... Lakeland has stranded an average of 9.8 runners per game over the last eight contests and have had three games with 13 runner left on base.

FIRST OR LAST, IT DOESN’T MATTER ... Lakeland is 8-2 when scoring first and 4-0 when scoring last.

MADE THE JAYS FEEL BLUE ... Gustavo Nunez has been a one-man wrecking crew against Dunedin this season going 13x23 (.565) with four doubles, two triples and a home run while scoring eight runs.

GOT SOMETHING AGAINST FIRST BASE? ... Wade Gaynor seems to not like stopping at first base as six of his last 11 hits have been for extra bases with four doubles and two home runs.

CAN’T HIT JUST ONE ... Tony Plagman has six multi-hit games, including two doubles and two singles on April 16 against Dunedin. He has two other games with three hits.

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD ... The Lakeland bullpen has a sparkling 1.03 ERA in the last eight games with 30 strikeouts with just six walks. Lakeland starting pitchers, however, have a 5.20 ERA in the same time frame and have given up at least three earned runs in each of the eight starts.

NO FREE PASSES ... Starter Victor Larez is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and has not allowed a walk in his 13.0 innings ... Kenny Faulk, who leads the team with four saves, has not walked a batter in six relief appearances and has struck out 10 batters. Faulk has only allowed one run ... Dan Gentzler, who has two saves and an 0-2 record despite allowing just one earned run, also had not issued a free pass so far.

FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is fifth in the FSL with a .412 average (Clearwater’s Joe Slavery leads all of minor league baseball with a torrid .523 average) and leads with 17 RBI (his 17 RBI is tied for second most in the minor leagues, just one behind the leaders). He is also third with 21 hits and fifth with a .474 on-base percentage ... Gustavo Nunez leads with 13 runs scored and is fourth with 32 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 11 walks ... Kenny Faulk is second with four saves.

DETROIT MINOR LEAGUE LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is second with a .412 average and leads with 17 RBI (over twice as many the next highest total) ... Gustavo Nunez is fourth with a .367 mark ... Kenny Faulk (4), Dan Gentzler (2) and Ryan Robowski (2) are the only Detroit minor leaguers with more than one save ... Drew Smyly is tied for fourth with 14 strikeouts ... Lakeland has the best ERA (3.55) of the four Detroit minor league teams so far and is third with a .253 average.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

• Friday (April 22): The Phillie Phanatic will be the star attraction while the first 300 paid adults will receive as free 45th Anniversary Affiliate Pin.
• Saturday (April 23): The Flying Tigers will stage their annual Easter Egg Hunt with 20,000 eggs and a special appearance by the Easter Bunny. Fireworks will follow the egg hunt.
• Monday (April 25): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (April 17-19)

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-3) ... Tony Plagman, Wade Gaynor and Brent Wyatt combined for 10 hits last night as Lakeland downed Daytona 9-6 to complete a sweep of the Cubs. The win, Lakeland’s third in a row and sixth in their last seven outings, puts the Flying Tigers into a first-place tie with Clearwater in the FSL North. In last night’s game, Lakeland collected 15 hits – a season high – and is batting .307 the last three games. The Flying Tigers are now batting .256 on the season while the pitching staff ranks sixth with a 3.61 ERA.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS (2-8) ... The Blue Jays began their season 0-6 before beating Lakeland in game three of their series and now stand at 2-8 on the season. Brad Glenn is tied for the league-lead with four homers - two of which have come against Lakeland - and is fourth with a .711 slugging percentage. A.J. Jiminez is second in the FSL with five doubles. The Blue Jays are last in the league with a .234 average and have scored a FSL-low 32 runs. Dunedin is tied with Brevard County for the league-lead with 13 bases. Blue Jay pitchers rank seventh in the FSL with a 3.89 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Sunday - Trevor Feeney (1-0, 3.48) ... did not get a decision in last start on April 12 at Dunedin, going 5.1 innings and allowing seven hits ... got the win in first start holding Tampa to four hits and one run in 5.0 innings on April 7.
• Monday - Drew Smyly (0-0, 3.75) ... worked 6.1 innings and gave up five runs, four earned at Dunedin on April 13 ... has 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 12.0 innings.
• Tuesday - Cole Nelson (0-1, 4.50) ... went 4.0 innings against Daytona in last start on April 14 ... gave up three runs on five hits ... has nine strikeouts while walking two over 10.0 innings.

LAST MEETING ... Lakeland took two of three games played last week in Dunedin winning the first two games before Dunedin won the series finale to record the Blue Jays’ first win of the season. Gustavo Nunez was 7x12 (.583) with a double, triple and home run in the three games while Wade Gaynor was 4x13 (.308) with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in. Justin Jackson led Dunedin with three hits in five at bats over two games while Kenny Wilson was 5x9 in the three games. Victor Larez and Jordan Pratt picked up the wins for Lakeland while Matt Wright got the win for the Blue Jays.

TERRIFIC TONY ... To say Tony Plagman is on fire is an understatement. In the Daytona series, Plagman went 9x12 for a .750 clip with two doubles and eight runs batted in. His hot series has raised his batting average 129 points to .450 – good for third in the FSL. His eight RBI in the series gives him a league-leading 15 runs batted in – three more than the second place hitter. His 18 base hits now ranks third best in the league while his 27 total bases is also third best.

CLOSE ONES ... Six of Lakeland’s games this year have been decided by one run with the Flying Tigers splitting those six games. Two others – both won by Lakeland – were decided by two runs.

THE CLOSER ... With his save in last night’s game, Kenny Faulk now has three saves which is tied for second best in the FSL.

PATIENCE OF JOB (uh, JORDAN) ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton has drawn a league-high 11 walks so far this season.

GOING HOME ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, who has reached base in 12 consecutive games, leads Lakeland with 10 RBI which is tied for second-best in the FSL. Prior to last night in which he was held hitless, Nunez was 10x29 (.345). He is now 10x34 (.294) his last six games.

STREAK FOR GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has collected at least one base hit in five consecutive games and has hits in seven of the eight games he has played. In his five-game streak, Gaynor is 8x21 (.381).

SUNNY SUNDAY ... The first game of this series is Lakeland’s first Sunday home game of the 2011 season. In 2010, the Flying Tigers compiled an 8-11 mark on Sunday.

HOME ATTENDANCE ... Last night’s crowd of 1,897 was a season-high and was Lakeland’s third of the season with 1,000-plus fans.

NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Shawn Teufel was placed on the disabled list on Friday while Ryan Soares, who had joined the club on April 11, was sent back to extended spring training. Taking the vacated roster spots, are Jay Voss and Zach Samuels. Voss pitched in 11 games for the 2010 Flying Tigers and had 33 appearances at AA Erie. Samuels was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2009 by Detroit out of Cal-Santa Barbara and was 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA at West Michigan in 2010.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

• Sunday (April 17): All kids 14 and under receive free admission and catch play catch on the field at noon and following the game, the kids can run the bases. All fans will receive a voucher for a free sundae, compliments of Dairy Queen.
• Monday (April 18): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.
• Tuesday (April 19): Baseball Wingo sponsored by Natalie’s Sports Bar and Grill.

FROM THE BOOKSHELF ... New York Times columnist Dan Barry has just released his new book, “Bottom of the 33rd” about the longest game ever played in baseball. In 1981, Pawtucket and Rochester locked horns for 33 innings, the longest game ever played in professional baseball. Two players on the field that night were future Hall of Famers, Billy Ripken, Jr., and Wade Boggs. A third player, the catcher for Rochester who caught 31 innings in the game, was over very own Flying Tigers’ manager, Dave Huppert. The start in that game was Huppert’s second of that season.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (April 14-16)

THE FLYING TIGERS (4-3) ... Lakeland enters the series with a 4-3 record and is in third place after taking two of three games in Dunedin. The Flying Tigers fell 6-5 last night after starting out with a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth. The loss snapped a three-game win streak and gave Dunedin its first won of the season. Victor Larez, who should take the mound in game three of this series, is one of five qualifying pitchers in the league with a 0.00 ERA. Gustavo Nunez is in a three-way tie for the FSL-league with seven runs scored so far. Lakeland is hitting just .233 on the season, second lowest average in the FSL, while the pitching staff has a 3.59 staff ERA.

DAYTONA CUBS (6-1) ... Overnight, Lakeland from facing a winless club to one that leads the league in the form of Daytona. The Cubs had won their first six games before suffering their first defeat last night, a 2-1 affair in Clearwater. Nelson Perez leads Daytona with a hefty .474 average to rank fourth in the FSL, while Michael Burgess had already hit a league-leading four homers. Daytona is third in the FSL with a .278 team batting average and has hit a league-best nine homers. The Cubs’ pitching staff has a 2.29 ERA, second best in the league to St. Lucie’s impressive 1.57 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• Thursday - Cole Nelson (0-1, 3.00) ... took the loss on April 9 against Tampa despite striking out six and allowing two runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings ... 10th round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of Auburn ... had a 0.75 ERA in two starts in Lakeland in 2010 ... tossed 7.0 innings of no-hit ball on Sept. 1, 2010 against Dunedin. Lakeland went on to hold the Blue Jays hitless thru 13.1 innings.
  
  
• Friday - Jared Wesson (0-0, 6.00) ... worked 3.0 innings in first start on April 10 at Tampa ... struck out two and walked four, but gave up just one hit ... signed as non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2009 out of Itawama Community College in Mississippi .. was 7-2 with a 3.44 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 81.0 innings last season at West Michigan ... father played basketball at Mississippi State from 1971-73.

• Saturday - Victor Larez (1-0, 0.00) ... Picked up win in first start on April 11 at Dunedin ... tossed seven shutout innings while striking out four and walking none while holding the Blue Jays to just four hits ... signed as non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2005 ... played in the Venezuelan Summer League from 2006-08, the Gulf Coast League in 2009 and at West Michigan in 2010 ... has an 8-11 career record with a 4.27 ERA in 33 appearances entering the 2011 season.

LAST SEASON ... Lakeland took the series last season winning 10 of the 18 games played ... One of Daytona’s wins came against Brayan Villarreal, now with the big club in Detroit ... Lakeland’s Brent Wyatt had 10 hits in his 10 games played in the series last season for a .263 average against the Cubs.

POWER ‘EM UP ... The Flying Tigers have homered in five straight contest and in six of their seven games this season.

NOT KENNY’S FAULK ... Reliever Kenny Faulk has two saves in three outings far this season and has allowed just two hits and struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings.

THE RIVER JORDAN ... Newcomer Jordan Pratt may stick around for a while if he keeps up his perfect outings he has displayed so far on the mound for the Flying Tigers. In his 4.2 innings over two appearances, he has not allowed a hit, a run, or a walk while posting four strikeouts.

TEUFEL’S TUFF ON OPPONENTS ... Reliever Shawn Teufel picked up the win in four shutout innings of relief work on April 11 in Dunedin. The son of former Major Leaguer, Tim Teufel, Shawn has held opponents scoreless on three hits, walked none, and struck out four.

MULTI-HITS ... Both Tony Plagman and Gustavo Nunez have had three games with two or more hits in the early going. Plagman has two two-hit games and had three hits against Tampa on April 8 and also has two homers this season. All of Nunez’s multi-hit games have come in the last three outings where he hit 7x12 (.583) in the series. He came up triple shy of the cycle on April 12, but picked up the triple the next night.

SNAPPED ... Jordan Lennerton collected one base hit in each of his first six games, but saw his hit streak come to a halt last night with an 0x3 night at Dunedin.

HE’S GAININ’ ... Wade Gaynor has had hits in five of his six games played including a home run on April 11 at Dunedin.

TAKING A LOT OF PITCHES ... Lakeland has walked 26 times in seven games this season, but has struck out 53 times, including racking up nine strikeouts in four different games.

BULLPEN SETTLING IN ... After allowing 10 earned runs in their first two outings, the Lakeland bullpen has been touched for just three earned runs over the last five outings for a 1.65 ERA in those five games. On the flip side, the starters had allowed six earned runs in the first five games, but have given up seven in the last two outings.

ALL IN THE FAMILY … Daytona’s Brett Wallach is the son of former Major Leaguer, Tim Wallach, who spent 17 seasons in the majors, including 13 years with the Montreal Expos … Cubs’ catcher, Michael Brenly, is the son of former Major Leaguer, Bob Brenly, a veteran of nine seasons in the big, almost all of them with the San Francisco Giants.

NO NOTE, JUST A GREAT NAME … Nomination for “Name of the Game” – Cubs’ infielder Junior Lake.

ONLY IN MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ... NPR somehow determined that April 11, 1954 was the least significant day of the 20th Century. So, the West Michigan Whitecaps celebrated the “most boring day in history” in a myriad of ways, including encouraging fans to watch the grass grow between innings. The club also painted a wall pregame so fans could watch paint dry.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

• Thursday (April 14): The Flying Tigers will hold the second annual Chili Cook-Off on to raise money and awareness for the American Red Cross along the Lakeland Fire Department. It is also Thirsty Thursday with $1 beer and sodas.
  
  
• Friday (April 15) has a trio of goodies for fans with the first Friday Premium Giveaway, the first T-Shirt giveaways (45th Anniversary shirts this Friday) and Agricultural Night honoring the 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Children and families from the Florida Baptist Children’s Home and Gulf Coast Community Services will be the guest of the Flying Tigers and the Detroit Tigers Foundation of Florida.
  
  
• Saturday (April 16): Lakeland holds it second annual Pink-in-the-Park night for cancer awareness. The team will wear pink jerseys which fans can have a chance to win in a $75 per ticket raffle. Silent auction items will also be available. Last year’s event raised over $12,000 to support the Mary Kay Foundation. Saturday is also the second fireworks show of the season.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Apr. 11-13)

THE FLYING TIGERS (2-2) ... Lakeland enters the series with a 2-2 record following a season opening, four-game series against the Tampa Yankees. The Flying Tigers took games one and four, while the Yankees took the two middle games. This three-game series will be played in Dunedin. Lakeland returns home on Thursday to open a six-game homestand, first for three games against Daytona and then a three-game rematch with Dunedin. Lakeland is hitting .233 as a team. The pitching staff has a 3.68 ERA.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS (0-4) ... The Blue Jays were swept in four games by Clearwater and enter this series looking for their first win of the 2011 season. Dunedin was outscored 22-8 in the series, most coming in a 10- loss in the season-opener in Clearwater. The Blue Jays are hitting just .208 on the young season and have scored the second fewest runs through four games. On the mound, Dunedin has a 5.29 ERA, the third highest earned run average in the Florida State League.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS ... Victor Larez takes the mound for Monday’s game and the Trevor Feeney on Tuesday and Drew Smyly on Wednesday. Larez started against Southeaster University on April 6 and was credited with the win. Feeney (1-0) worked 5.0 innings in picking up the win in the Flying Tigers season opener on April 7. He allowed just four hits limiting the Yankees to just one earned run. Smyly took the loss on April 8 despite striking out six and walking none in 5.2 innings while scattering six hits.

LAST SEASON ... The Blue Jays won the season-series in 2010 taking seven of the 18 games played. Daniel Fields hit .319 in the series and hit three of his eight homers last season against Dunedin.

SEASON OPENERS ... The 2011 season marked the ninth year in a row the Flying Tigers have opened the season with the Tampa Yankees. With Lakeland’s win on Thursday, the Flying Tigers hold a 5-4 edge in those nine games. The Flying Tigers are now 6-1 in home openers and have won four straight.

EARLY LEADERS ... Through the first four games, Julio Rodriguez leads the team with a .400 average and is one of three players with four hits as Jordan Lennerton and Daniel Fields each have collected four base raps. Tony Plagman leads the squad with six base hits including a homer and is tied with Brent Wyatt for the team lead with five runs batted in. Wyatt and Gustavo Nunez have also hit home runs for Lakeland.

THE ARMS ... Trevor Feeney worked 5.2 innings in the season opener to record his first win of 2011 while Shawn Teufel has Lakeland’s other win, tossing four shutout innings on Sunday at Tampa. Kenny Faulk and Ryan Robowski have each picked up one save so far while Drew Smyly and Cole Nelson each recorded six strikeouts in their respective starts.

THE OLD COLLEGE TRY ... Lakeland’s Kenny Faulk and Dunedin’s Chad Jenkins were college teammates at Kennesaw State College in 2009 and both were named to the All-Atlantic Conference team that season. In addition, the Flying Tigers’ Tony Plagman and the Blue Jays’ Deck McGuire (the 11th overall pick in 2010) were teammates at Georgia Tech in 2010.

THE REVOLVING DOOR HAS BEGUN ... In just the second day of the 2011 season, the first Flying Tiger regular season transaction has happened as Matt Little was sent up the organizational ladder to Erie to fill a gap that came about with any injury to Detroit’s Ryan Perry. To take the roster spot, Jordan Pratt was added from extended Spring Training.

ANOTHER SPIN ... Shawn Roof was promoted to Erie on Tuesday and Ryan Soares was added from Extended Spring Training. Soares was a 36th round pick by Detroit in the 2010 draft out of George Mason University. He was named the Conference Player of the Year after hitting .438 with 29 doubles, 13 home runs and 71 RBI in 48 games.

YOU’LL NEVER BE DUN’ EATIN’ ... Every Monday home game is Belly Buster BBQ Night in Dunedin. Purchase a wrist band for all-you-can-eat BBQ all night long. Bring a Kraft Single wrapper to Tuesday’s game for buy one ticket, get one ticket free - plus $1 popcorn. On Wednesday, it’s dollar hot dog night.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ... The Flying Tigers will hold the second annual Chili Cook-Off on Thursday to raise money and awareness for the American Red Cross along the Lakeland Fire Department. Thursday, April 14, is also Thirsty Thursday with $1 beer and sodas. Friday, April 15, is a trio of goodies for fans with the first Friday Premium Giveaway, the first T-Shirt giveaways and Agricultural Night. Lakeland holds it second annual Pink-in-the-Park night on Saturday, April 16, for cancer awareness. The team will wear pink jerseys which fans can have a chance to win in a $75 per ticket raffle. Silent auction items will also be available. Last year’s event raised over $12,000. Saturday is also the second fireworks show of the season.

SPEAKING OF PROMOTIONS ... Some promotional highlights for April include the famous Philly Phanatic on April 22, Easter Egg Hunt on April 23, Myron Noodleman “The Hippest Nerd in Da Biz” brings his zaniness to Joker Marchant Stadium on April 29.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (April 7-10)

THE FLYING TIGERS (71-67 in 2010) - Lakeland tied for second place in the first half of the FSL season in 2011 as the club matched Tampa and Clearwater at four games behind first-half winner Dunedin. In the second half, the Flying Tigers finished 8.5 games out of first in fourth place as the Yankees cruised to a 42-25 second half record to take the back half of the season. Lakeland hit .253 as a team with a league-leading 486 walks while the pitchers combined for a 3.30 ERA, good to tie Tampa for second in the FSL. Lakeland also walked the second fewest batters in the league (307) while the Yankees walked the fewest (299). The Flying Tigers posted the best fielding percentage (.978) of any team in the Florida State League last season.

THE YANKEES (78-57 in 2010) - Tampa comes into Joker Marchant Stadium as the two-time defending Florida State League champions. Last season, Tampa downed Charlotte in four games including a 9-0 win in the championship tilt. In 2010, the Yankees and the Rays were also in the championship round with Tampa taking the crown in five games.

NEW MANAGER - The Flying Tigers are under new leadership in 2011 as long-time minor league manager Dave Huppert takes over for the departed Andy Barkett who is now managing at Jacksonville (Marlins, AA). This is Huppert’s fourth stint as manager in the Florida State League having coached the Sarasota White Sox (1993), the Brevard County Manatees (1999-2001) and the Clearwater Threshers (2007). At Clearwater, Huppert took the Threshers to the FSL title while he guided the 2001 Manatees to the FSL co-championship. He joins Lakeland from the Lakewood Blue Claws in the Phillies’ organization. A two-time Minor League Manager of the Year (1988, Stockton, California League and 2001, Brevard County, Florida State League), Huppert has coached 22 previous seasons in the minors and has a 1,531-1,405 career record.

GOOD BLOODLINES ... Flying Tiger pitcher Shawn Teufel is the son of former Major Leaguer Tim Teufel, who played for 11 seasons in the bigs. The elder Teufel is now the manager of Buffalo, the Mets AAA affiliate. He also coached in the Florida Staete League, two managing the St. Lucie Mets in 2004-05 and 2008-09.

GOOD BLOODLINES, PT. 2 ... Flying Tiger teammates Eric and Shawn Roof are the sons of Tigers’ roving instructor Gene Roof.

IF YOU GET ONE HIT, MAKE IT COUNT ... Manager Dave Huppert made it to the show for 17 games, playing two games for Baltimore in 1983 and 15 more for Milwaukee in 1985 with 21 combined at bats. His one lone hit in the majors came off of Hall of Fame knuckleballer, Phil Niekro.

THAT’S A LOTTA SQUATTIN’ ... Manager Dave Huppert spent ten seasons as a player in the minor leagues as catcher. On April 19, 1981, he drew the start behind the plate for Rochester and caught 31 of the 33 innings against Pawtuckett in the longest professional baseball game ever played.

MORE ON THE LONGEST GAME ... The 33-inning game took eight hours and twenty-five minutes to complete over two days. It began on April 18 and was eventually halted at 4:09 a.m. at the end of the 32nd inning. The game resumed on June 23 and took just 18 minutes to finish with Pawtucket’s Dave Koza driving in the winning run in the bottom of the 33rd inning. Pawtucket had 114 at bats while Rochester struck out 34 times while a total of 882 pitches were offered. Two future Hall of Famers, Cal Ripken, Jr., (Rochester) and Wade Boggs (Pawtuckett) appeared in the contest. With the Major Leaguers on strike at the time, the game drew 5,746 fans and 149 reporters. When the game was called at 4 a.m., only 18 fans remained.

WHAT’S A GUY GOTTA DO? ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez returns to Lakeland despite leading the 2010 Flying Tigers with 116 hits. He becomes the first Lakeland player to lead the club in base hits one season and return the next since Jim Walewander in 1985 and 1986. Nunez led the FSL in assists (388) while leading all league shortstops in games played at the position (123), total chances (628), putouts (214), and most double plays (76).

MAKE ROOM FOR SOME MORE ... Last season, Lakeland established a club record with a season attendance of 64,010 topping the old mark of 61,255 set in 1987. Attendance has increased in every season under General Manager Zach Burek, growing from 32,179 fans in 2006, his first season at the helm of the Lakeland club.

MAKE ROOM ONE THE BENCH AS WELL ... A total of 65 players donned a Flying Tigers’ uniform in 2010, just four players shy of the all-time record of 69 players that played for the 1968 Lakeland club.

DON’T FORGET YOUR PARTING GIFT ... Pitchers Rob Waite and Micheal Torrealba were slated to start the 2011 season at Lakeland, but an injury to Jose Ortega in Detroit forced a domino effect with Waite heading to Erie and Torrealba going to West Michigan. To take their places Shawn Teufel was promoted from the Whitecaps to Lakeland while Dan Gentzler was also assigned to the Flying Tigers.

OTHER EX-LAKELANDERS IN RECENT MOVES ... Catcher Max St. Pierre was placed on the temporary inactive list at Toledo, so Jeff Kunkel earns a trip to the Mud Hens with Billy Alvino taking his roster spot in Erie.

SOME FAMILIAR NAMES RELEASED ... Detroit released several players during Spring Training including former Flying Tigers: Alden Carrithers, Kody Kaiser, Jon Kibler, Max Leon, Matt Mansilla, Pat McKenna, Miguel Mejia, Josh Rainwater, Wilfredo Ramirez and Chris White, while Andy Bouchie and Kyle Peter announced their retirements.