Mission Notes vs Daytona (June 20-22)

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Game one of this three game series is at Joker Marchant Stadium at 7:00 p.m. with games one and two at Jackie Robinson Park in Daytona on Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (34-33, 5th, 12.0 GB) ... Lakeland went into the All-Star break losing three straight to Tampa and has now lost five of the last six games. The skid has dropped the team into fifth place in the North Division.

THE CUBS (46-21, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Daytona lost their final two games before the All-Star break, snapping a four-game win streak. Heading into the break, four Cubs batters were hitting .300 or better – Evan Crawford (.333), Justin Bour (.308). David Macias (.303) and Jae-Hoon Ha (.303). Bour is second in the FSL with 16 homers and 53 RBI while Crawford has swiped 15 bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ... (The following is based on the rotation prior to the All-Star break. With three days off, the rotation may change.)

• Tuesday (6/14) - Jared Wesson (7-4, 4.58 ERA) allowed three runs on four hits over 5.0 innings in a no-decision in his last start on June 12 against Brevard. He has allowed no more than three runs in any of his last six starts and only once in his last eight outings. Through his first five starts, Wesson was 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA. In his last eight starts dating back to May 1, he is 6-2 with a 2.60 mark.
• Wednesday (6/15) - Drew Smyly (3-2, 3.40 ERA) was named the FSL Pitcher of the Week for June 6-12, but was roughed up for six runs – four earned – on six hits in 6.2 innings in his last start on June 13. He still emerged with the win thanks to a late rally. After dropping his first start on May 28 coming off the disabled list, Smyly is 3-0 over his last three starts with a 2.75 ERA.
• Thursday (6/16) - Luke Putkonen (0-1, 6.23 ERA) has started two games since joining Lakeland on June 5. In his first start on June 9, he struck out five and walked one while allowing three runs on eight hits in 7.0 innings but did not factor into the decision. In his last start on June 14, he struck out six and allowed 11 hits, including three homers, for six runs in 6.0 innings and the loss.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland has won six of the nine games played in the series so far this season including the last three. In their last meeting, Lakeland blasted the Cubs, 12-1. The Flying Tigers also won the first three games of the series while the Cubs captured the middle three games. Lakeland has a .282 average in the nine games while the Cubs carry a .269 mark.

FLYING TIGERS AT THE ALL-STAR GAME ... The North Division emerged triumphant with a 5-3 victory over the South in the 50th Florida State League All-Star Game played in front of 5,134 fans Saturday in Clearwater. Here’s a look at how the four Flying Tigers fared.

• Kyle Faulk ... Faulk struck out the side in the eighth inning, getting the first batter on a called strike three and the next two out on a swinging third strike.
• Gustavo Nunez ... Nunez started the game at shortstop and played five innings. Batting lead-off for the North, he flew out in the first inning, grounded out in the third frame and walked in the fifth. Nunez stole second after that walk and later scored. Defensively, he had two assists at short.
• Tony Plagman ... Plagman started the game at first base and played six innings. He was hit in the back with a pitch in his first plate appearance, doubled in his second at bat, and flew out in his final trip to the plate. Plagman handled six putouts at first base.
• Julio Rodriguez ... Voted to the All-Star game as a catcher, Rodriguez came into the game in the seventh inning at first base, replacing fellow Flying Tiger, Tony Plagman. In his only at bat, Rodriguez singled in a run for the North. He had one putout at first base.

JONES AT 14 ... Corey Jones doubled in his first at bat against Tampa on June 16 and added a second double later in the game. The two doubles extended Jones’ streak to 14 games (tied for the longest active streak in the FSL) in which he is 22-for-54 for a .407 average. The .407 mark is the fourth best average since May 29 in High-A ball. During the streak, the second baseman has had five doubles and driven in six runs.

DIEZ FOR NUNEZ ... Gustavo Nunez singled against Tampa on June 16 to extend his hit streak to an even 10 games. The shortstop is 16-for-47 since June 6 for a .340 average with eight runs scored.

WYATT AT NINE ... Brent Wyatt carries a nine-game streak into this series in which he is 15-for-34 (.441) with 12 runs scored. The third baseman has hit three doubles, a triple and a home run in the last six games.

GALLOPING GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has hits in six straight games and has gone 10-for-25 for a .400 average. The third sacker has scored four runs and driven in five in those six games with three doubles and a home run.

LEAPING LENNERTON ... Jordan Lennerton has hits in 19 of his last 20 games for a .351 average (26-for-74) with nine doubles, two homers and 16 runs batted in. He posted a 16-game hit streak (tied for longest in the FSL this season) from May 26-June 12 in which he hit .390 with 14 runs batted in.

ANOTHER STREAKER ... Tony Plagman was held in check in the Flying Tigers’ last game to see his hit streak snapped at 11 games. During the streak, Plagman was 17-for-48 (.354) with 10 runs scored and 10 more driven in. He had eight extra base his during the streak, including five doubles, a triple and two home runs.

DOUBLE DIGITS ... Lakeland has had 10 or more hits in eight of its last 10 games for 114 hits and a .310 average since June 6.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS ... In their last home game on June 14 against Tampa, Brent Wyatt and Tony Plagman homered in consecutive at bats to give Lakeland its first back-to-back homers of the season. As a team, the Flying Tigers have homered in six of their last eight games for a total of nine homers in that span.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jordan Lennerton and Tony Plagman are the only players in the league to have played in every game ... Brent Wyatt leads with a .440 on-base percentage ... Gustavo Nunez is second with 79 hits (three behind the leader, Robert Lyerly of Tampa) and tied for second seven triples ... Tony Plagman is third with 51 RBI ... Jordan Lennerton is third with 46 walks while Brent Wyatt is fourth with 42 ... Jared Wesson is tied for second with seven wins ... Kenny Faulk is third with 16 saves, second with 1.26 walks per nine innings and third with 11.62 strikeouts per nine innings ... Trevor Fenney has worked more than any pitcher with 86.2 innings pitched, Cole Nelson is fourth with 76.2 innings ... Tyler Stohr is fourth with six holds (one behind a trio of relievers) ... Defensively, Lakeland is tied with Clearwater for the best defensive team with identical .982 fielding percentages; third baseman Wade Gaynor (.955) and shortstop Gustavo Nunez (.975) have the top fielding marks in the league at their positions with Gaynor also leading third baseman with 49 putouts while Nunez is tops among shortstops with 285 total chances, 102 putouts and 176 assists. Catcher Julio Rodriguez ranks third throwing out 37.7 percent of intended base stealers.