THE FLYING TIGERS (30-25, T3rd, 10.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a four-game sweep of Fort Myers, the first sweep of the Miracle by Lakeland since 2005. Friday’s win, an 8-6 affair, was the Flying Tigers’ fifth in a row and 10th in their last 15 games. Lakeland batted a lofty .329 in the series behind eight hits by Avisail Garcia and seven each by Corey Jones and Gustavo Nunez. The Flying Tigers are hitting .255 overall with a 3.81 staff earned run average.
THE YANKEES (26-29, 5th, 14.0 GB) ... Tampa fell 4-2 at Jupiter on Friday, snapping a five-game win streak by the Yankees. Robert Lyerly leads the club with a .327 average to rank eighth in the Florida State League. His 44 runs batted in is tied for second most in the FSL while his 71 hits leads the league. Tampa is hitting .260 as a team and has a 4.45 team ERA - third highest among all FSL staffs.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
- Saturday (6/4) - Trevor Feeney (4-5, 5.07 ERA) will look to celebrate his 24th birthday in style as he takes the mound in the opening game of the series. To do so, he’ll have to snap out of a funk that has seen him give up 17 runs over his last four starts.
- Sunday (6/5) - Cole Nelson (3-6, 4.87 ERA) scattered five hits over six innings while holding Fort Myers to one run on May 31 in his last start. Nelson was 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in May after recording a 1-2 mark with a 5.40 ERA in April.
- Monday (6/6) - Jared Wesson (7-3, 4.53 ERA) has shaved a full two runs off his ERA by winning his last four straight starts allowing just five earned runs over 24.2 innings for a 1.82 earned run average.He has also struck out 21 batters in the last four games including a team-high eight K’s on June 1 against Fort Myers.
FOUR HEADED TO THE CLASSIC ... Four Flying Tigers have earned a trip to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Classic. Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, catcher Julio Rodriguez, designated hitter Tony Plagman and closer Kenny Faulk will head to Clearwater for the June 18 game at Bright House Networks Field. Gustavo, who was named to the FSL All-Star last season, is the sixth Lakeland player to earn back-to-back FSL midseason All-Star honors joining catcher/DH Mike Williams (1983-C & 1984-DH); second baseman Jim Walewander (1984 & 1985); outfielder Bernie Anderson (1986 & 1987); catcher Mike Rivera (1999 & 2000); and pitcher Tommy Marx (2001 & 2002). Catcher Greg Shippy had the distinction of being named to two FSL All-Star teams with a year off in between being so honored in 1974 and 1976.
MOST WINS ... With his win over Fort Myers on June 1st, Jared Wesson logged his seventh victory of the year, the most for any pitcher in the Florida State League. Wesson is 7-3 on the year.
15-FOR-15 ... Closer Kenny Faulk recorded two more saves in the Miracle series and now has 15 on the season, which ranks second in the FSL, three behind Justin Friend of Clearwater who has 18 saves. Faulk is perfect in his last seven save opportunities and is 15-for-15 on the season. His 12.93 strikeouts per nine innings and 0.76 walks per nine innings both rank second among league relievers. The reliever is 1-1 on the season with a 1.52 ERA with 34 walks and just two walks over 23.2 innings pitched.
GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM ... Reliever Tyler Stohr has recorded five holds on the season which ties him with four others for the league lead. A reliever gets credited with a hold when he enters the game in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game before it has ended with his team still in the lead.
LENNERTON LUMBER ... Jordan Lennerton has carried the hot bat to the plate as of late and has a current eight-game hit streak. The first baseman/DH is 12-for-28 with two hits in four different games. He has five doubles during the streak and has driven in eight runs and scored five times.
DANDY DAN ... Daniel Fields brings a six-game hit streak into this series in which he 8-for-20 with four runs batted in.
JONES’ING - Corey Jones has hits in each of his last five games and is also 8-for-20 including a four-hit night on May 31 against the Miracle.
SPEAKING OF HOT BATS ... Although he had a seven-game hit streak snapped on June 2, Gustavo Nunez came back with a 3-for-5 effort the next night and is now 14-for-36 (.389) since May 24 with 10 runs scored, a double and two triples. Nunez has driven in six runs in the last four games.
TWICE AS NICE ... Lakeland has collected 12 doubles over the last five games and 34 two-baggers since May 16. The Flying Tigers have hit at least one double in 15 of the last 18 games.
FRIENDLY CONFINES ... With the four-game sweep of Fort Myers at home, the Flying Tigers are now 17-11 at Joker Marchant Stadium.
THREE TIMES THE FUN ... Gustavo Nunez hit a triple in each of the first two games of the Fort Myers series and now ranks second in the Florida State League with seven triples on the season, just one behind the leader, Matt Dan Dekker of St. Lucie.
I’M WALKIN’ ... Jordan Lennerton drew five walks in the first three games against Fort Myers and now leads the Florida State League with 38 walks. Teammate Brent Wyatt is fifth with 33 free passes.
ROSTER RUMBLIN’S ... The Flying Tigers welcomed back a pair of players and lost two others. Rejoining the squad are William Bergolla and Zach Samuels while Ryan Soares was sent to West Michigan and Matt Little was placed on the disabled list. Bergolla comes off the DL where he had been since suffering a broken finger on April 16. Samuels returns to Lakeland after a week at AA Erie where he appeared in one game tossing four scoreless innings against Reading on May 30.
PLAN AHEAD ... Lakeland will play at home next Saturday at a special 4:00 start. It’s a Sunset Celebration with post game activities and fireworks presented by the Ledger Media Group.
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