THE FLYING TIGERS (59-64 all, 23-30 2nd half, 6th, 7.5 GB) ... Lakeland dropped two of three in their series against Clearwater including a 7-1 loss on Sunday. The Flying Tigers had reached double digits in hits in three of their last seven games for a .310 batting average and have hit 12 doubles and eight homers in the seven games. The team has also struck out 53 times while walking 16 times in those seven games.
THE BLUE JAYS (71-55, 32-24 2nd half, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Dunedin is coming off a three-game sweep of Daytona and has won six of the last seven and nine of the last 11 games. The streak has allowed the Blue Jays to take a 1.5 game lead in the North Division over Tampa. Brad Glenn leads the Florida State League with 23 home runs and is fourth with a .516 slugging percentage while Brian Van Kirk is fifth with a .508 slugging mark. Brad McElroy is fifth with 29 stolen bases. Sean Ochinko has 31 doubles to rank third in the league
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
- Tue., Aug. 23 - Jared Wesson (12-10, 4.83 ERA) has dropped his last two starts and has a 6.62 earned run average over his last three outings. Wesson is 6-6 with a 4.46 ERA at home and 6-4 with a 5.30 ERA on the road. Righthanded batters are hitting almost .100 points higher than lefties against Wesson posting a .313 average vs. a .215 mark from the other side of the plate. This will be his first time facing Dunedin in 2011.
- Wed., Aug. 24 - Shawn Teufel (4-3, 3.63 ERA at Lakeland) made his last start at AAA Toledo, picking up the win with six innings of shutout ball against the Buffalo Bison, a team managed by his father, Tim Teufel. Shawn struck out seven and issued three free passes while holding the Bison to three hits. Teufel is 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 10 games on the road with a 1-2 record and a 4.00 ERA in nine home appearances. He has two relief outings against the Blue Jays with a 1.69 ERA.
- Thu., Aug. 25 - Luke Putkonen (1-5, 5.43 ERA) took the mound on Aug. 18 in this first Lakeland start since July 4. Against Clearwater on the 18th, he worked 4.1 shutout innings with seven strikeouts while allowing four hits, but did not factor into the decision. Putkonen is 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA in six starts this season and 1-1 with a 4.82 earned run average in 10 relief appearances. He is 0-2 against Dunedin this season.
EVEN DOZEN FOR WESSON ... With 12 wins, Jared Wesson is trying to become the first Lakeland pitcher since Jordan Tata in 1997 (13-2) to record 13 wins in a single season. Prior to that, you’d have to go back to 1997 to find a Lakeland pitcher with 13 wins as Brian Powell turned in a 13-9 record that season. The Lakeland franchise record is held by Mike Chris who went 18-5 in 1977.
NOT THAT KIND ... Four Flying Tigers rank in the top five in strikeouts in the Florida State League. Unfortunately, they are all batters, not pitchers. Daniel Fields has struck out the most of any player in the FSL with 124 whiffs (one more than Bradenton’s Evan Chambers). Avisail Garcia is third with 120 strikeouts while Wade Gaynor is fourth at 119 and Jordan Lennerton ranks fifth with 115 Ks.
FAULK FAULT ... Kenny Faulk allowed a home run in his last outing on Aug. 19 against Clearwater. It was the first run allowed by the former closer since July 26. Faulk has struck out 14 batters and walked just one while surrendering seven hits over 10.1 innings in the eight games. He is 1-1 in his last two appearances.
FSL HONORS LENNERTON ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named the Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 15-21. The Flying Tiger first baseman/DH batted .550 on the week with four runs scored, three doubles, a home run and three runs batted in. Lennerton is the first Lakeland player to be so honored this year and the second Flying Tiger to be recognized joining Drew Smyly who was the FSL Pitcher of the Week for June 6-12. This is the second time Lennerton has garnered FSL honors, having been named Player of the Week exactly one year ago for the Week of Aug. 16-22, 2010.
FLYING TIGER FLURRY ... In one of the biggest transaction days in recent Lakeland history, the Flying Tigers added five players while seeing two players get promoted to Erie and one sent to the Gulf Coast League. Rejoining Lakeland were Shawn Teufel from Toledo and Ryan Soares from West Michigan. Three 2011 draft picks were also added to the roster in Brandon Loy (5th round), Brandon Eckerle (32nd round), and Eric Heckaman (35th round). Loy was a finalist for College Shortstop of the Year while playing for the University of Texas while batting .342 with 19 stolen bases for the Longhorns. Eckerle won the Big Ten batting crown with a .379 average and set a single-season record for hits (96) while playing collegiately at Michigan State University. Heckaman had ten saves at Western Michigan University where he was a college teammate of former Flying Tiger Brian Stroud. Loy and Eckerle each had two singles in their Lakeland debuts on Saturday. (Heckaman was sent back to the GCL on Monday.)
RARE PINCH-HIT AT BAT ... Jeff Kunkel pinch-hit for Ryan Soares in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, Aug. 21 against Clearwater. It was the first pinch-hit appearance by a Flying Tiger since June 29 and just the fifth substitute batter this season for Lakeland. Combined Lakeland’s four previous pinch-hit are a combined 1-for-5 with Brett Wyatt singling for Daniel Fields on April 28 at Clearwater for the only pinch-hit.
TOP TEN TWO-BAGGERS ... Tony Plagman is tied with eight other players for eighth spot on Lakeland’s top ten list for doubles in a single season. Plagman has 28 with Curtis Granderson (2003), Daryle Ward (1996) and Doug Strange (1986) are tied for seventh with 29 doubles. Wade Gaynor and Jordan Lennerton are tied with Brian Rios (1999) for tenth place with 27 doubles. The Lakeland record is 40 set by Gabe Kapler in 1997.
90 RIBBIES ... Tony Plagman is also in fourth place with 90 runs batted in trailing Alejandro Freire (92 in 1997) and Ryan Strieby (94 in 2008). The Lakeland record is 105 set by Brent Clevlen in 2005.
NO THIEVES IN THE HOUSE ... Three players in the Florida State League have more stolen bases individually than the Flying Tigers do as a team. Tyler Botnick of Charlotte leads the FSL with 41 while Kentrail Davis (32) of Brevard County and Pedro Zapata (31) of St. Lucie have more than Lakeland’s 30 stolen bases.
BROTHERS IN ARMS (OR BATS) ... Tony Plagman and Jordan Lennerton have split time at first base and DH all season and have played in the more games than all but one player in the league (Plagman has played one more game that Lennerton). The duo has also combined for the most home runs (28) than other two Lakeland teammates since 2008. Plagman leads the club with 17 homers while Lennerton has hit 11 dingers. In 2008, Jeremy Laster hit 24 home runs while Justin Justice and Cale Iorg each hit 10 long balls.
LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Tony Plagman leads with 89 RBI; tied for second with 49 extra base hits; and fourth with 207 total bases ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 89 walks.
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