Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Sept. 1-4)

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland will close out the season with four dates and five games against Tampa. The series opens in Tampa on Sept. 1 and goes to Lakeland for a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Sept. 2. Game three in the series has the two clubs returning to Tampa for a single game before closing out the season at home on Sunday, Sept. 4 in a special 11 a.m. start at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (62-71, 26-37 2nd Half, 6th, 9.5 GB) ... Lakeland took two of three games from Dunedin in the last series. The two wins came in a sweep of a doubleheader on Aug. 30. In the Flying Tigers last game, the club lost 7-2 to the Blue Jays.

THE YANKEES (71-62, 34-30 2nd Half, 3rd, 2.0 GB) ... Tampa is coming off a doubleheader split with Daytona on Wednesday losing game on 6-3 and then taking the nightcap 4-1. Abraham Almonte has scored 88 runs on the year and ranks third in the Florida State League in that category for the Yankees while his 139 hits on the season ranks fifth.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

• Thu., Sept. 1 - Mark Sorenson (2-4, 5.22 ERA) gave up seven runs on 12 hits in just 2.2 innings in his last start on Aug. 27 at Clearwater. He has now allowed 30 hits over his last three starts for 19 runs (11 earned) and a 14.66 earned run average. Sorensen has stuck out 11 batters while walking three in those last four starts. He allowed five runs ­– one earned – on eight hits over 5.0 innings in one start against Tampa this season.
• Fri., Sept. 2 (GM1) - Shawn Teufel (4-4, 3.77 ERA) did not factor in the decision in his last start on Aug. 28 at Clearwater despite holding the Threshers to three runs on four hits over 7.0 innings. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 earned run average in his last two starts since making a spot start for AAA Toledo where he worked 6.0 innings to get the win. This will be Teufel’s first start against Tampa, but he has made four relief appearances with a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in 10.0 innings.
• Fri., Sept. 2 (GM2) - TBA.
• Sat., Sept. 3 - Brenny Paulino (0-1, 30.86 ERA) would like to forget his Lakeland debut as he was tagged for eight runs on just three hits. Wildness led to him walking four and hitting three others.
• Sun., Sept. 4 - Jared Wesson (14-10, 4.38 ERA) tossed a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in his last start in game one of a doubleheader against Dunedin. He has allowed just five hits and one unearned run in his last 13.0 innings over two starts (both wins) with 11 strikeouts and four walks. Wesson is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA against Tampa this season. A win Sunday would make Wesson just the fifth Lakeland pitcher to register 15 victories in a single season.

THIS YEAR ... The Yankees have won 10 of the 15 meetings this season with wins in seven of the last eight, including a stretch of six consecutive wins snapped on Aug. 16. Tampa won 7-2 in a six-inning rain-shortened game in the two clubs last meeting. Jordan Lennerton has 22 hits and two homers, but just five runs batted in, against Tampa in 2011 while Tony Plagman has 18 hits and has also hit two homers, but has driven in 15 runs. Cory Jones has collected 16 hits, including seven doubles, in 12 of the 15 games.

STAYING ALIVE ... The Yankees are still mathematically in the hunt for the second half pennant but would almost have to sweep the five games from Lakeland and hope Clearwater and Dunedin split their four game series. Tampa would then take the second half due to a better winning percentage in the second half of the season. Other scenarios exists getting into potential tiebreakers as defined by the Florida State League playoff procedures.

CLEAR THE BASES ... The grand slam by Dunedin’s Sean Ochinko on Wednesday was just the second surrendered by Lakeland pitching season. Fort Myers’ Anderson Hildago hit the first bases-loaded homer in 2011 off the Flying Tigers on Aug. 8. Lakeland has hit two grand slams this season – both by Jordan Lennerton.

BERGOLLA HEADS NORTH (AGAIN) ... William Bergolla got another plane ride north on Thursday to join the Erie SeaWolves. He was promoted to the AA club previously on Aug. 20, but rejoined Lakeland on Aug. 23.

ALL BUT ONE ... Tony Plagman has sat out just one game for Lakeland this season and now leads the FSL with 132 games played. Jordan Lennerton is tied with Bradenton’s Robbie Grossman for second with 131 games played.

19 SHY ... Tampa’s Abraham Almonte is tied with Charlotte’s Hak-Ju Lee and Daytona’s Logan Watkins for the league-lead with 11 triples – 19 three-baggers shy of the Florida State League record of 30 triples hit by Pete Rose in 1961 for the then Tampa Tarpons.

WAY TO WRAP IT UP ... One Flying Tiger that is making some nice memories to the end of his season is Jordan Lennerton who has caught fire at the plate. In his last seven games, he is 12-for-28 for a .429 average with three doubles, a triple and two homers. Lennerton is the Florida State League’s hottest hitter since Aug. 5 boasting a .432 average in 25 games with 10 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 18 runs scored with 19 runs batted in. His .432 average in that stretch of games is 34 points higher than the next hottest hitter – Elevys Gonzalez who has batted .398 for Bradenton. Lennerton’s hot streak has resulted in him having 34 games with two or more hits this season – tops on the team. He has 24 games with two hits, nine with three hits and one with four hits.

TWO FOR ONE ... Lakeland banged out a season-high seven doubles in game two of a doubleheader on Tuesday against Dunedin. Lakeland has now hit at least one double in 23 of the last 31 games and two or more two-baggers in nine of those games.

GOING ALL THE WAY ... Jared Wesson and Luke Putkonen tossed back-to-back seven-inning complete games in a doubleheader on Aug. 30 against Dunedin. The two complete games are just the second and third of the season for Lakeland. Trevor Feeney recorded Lakeland’s first complete game of the season on Aug. 8, working six innings.

A-HA AVISAIL ... Avisail Garcia has 10 hits in his last 37 at bats over nine games for a .270 average with two doubles and three home runs.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 14 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman leads with 94 runs batted in (third most RBI for any Lakeland player since 1974), third with 223 total bases and also third with 53 extra base hits. Plagman has also been intentionally walked a league-high six times ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 90 walks (second most in Lakeland history) ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in fielding percentage (.954), games played (123), total chances (370), putouts (100), assists (253), and double plays (25).

COLEMAN LET GO BY DETROIT ... According to the Detroit Free Press, Flying Tiger pitching coach Joe Coleman has been released by the Detroit Tigers. In addition, Jon Matlack, the Tigers long-time minor pitching coordinator, was also let go last weekend. Coleman, 64, had been Lakeland’s pitching coach since 2007. He had spent 46 years in professional baseball, including six seasons as a pitcher with Detroit. Matlack had spent 16 seasons as a coach in the Detroit organization, including the last 15 years in the role as minor league pitching coordinator.

UP THE FARM ... Here’s one last look up the farm: Detroit (1st place, 5.5 game lead); Toledo (last place, 21.0 games back); Erie (5th place, 13.0 games back); West Michigan (tied for 3rd place, 10.0 games back); Connecticut (1st place, 0.5 game lead); GCL Tigers (3rd place, 8.0 games back, end of season).