THE CHAMPIONSHIP ... Lakeland won the 2012 Florida State League Championship by defeating Jupiter three games to two. The Flying Tigers advanced to the championship series by sweeping Dunedin in two games to win the North Division playoff. The title is Lakeland’s fourth since the FSL went to a playoff system in 1968 and comes 20 years to the day since Lakeland last won the title in 1992. The four titles by Lakeland is tied for second most behind Daytona Beach, Miami, St. Lucie and Tampa, which have each won five crowns. The four titles is also tied for third most among the league affiliations. The Yankees hold the most FSL titles with nine, four coming when the team was in Ft. Lauderdale and the last five in Tampa. Lakeland now has a 34-31 record in the FSL postseason, including a 15-11 mark in championship series. The 34 postseason wins is third most in the history of the Florida State League.
THE RECORD ... Lakeland finished the 2012 season with a 73-58 record, the most wins for the Flying Tigers since the 2005 squad finished 85-48 and nine more than last year’s squad. The club finished in second place in the first half, 5.0 games behind Dunedin. The first half record of 36-29 matched last year’s total for wins, but was five less losses. Lakeland rallied at the end of the regular season by winning the second half with a 37-29 record. The 37 wins was nine more than last year while the 29 losses was 11 fewer than 2011. The second half title was the first won by Lakeland since the 2005 squad took both halves. Lakeland’s all-time record is now 3,881-4,113 for a .485 winning percentage.
AT THE PLATE ... Lakeland led the Florida State League with a .267 team batting average, two points better than the second place team. The .267 mark is the third highest average in Lakeland franchise history. The Flying Tigers scored 582 runs in 2012, sixth fewest runs in the league while the team’s 66 homers was tied for second fewest in the league. The Flying Tigers hit 232 doubles this season, one shy of the team record of 233 set in 1996 and 2001. Lakeland batters struck out 884 times in 2012, the second fewest times of any league team. The 135 stolen bases (led by Hernan Perez’s 27 steals) was fourth most in the FSL while the Flying Tigers were caught stealing a league-low 36 times. Tyler Collins finished tenth in the league with a .290 average and was second with 35 doubles and fourth with 137 base hits.
ON THE MOUND ... The Flying Tigers’ pitching staff finished with a 3.79 staff earned run average, seventh best in the league. Lakeland posted 10 shutouts, tied for third most in the league and struck out 897 batters, the fourth fewest in the FSL. Luis Angel Sanz was tied for the league-lead with 11 wins while his 3.46 ERA was sixth best in the league (tops for any right handed pitcher in the FSL, however). Shawn Teufel was one of eight pitchers in the league to throw one shutout in 2012. Matt Crouse allowed just 9.09 baserunners per nine innings pitcher, the fewest of any league reliever and held opponents to a .189 batting average, third best among league relievers. Tyler White’s 10.73 strikeouts per nine innings was fifth among FSL relievers.
IN THE FIELD ... Lakeland posted the best fielding percentage (.978) of any league team and committed the fewest errors (109) in team history. The Flying Tigers catchers combined to throw out 37.4 percent of would-be base stealers, best mark of any FSL catching corps. Hernan Perez topped all league second baseman with a .979 mark while Dixon Machado was tops among shortstops with a .966 fielding percentage. James Robbins played the most games and had the most putouts and total chances of any FSL first baseman while Alex Burgos lead all league pitchers with 32 assists.
NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT ... Alex Burgos led the league with 88 walks and was tied with seven others for most losses with 10. Shawn Teufel allowed 12 homers - fifth most in the league. James Robbins struck out a league-high 171 times, second most in Lakeland history.
STRETCH RUNS ... The Flying Tigers closed out the first half going 9-2 in the final 11 games to finish in second place. At the end of the second half, the Flying Tigers won 11 of the last 16 games, including the last three in a row to win the second half pennant.
THE CROWDS ... While Lakeland finished with the second lowest attendance in the league, the 59,589 fans that witnessed the 2012 season were fifth most in franchise history. The July 4th crowd of 5,038 was fourth largest crowd since 2004. Lakeland had 17 crowds of over 1,000 and posted a 10-7 record in those games. Overall, the Lakeland franchise has drawn 1,921,148 fans since 1963.
POSITION LEADERS ... 1B-James Robbins (122 games); 2B-Hernan Perez (111); 3B-Wade Gaynor (77); SS-Dixon Machado (118); OF-Tyler Collins (115); Luis Castillo (81); Avisail Garcia (65) and C-James McCann (45)
ALL-STARS ... Lakeland had four players selected to the FSL midseason All-Star squad in third baseman Nick Castellanos, outfielder Avisail Garcia, catcher James McCann and reliever Bruce Rondon. Garcia won the FSL Home Run Derby before the game and was 1x3 in the contest. Rondon worked the ninth inning and allowed one run on one hit. Castellanos and McCann were promoted to AA Erie prior to the game and did not have a chance to participate. No Lakeland player was selected to the league’s post-season All-Star team.
FSL HONORS ... Nick Castellanos was named the FSL Player of the Week for the week of April 3-May 6 going 13x38 (.464) on the week.
18-GAME HIT STREAK ... Nick Castellanos saw his 18-game hit streak, the third longest in the league, snapped on May 18, going 31x72 (.431) during the streak. The third baseman had hits in 50 of his 55 games played in Lakeland and left the Flying Tigers with a .405 batting average - the best in the minors at the time of his promotion. Castellanos went on to play in the Futures Game earning MVP honors going 3x4 with a homer and three RBI as the designated hitter.
HOME AND AWAY STREAKS ... Avisail Garcia hit in 18 straight home games from Aug. 30, 2011 to May 9, 2012 - the longest such streak this season while Nick Castellanos collected hits in 22 consecutive road games from May 1 thru his promotion on June 6 - also the longest such streak in the FSL.
WALK-OFF WINS ... Lakeland played the first 43 home games without a walk-off win. That all changed on July 30 when Marcus Lemon singled in a run in the bottom of the 10th inning. The next night, Dean Green beat out an infield single for a win in the ninth. On Aug. 5, Wade Gaynor singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Gaynor also hit walk-off homers on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18 while James Robbins had a walk-off single on Aug. 16.
NOT SO GRAND ... No Lakeland player hit a grand slam in 2012. The Flying Tigers and the Charlotte Rangers were the only two FSL teams not to hit a home run with the bases loaded this season.
MULTI-HIT GAMES ... Counting the postseason (which does not count toward the final FSL statistics) Tyler Collins had 39 games with two or more hits in 2012, including 14 games with three hits and a pair four-hit games. Collins began the season with three hits in each of the first four games. Hernan Perez had the second most multi-hit games with 31 including five games with three hits and one four-hit game. Nick Castellanos had 27 games (out of his 55 games played before being promoted to AA Erie) with two or more hits, including six three-hit games and a pair of four hits games.
SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland posted winning series records against Tampa (13-7), Daytona (11-7), Clearwater (9-7), Dunedin (9-7), Palm Beach (5-3), Jupiter (4-2), and Charlotte (4-3) and split the season series with Brevard County (8-8), Bradenton (4-4), Ft. Myers (4-4). The Flying Tigers lost only one season series, falling two games to six to St. Lucie.
CLOSE ONES ... Lakeland was a league-best 26-15 in 1-run games and also had the best record in extra innings (10-2).
PLAYING FOR THE WEEKEND ... For the second straight year, Lakeland had its best record in games played on Sunday (13-5) and was 11-8 on both Friday and Saturday nights, giving the Flying Tigers a 35-21 record on the weekend, compared to a 38-37 record during the week.
IN THE RECORD BOOK ... Marcus Lemon led Lakeland with a .324 batting average (min. 280 at bats). The .324 average is fifth best in Lakeland history. Tyler Collin’s 35 doubles is second only to Gabe Kapler’s record of 40 set in 1997. Luis Angel Sanz tied for the FSL lead with 11 wins – sixth most in franchise history. Bruce Rondon’s 15 saves is 10th most in Lakeland history. Daniel Fields played in 295 games in his three years in Lakeland, sixth most games in franchise history and ranks ninth with 250 hits and 120 runs batted in, and sixth with 123 walks. Fields is third with 14 career triples and also had the third most strikeouts (307) for any Lakeland player’s career. Wade Gaynor ranks sixth with 46 doubles, eighth with 121 career RBI and tenth with 23 homers in his two seasons in Lakeland. Avisail Garcia tied for sixth with 11 career triples.
THE SKIPPER ... Dave Huppert became the minor league’s winningest active manager on April 19 and recorded his 1,700th win on June 3. Huppert would close the season winning his third Florida State League Title having previously won league championships with Brevard County in 2001 and Clearwater in 2007. He finishes the 2012 season with a career record of 1,745-1,593 for a .523 winning percentage.
THE ROSTER ... Twenty-seven players took the field defensively for Lakeland while 29 others took the mound for the Flying Tigers. The 56 players is ten more than were in uniform in 2011.
UP ON THE FARM ... The Flying Tigers made an unofficial 114 transactions in 2012 (eight more than in 2011). Hernan Perez made a weekend trip to the major leagues on June 9-10 before returning to Lakeland while Avisail Garcia made his major league debut on Aug. 31 (going from AA Erie to Detroit, skipping AAA Toledo) and was still with the club as of this report ... Zach Maggard, Adolfo Reina, Bruce Rondon and Shawn Tuefel all played in AAA Toledo ... Players who spent time at AA Erie included Nick Castellanos, Daniel Fields, Avisail Garcia, Wade Gaynor, Corey Jones, James McCann, Michael Rockett, Luis Alberto Sanz, Wes Thigpen and pitchers Cesar Carrillo, Tyler Clark, Patrick Cooper, Brian Flynn, Bruce Rondon, Zach Samuels, Mark Sorenson, and Jared Wesson.
FSL HALL OF FAME ... Lou Whitaker, who played for the 1976 Lakeland Tigers, was one of five players named to the Class of 2012 of the Florida State League Hall of Fame while Lakeland manager Dave Huppert was one of three managers honored with inclusion in the 2012 Class.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Flying Tigers Outlast Hammerheads in 15 innings
By DAVID YATES
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT
JUPITER—The Flying Tigers used a four-hit night from Tyler Collins, a clutch triple from Hernan Perez, and remarkable defense to pull even in the Florida State League Championship Series by outlasting Jupiter, 8-7, in a 15-inning, tension-packed baseball playoff marathon on Saturday night.
Luis Castillo entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 15th, singled, was sacrificed to second by Curt Casali, and scored the game-winner when Hernan Perez tripled into the gap in left center.
Tied at one game apiece, the best-of-five series now shifts to Joker Marchant Stadium for game 3 today at 5 p.m. Game 4 will be played at Marchant Monday at 6:30, and if five games are necessary to decide the championship, the finale will be played at Marchant Tuesday night at 6:30.
Lakeland used eight pitchers and 11 position players in the 4-hour, 45-minute game, with Cesar Carrillo earning the win.
Jupiter used seven pitchers and 12 position players, with Tyler Higgins absorbing the loss. The game was played before a crowd of 613 at Roger Dean Stadium, most of whom stayed until the very end.
The FSL record book does not include the lengths of playoff games so it is uncertain whether this was the longest in league history in terms of time or innings.
Perhaps the most remarkable statistic of the night was the zero in the errors column for the Flying Tigers. Lakeland’s top-ranked defense, anchored by its magnificent middle infield combination of Dixon Machado at short and Perez at second, made play after play, several of major league caliber and some of which drew appreciative applause from the partisan crowd.
“Our defense has been doing the job for us all season and it’s a shame that although Machado and Perez were both the top fielders at their position neither made the All-Star team,” Lakeland Manager Dave Huppert said.
Friday Lakeland had nearly erased a 6-0 deficit by scoring five runs over the final three innings, and Saturday the Flying Tigers came out swinging again in Game 2. Collins fueled Lakeland’s 15-hit attack by tripling, doubling twice, singling, scoring once and driving in a pair.
Lakeland forged a 7-3 lead in the fifth when the 22-year-old Texas outfielder bashed an RBI triple and Wade Gaynor followed with a two-run homer that bounced off the top of the left field wall, the only home run either team hit in games 1 and 2.
But the Hammerheads, who finished second to the Flying Tigers in team batting, did not give up against a normally solid Lakeland bullpen.
The Miami Marlins FSL affiliate scored three in the home half of the fifth to make it a one-run game, and pulled even in the bottom of the ninth to prolong matters.
Christian Yelich, who led off the ninth with a walk, raced all the way home from second on a two-out infield hit by J. T. Realmuto to spoil Matt Crouse’s efforts to seal the win. Ironically, the hit ricocheted off the pitching mound just inches from Crouse’s glove to Machado, who threw to first trying to nip Realmuto while Yelich scored.
Each bullpen then kept the game scoreless until Perez’s big hit in the 15th. Melvin Mercedes used his 98 MPH fastball to fire three innings of one-hit relief for Lakeland, while Dan Stone, Raudel Lazo, Jordan Conley, and Rett Varner combined for 10 shutout innings against the Flying Tigers.
Luis Angel Sanz, arguably Lakeland’s most consistent starter in the second half, is expected to oppose Jupiter right-hander Jose Fernandez in tonight’s battle at Marchant.
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT
JUPITER—The Flying Tigers used a four-hit night from Tyler Collins, a clutch triple from Hernan Perez, and remarkable defense to pull even in the Florida State League Championship Series by outlasting Jupiter, 8-7, in a 15-inning, tension-packed baseball playoff marathon on Saturday night.
Luis Castillo entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 15th, singled, was sacrificed to second by Curt Casali, and scored the game-winner when Hernan Perez tripled into the gap in left center.
Tied at one game apiece, the best-of-five series now shifts to Joker Marchant Stadium for game 3 today at 5 p.m. Game 4 will be played at Marchant Monday at 6:30, and if five games are necessary to decide the championship, the finale will be played at Marchant Tuesday night at 6:30.
Lakeland used eight pitchers and 11 position players in the 4-hour, 45-minute game, with Cesar Carrillo earning the win.
Jupiter used seven pitchers and 12 position players, with Tyler Higgins absorbing the loss. The game was played before a crowd of 613 at Roger Dean Stadium, most of whom stayed until the very end.
The FSL record book does not include the lengths of playoff games so it is uncertain whether this was the longest in league history in terms of time or innings.
Perhaps the most remarkable statistic of the night was the zero in the errors column for the Flying Tigers. Lakeland’s top-ranked defense, anchored by its magnificent middle infield combination of Dixon Machado at short and Perez at second, made play after play, several of major league caliber and some of which drew appreciative applause from the partisan crowd.
“Our defense has been doing the job for us all season and it’s a shame that although Machado and Perez were both the top fielders at their position neither made the All-Star team,” Lakeland Manager Dave Huppert said.
Friday Lakeland had nearly erased a 6-0 deficit by scoring five runs over the final three innings, and Saturday the Flying Tigers came out swinging again in Game 2. Collins fueled Lakeland’s 15-hit attack by tripling, doubling twice, singling, scoring once and driving in a pair.
Lakeland forged a 7-3 lead in the fifth when the 22-year-old Texas outfielder bashed an RBI triple and Wade Gaynor followed with a two-run homer that bounced off the top of the left field wall, the only home run either team hit in games 1 and 2.
But the Hammerheads, who finished second to the Flying Tigers in team batting, did not give up against a normally solid Lakeland bullpen.
The Miami Marlins FSL affiliate scored three in the home half of the fifth to make it a one-run game, and pulled even in the bottom of the ninth to prolong matters.
Christian Yelich, who led off the ninth with a walk, raced all the way home from second on a two-out infield hit by J. T. Realmuto to spoil Matt Crouse’s efforts to seal the win. Ironically, the hit ricocheted off the pitching mound just inches from Crouse’s glove to Machado, who threw to first trying to nip Realmuto while Yelich scored.
Each bullpen then kept the game scoreless until Perez’s big hit in the 15th. Melvin Mercedes used his 98 MPH fastball to fire three innings of one-hit relief for Lakeland, while Dan Stone, Raudel Lazo, Jordan Conley, and Rett Varner combined for 10 shutout innings against the Flying Tigers.
Luis Angel Sanz, arguably Lakeland’s most consistent starter in the second half, is expected to oppose Jupiter right-hander Jose Fernandez in tonight’s battle at Marchant.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Mission Notes - FSL Championship Series
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ... The 2012 Florida State League Championship Series opens at Roger Dean Stadium, the home of the South Division champion Jupiter Hammerheads for the first two games on Friday and Saturday (Game times to be announced). The best-of-five series then moves to Lakeland for game three on Sunday at 5 p.m. Games four and five, if necessary, will be played Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium.
THE FLYING TIGERS (73-58, 2-0 Playoffs) ... Lakeland swept through the first round of the playoffs posting back-to-back shutouts over Dunedin. The Flying Tigers made a Tyler Collins’ first-inning hold up for a 1-0 win in game one in Lakeland. Lakeland then travelled to Dunedin and got a home run from Wade Gaynor and another from Collins in a 3-0 win. The last time Lakeland was in the FSL Playoffs in 2005, the club also swept Dunedin in the first round before falling three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship series. Overall, this is Lakeland’s 17th trip to the playoffs with FSL championships coming in 1975 and 1976 under current Detroit Manager Jim Leyland and a 2002 championship under manager John Lipon. Lakeland has a 32-29 record in FSL postseason games (including this season).
THE HAMMERHEADS (74-62, 2-1 Playoffs) ... Jupiter beat St. Lucie and Mother Nature for its first two FSL postseason wins. The Hammerheads opened the postseason with a 3-1 win over St. Lucie in a game delayed 2:58 due to rain. Game two was delayed 2:00 for inclement weather with the Mets prevailing 2-1. Thursday’s game featured rain of a different kind as the two clubs combined for 18 runs on 25 hits as Jupiter won its first-ever divisional championship with an 11-7 win. Ryan Fisher and Noah Perio each had five hits in the divisional playoffs while Taylor Krick and Alfredo Lopez each had four hits. Jupiter, which joined the league in 1998 as an affiliate of the Montreal Expos, became an affiliate of the Miami Marlins in 2002. The Hammerheads are making their fifth appearance in the FSL post-season and have a 2-9 playoff record thru the 2012 Division Series.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
9/07 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 3.77 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold struggled in his last start on Aug. 31, allowing five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings against Tampa. The five runs was more than he had allowed in his previous four starts. Saupold is 1-2 with a 3.22 ERA in five games as a starter.
9/08 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 4.90 ERA) ... Alex Burgos has allowed just two earned runs over 19.2 innings in his last five starts, but is just 1-0 in that stretch. In his last start on Sept. 1 against Tampa, he held the Yankees to one unearned runs on four hits in 4.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. He is 6-8 with a 6.04 ERA in 17 starts on the road this season. Burgos held Jupiter hitless through six shutout innings to pick up a win in the season series.
9/09 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.46 ERA) ... Luis Sanz walked a season-high four batters in a season-low 4.2 innings in his start against Dunedin in the FSL Division Playoffs on Tuesday night. He ended the regular season with seven wins in his last seven decisions and had five or more strikeouts in six of his last eight games. Sanz is 7-0 with a 3.02 ERA in 13 appearances (nine starts) in the friendly confines of Joker Marchant Stadium. He posted a pair of wins in two starts against Jupiter, holding the Hammerheads to one earned run over 11.2 innings for a 0.77 ERA on 10 strikeouts.
9/10 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen tossed six shutout innings against Dunedin on Wednesday in the Division Series deciding game. He held the Blue Jays to three hits as Lakeland wrapped up its first Division championship since 2005. The win was his first professional victory. VerHagen allowed a season-high four runs in a season-low 2.1 innings in his last regular season start on Aug. 28 against Brevard.
9/11 - To Be Announced.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won four of the six meetings between the two clubs this season, including three of four played in Jupiter on June 1-4. The Flying Tigers won games two and three in the series by a combined 21-1 score. Tropical Storm Debby greeted the two clubs when the series came to Lakeland in the second half and the first three nights were washed away. The two squads finally got in a doubleheader in on June 27 with Lakeland winning game one, 3-2, and Jupiter taking game two, 2-1. Luis Castillo led Lakeland in the series with eight hits, including three doubles, while Marcus Lemon and Dixon Machado each had seven hits. Lakeland hit .274 in the series while Jupiter was held to a .189 team batting average.
SERIES COMPARISONS ... The 2012 FSL Championship series features the top two hitting teams in the league. Lakeland finished the regular season with a FSL-best .267 team batting average, while Jupiter was second with a .265 mark. The Hammerheads were second only to Dunedin in runs scored (623) while the Flying Tigers pitchers have allowed the third fewest runs (539) of any FSL staff. Neither team stood out in the homer department with Lakeland tying for second fewest homers in the FSL (66) and Jupiter finishing tied for third fewest (71). Lakeland swiped the fourth most bases in the league (135) and was caught stealing the fewest times (36). Jupiter stole the fourth fewest bases (99) but was caught the fifth most times (47). Hammerhead pitchers had the second best ERA in the league (3.51) while the Flying Tigers finished ranked seventh with a 3.79 mark. Jupiter hurlers struck out the fourth most batters (1,013) while Lakeland punched out the fourth fewest (897).
LAKELAND IN THE PLAYOFFS ... Lakeland is making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2005 when the Flying Tigers fell three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship round. Lakeland opened the 2005 playoffs by sweeping Dunedin in two games. Overall, Lakeland has a 32-29 record 17 appearances in the playoffs thru the 2012 Divisional Series and is 14-9 in FSL Championship Series. Lakeland last won the FSL Championship in 1992 under manager John Lipon and also won back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977 under Jim Leyland, who is now the manager of the big league Tigers.
LOTS OF GOOSE EGGS ... With the back-to-back blankings of Dunedin in the first round of the FSL playoffs coming on the heels of a shutout in the season finale, Lakeland has posted three straight shutouts, something the club has not done in at least the last 17 years. The Blue Jays had finished the regular season as the FSL’s top scoring team, but failed to get on the scoreboard in the two games as Lakeland’s pitchers tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings. Throw in the series finale and five innings in the game before that, Flying Tigers pitcher have not allowed a run in the last 32 innings. In the Divisional Series, Lakeland pitchers struck out 16 in the 18.0 innings with seven walks and allowed 12 hits.
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES ... Tyler Collins finished second in the FSL with 35 doubles - the second most in Lakeland history. But when it go the playoffs, Collins doubled a double into a homer and doubled that with homers in each of the Flying Tigers two playoff games. His first inning home run stood as the only Lakeland run in a 1-0 win in game one while he capped the scoring in game two with his second homer of the postseason in a 3-0 win over Dunedin. Collins batted .429 in the Divisional Series with a 1.714 slugging percentage.
NICE TIMING ... Drew VerHagen was a fourth round pick of Detroit’s in this year’s draft and finished the regular season with an 0-3 record in Lakeland. But the former Vanderbilt star saved his best for the postseason, tossing six shutout innings at Dunedin, holding the Blue Jays to just three hits to pick up his first win as a professional.
SOMETHING AGAINST HONDO? ... Hernan Perez hasn’t had much to say to first base coach Larry “Hondo” Herdon as of late. It’s not that they’re not talking, it’s just that when Perez has gotten a base hit, he hasn’t stopped at first base. Of Perez’s last eight hits, seven have been for extra bases including five doubles, a triple and a home run.
ON A SOLID TRAJECTORY ... Even thought postseason stats do not count toward a player’s final statistics, Michael Rockett has had hits in five straight games and is 7x17 during that span for a .412 clip.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,745-1,592 record into the playoffs. Coincidently, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is the winningest active manager in the majors.
THE FLYING TIGERS (73-58, 2-0 Playoffs) ... Lakeland swept through the first round of the playoffs posting back-to-back shutouts over Dunedin. The Flying Tigers made a Tyler Collins’ first-inning hold up for a 1-0 win in game one in Lakeland. Lakeland then travelled to Dunedin and got a home run from Wade Gaynor and another from Collins in a 3-0 win. The last time Lakeland was in the FSL Playoffs in 2005, the club also swept Dunedin in the first round before falling three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship series. Overall, this is Lakeland’s 17th trip to the playoffs with FSL championships coming in 1975 and 1976 under current Detroit Manager Jim Leyland and a 2002 championship under manager John Lipon. Lakeland has a 32-29 record in FSL postseason games (including this season).
THE HAMMERHEADS (74-62, 2-1 Playoffs) ... Jupiter beat St. Lucie and Mother Nature for its first two FSL postseason wins. The Hammerheads opened the postseason with a 3-1 win over St. Lucie in a game delayed 2:58 due to rain. Game two was delayed 2:00 for inclement weather with the Mets prevailing 2-1. Thursday’s game featured rain of a different kind as the two clubs combined for 18 runs on 25 hits as Jupiter won its first-ever divisional championship with an 11-7 win. Ryan Fisher and Noah Perio each had five hits in the divisional playoffs while Taylor Krick and Alfredo Lopez each had four hits. Jupiter, which joined the league in 1998 as an affiliate of the Montreal Expos, became an affiliate of the Miami Marlins in 2002. The Hammerheads are making their fifth appearance in the FSL post-season and have a 2-9 playoff record thru the 2012 Division Series.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
9/07 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 3.77 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold struggled in his last start on Aug. 31, allowing five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings against Tampa. The five runs was more than he had allowed in his previous four starts. Saupold is 1-2 with a 3.22 ERA in five games as a starter.
9/08 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 4.90 ERA) ... Alex Burgos has allowed just two earned runs over 19.2 innings in his last five starts, but is just 1-0 in that stretch. In his last start on Sept. 1 against Tampa, he held the Yankees to one unearned runs on four hits in 4.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. He is 6-8 with a 6.04 ERA in 17 starts on the road this season. Burgos held Jupiter hitless through six shutout innings to pick up a win in the season series.
9/09 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.46 ERA) ... Luis Sanz walked a season-high four batters in a season-low 4.2 innings in his start against Dunedin in the FSL Division Playoffs on Tuesday night. He ended the regular season with seven wins in his last seven decisions and had five or more strikeouts in six of his last eight games. Sanz is 7-0 with a 3.02 ERA in 13 appearances (nine starts) in the friendly confines of Joker Marchant Stadium. He posted a pair of wins in two starts against Jupiter, holding the Hammerheads to one earned run over 11.2 innings for a 0.77 ERA on 10 strikeouts.
9/10 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen tossed six shutout innings against Dunedin on Wednesday in the Division Series deciding game. He held the Blue Jays to three hits as Lakeland wrapped up its first Division championship since 2005. The win was his first professional victory. VerHagen allowed a season-high four runs in a season-low 2.1 innings in his last regular season start on Aug. 28 against Brevard.
9/11 - To Be Announced.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won four of the six meetings between the two clubs this season, including three of four played in Jupiter on June 1-4. The Flying Tigers won games two and three in the series by a combined 21-1 score. Tropical Storm Debby greeted the two clubs when the series came to Lakeland in the second half and the first three nights were washed away. The two squads finally got in a doubleheader in on June 27 with Lakeland winning game one, 3-2, and Jupiter taking game two, 2-1. Luis Castillo led Lakeland in the series with eight hits, including three doubles, while Marcus Lemon and Dixon Machado each had seven hits. Lakeland hit .274 in the series while Jupiter was held to a .189 team batting average.
SERIES COMPARISONS ... The 2012 FSL Championship series features the top two hitting teams in the league. Lakeland finished the regular season with a FSL-best .267 team batting average, while Jupiter was second with a .265 mark. The Hammerheads were second only to Dunedin in runs scored (623) while the Flying Tigers pitchers have allowed the third fewest runs (539) of any FSL staff. Neither team stood out in the homer department with Lakeland tying for second fewest homers in the FSL (66) and Jupiter finishing tied for third fewest (71). Lakeland swiped the fourth most bases in the league (135) and was caught stealing the fewest times (36). Jupiter stole the fourth fewest bases (99) but was caught the fifth most times (47). Hammerhead pitchers had the second best ERA in the league (3.51) while the Flying Tigers finished ranked seventh with a 3.79 mark. Jupiter hurlers struck out the fourth most batters (1,013) while Lakeland punched out the fourth fewest (897).
LAKELAND IN THE PLAYOFFS ... Lakeland is making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2005 when the Flying Tigers fell three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship round. Lakeland opened the 2005 playoffs by sweeping Dunedin in two games. Overall, Lakeland has a 32-29 record 17 appearances in the playoffs thru the 2012 Divisional Series and is 14-9 in FSL Championship Series. Lakeland last won the FSL Championship in 1992 under manager John Lipon and also won back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977 under Jim Leyland, who is now the manager of the big league Tigers.
LOTS OF GOOSE EGGS ... With the back-to-back blankings of Dunedin in the first round of the FSL playoffs coming on the heels of a shutout in the season finale, Lakeland has posted three straight shutouts, something the club has not done in at least the last 17 years. The Blue Jays had finished the regular season as the FSL’s top scoring team, but failed to get on the scoreboard in the two games as Lakeland’s pitchers tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings. Throw in the series finale and five innings in the game before that, Flying Tigers pitcher have not allowed a run in the last 32 innings. In the Divisional Series, Lakeland pitchers struck out 16 in the 18.0 innings with seven walks and allowed 12 hits.
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES ... Tyler Collins finished second in the FSL with 35 doubles - the second most in Lakeland history. But when it go the playoffs, Collins doubled a double into a homer and doubled that with homers in each of the Flying Tigers two playoff games. His first inning home run stood as the only Lakeland run in a 1-0 win in game one while he capped the scoring in game two with his second homer of the postseason in a 3-0 win over Dunedin. Collins batted .429 in the Divisional Series with a 1.714 slugging percentage.
NICE TIMING ... Drew VerHagen was a fourth round pick of Detroit’s in this year’s draft and finished the regular season with an 0-3 record in Lakeland. But the former Vanderbilt star saved his best for the postseason, tossing six shutout innings at Dunedin, holding the Blue Jays to just three hits to pick up his first win as a professional.
SOMETHING AGAINST HONDO? ... Hernan Perez hasn’t had much to say to first base coach Larry “Hondo” Herdon as of late. It’s not that they’re not talking, it’s just that when Perez has gotten a base hit, he hasn’t stopped at first base. Of Perez’s last eight hits, seven have been for extra bases including five doubles, a triple and a home run.
ON A SOLID TRAJECTORY ... Even thought postseason stats do not count toward a player’s final statistics, Michael Rockett has had hits in five straight games and is 7x17 during that span for a .412 clip.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,745-1,592 record into the playoffs. Coincidently, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is the winningest active manager in the majors.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Mission Notes - The Playoffs, First Round (Sept. 4-6)
FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS ... Making their first playoff appearance since 2005, the Flying Tigers open the first round of the 2012 Florida State League postseason with a 6:30 pm home game on Tuesday. Game two in the best-of-three series will take place Wednesday at 6:35 pm at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin. Game three, if necessary, will be played Thursday in Dunedin, also at 6:30 pm. All games are broadcast on the Dunedin website.
THE FLYING TIGERS (73-58) ... Lakeland took the last three games of the regular season versus Tampa to win the second half pennant for the first time since the 2005 team took both halves. The three wins also gives the Flying Tigers the most wins (73) since the same 2005 squad posted an 85-48 record. Lakeland leads the FSL with a .267 team batting average and a .978 fielding percentage, while the Flying Tigers’ pitching staff ranks seventh with a 3.79 ERA. Lakeland baserunners have swiped 135 bases this season – fourth most in the FSL – and have been caught just 36 times – second fewest in the FSL. Defensively, Lakeland has thrown out 76 out of 127 would-be base stealers for a league-leading 37.4 percent. Tyler Collins is tenth in the Florida State League with a .290 average, second with 35 doubles, and fourth with 137 base hits. Hernan Perez now ranks fifth in the FSL with 27 stolen bases.
THE BLUE JAYS (78-58) ... Dunedin dropped four of its last six games to finish the second half tied with Clearwater for second place, one game behind Lakeland. Dunedin’s team batting average of .255 is sixth in the league while the staff ERA of 3.59 is third lowest in the league. The Blue Jays are third with a .975 fielding percentage while the catchers have gunned down 41 of 97 stealers for a 29.7 mark. Danny Barnes leads the minor leagues with a franchise record 34 saves. Casey Lawrence is ninth in the league with a 3.63 ERA and fifth with 138.2 innings pitched. Marcus Knecht ranks third in the FSL with 32 doubles and fourth with 40 extra-base hits.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
9/04 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.46 ERA) ... Sanz is tied for the FSL lead with 11 wins and ranks fifth with a 3.46 ERA. Winner of his last seven decisions, he has a 7-0 record with a 2.04 ERA in his last 10 games (nine starts) with 42 strikeouts and 21 walks in 57.1 innings pitched. Sanz is a perfect 7-0 in 13 home appearances (nine starts) with a 3.02 at Joker Marchant Stadium this season. He is 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in two relief appearances versus Dunedin and but hasn’t faced the club since May 2. In his last start on Aug. 30 against Tampa, Sanz shutout the Yankees for 5.0 innings on three hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.
9/05 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... VerHagen will be gunning for his first win as a Flying Tiger. In his last start on Aug. 28 versus Brevard County, he was tagged for a season-high four runs on five hits in just 2.1 innings. He had not allowed a run in two previous starts of four innings each prior to the 28th. VerHagen is 0-2 on the road this season with a 3.71 ERA in five games (four starts) and has not faced Dunedin this season.
9/06 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 3.77 ERA) ... Saupold surrendered a season-high five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings in his last start on Aug. 31 against Tampa. He is 1-1 on the road this season with a 3.07 ERA in three games (two starts). Saupold is 0-2 versus the Blue Jays this season, but has a 1.59 ERA in two starts. He has nine strikeouts and three walks against Dunedin, but has allowed 12 hits in 11.1 innings.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland holds a 9-7 advantage in the series and has won six of the last nine meetings. Three games in the series have been decided by one-run (including a 6-5 Lakeland win in 13 innings on August 18) while six of the contests have been won by two runs. On May 31, Dunedin crushed Lakeland 14-3 with the Flying Tigers returning the favor on June 12 winning 11-3. Tyler Collins has batted .328 with 21 hits (including 10 doubles) while Wade Gaynor has 13 hits including a pair of homers. Kevin Nolan has led Dunedin with 17 hits while Marcus Knecht has 12 hits in the 16 contests.
LAKELAND IN THE PLAYOFFS ... Lakeland is making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2005 when the Flying Tigers fell three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship round. Lakeland opened the 2005 playoffs by sweeping Dunedin in two games. Overall, Lakeland has a 30-29 record 16 appearances in the playoffs, but is 16-20 in first-round games. Lakeland won the FSL Championship in 1992 under manager John Lipon and also won back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977 under Jim Leyland, who is now the manager of the big league Tigers.
DUNEDIN IN THE PLAYOFFS ... This is the third straight year Dunedin has qualified for the FSL playoffs. Last season, the club fell two games to one to Daytona in the first round. The Blue Jays last advanced to the championship round in 2006 when they were swept by St. Lucie in three games. Overall, Dunedin has made 11 trips to the postseason (all since 1990) with a 11-28 record. The Blue Jays are looking for their first FSL championship.
KEEP IT IN THE PARK ... Dunedin has the second most homers of any FSL club (94) hitting 46 at home and 48 on the road. However, Lakeland pitchers have allowed the fewest homers (59) of any staff in the league.
GREEN MACHINE ... Dean Green has definitely had the hot bat down the stretch for Lakeland, going 17x34 (.500) his last nine games and 25x56 (.446) his last 15 games with 15 RBI and nine runs scored.
LEMON-AID ... Marcus Lemon has also carried the lumber to the dish and brings an 11-game hit streak into the playoffs in which he is 16x41 (.390) with eight runs scored. He hit .356 in August.
DYNAMIC DUO II? ... Many moons ago, the great Detroit shortstop/second baseman combo of Alan Trammel and Lou Whitaker took the field in Lakeland. If things hold up, perhaps this year’s middle infielder duo could be next great combo. Dixon Machado leads all FSL shortstops with a .965 fielding percentage while second baseman Hernan Perez tops his position brethren with a .979 fielding mark.
CASUALLY CASALI ... Catcher Curt Casali is 5x16 (.313) with three doubles and four runs scored in his last five games.
TWO FOR TYLER ... Tyler Collins has 35 doubles this season, the most for any Lakeland player since Gabe Kapler set the team record with 40 in 1997. His doubles are second most in the FSL while he ranks fourth with 137 hits.
CROUSE IN THE HOUSE ... Matt Crouse has the third lowest opponent’s batting average in the league (.189) and leads all FSL relievers with just 9.09 baserunners allowed per nine innings. He has racked up an 8-2 record and six saves with a 1.91 ERA in 38 appearances this season.
WADE’S WORLD ... Wade Gaynor has hits in eight of his last nine games (8x33, .242) and 14 of his last 16 contests (16x59, .271).
STINGY LAREZ ... Victor Larez has allowed two runs in his last 14.0 innings over six appearances and just five earned runs since June 1 (22 appearances, 40.1 innings) for a 1.12 ERA.
IT’S REINA-ING ... Catcher Adolfo Reina has hits in eight of his last nine games and is 13x30 (.433) during that stretch with nine runs batted in. He hit .439 in August for Lakeland.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... The Flying Tigers welcomed two new pitchers to the club on Saturday in Jade Todd and Melvin Mercedes. Todd, who was 6-2 with two saves and a 1.65 ERA in West Michigan, was Detroit’s 7th round pick in 2008 out of Shades Valley High School in Alabama and has played for the GCL Tigers as well as West Michigan. Mercedes, who was 0-3 with nine saves and a 2.80 ERA in 37 games for West Michigan, was signed by Detroit in 2008 as a non-drafted free agent. He has played in the Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues as well for the Connecticut and West Michigan squads.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,745-1,592 record into the playoffs. Coincidently, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is the winningest active manager in the majors.
THE FLYING TIGERS (73-58) ... Lakeland took the last three games of the regular season versus Tampa to win the second half pennant for the first time since the 2005 team took both halves. The three wins also gives the Flying Tigers the most wins (73) since the same 2005 squad posted an 85-48 record. Lakeland leads the FSL with a .267 team batting average and a .978 fielding percentage, while the Flying Tigers’ pitching staff ranks seventh with a 3.79 ERA. Lakeland baserunners have swiped 135 bases this season – fourth most in the FSL – and have been caught just 36 times – second fewest in the FSL. Defensively, Lakeland has thrown out 76 out of 127 would-be base stealers for a league-leading 37.4 percent. Tyler Collins is tenth in the Florida State League with a .290 average, second with 35 doubles, and fourth with 137 base hits. Hernan Perez now ranks fifth in the FSL with 27 stolen bases.
THE BLUE JAYS (78-58) ... Dunedin dropped four of its last six games to finish the second half tied with Clearwater for second place, one game behind Lakeland. Dunedin’s team batting average of .255 is sixth in the league while the staff ERA of 3.59 is third lowest in the league. The Blue Jays are third with a .975 fielding percentage while the catchers have gunned down 41 of 97 stealers for a 29.7 mark. Danny Barnes leads the minor leagues with a franchise record 34 saves. Casey Lawrence is ninth in the league with a 3.63 ERA and fifth with 138.2 innings pitched. Marcus Knecht ranks third in the FSL with 32 doubles and fourth with 40 extra-base hits.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
9/04 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.46 ERA) ... Sanz is tied for the FSL lead with 11 wins and ranks fifth with a 3.46 ERA. Winner of his last seven decisions, he has a 7-0 record with a 2.04 ERA in his last 10 games (nine starts) with 42 strikeouts and 21 walks in 57.1 innings pitched. Sanz is a perfect 7-0 in 13 home appearances (nine starts) with a 3.02 at Joker Marchant Stadium this season. He is 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in two relief appearances versus Dunedin and but hasn’t faced the club since May 2. In his last start on Aug. 30 against Tampa, Sanz shutout the Yankees for 5.0 innings on three hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.
9/05 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... VerHagen will be gunning for his first win as a Flying Tiger. In his last start on Aug. 28 versus Brevard County, he was tagged for a season-high four runs on five hits in just 2.1 innings. He had not allowed a run in two previous starts of four innings each prior to the 28th. VerHagen is 0-2 on the road this season with a 3.71 ERA in five games (four starts) and has not faced Dunedin this season.
9/06 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 3.77 ERA) ... Saupold surrendered a season-high five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings in his last start on Aug. 31 against Tampa. He is 1-1 on the road this season with a 3.07 ERA in three games (two starts). Saupold is 0-2 versus the Blue Jays this season, but has a 1.59 ERA in two starts. He has nine strikeouts and three walks against Dunedin, but has allowed 12 hits in 11.1 innings.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland holds a 9-7 advantage in the series and has won six of the last nine meetings. Three games in the series have been decided by one-run (including a 6-5 Lakeland win in 13 innings on August 18) while six of the contests have been won by two runs. On May 31, Dunedin crushed Lakeland 14-3 with the Flying Tigers returning the favor on June 12 winning 11-3. Tyler Collins has batted .328 with 21 hits (including 10 doubles) while Wade Gaynor has 13 hits including a pair of homers. Kevin Nolan has led Dunedin with 17 hits while Marcus Knecht has 12 hits in the 16 contests.
LAKELAND IN THE PLAYOFFS ... Lakeland is making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2005 when the Flying Tigers fell three games to two to Palm Beach in the championship round. Lakeland opened the 2005 playoffs by sweeping Dunedin in two games. Overall, Lakeland has a 30-29 record 16 appearances in the playoffs, but is 16-20 in first-round games. Lakeland won the FSL Championship in 1992 under manager John Lipon and also won back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977 under Jim Leyland, who is now the manager of the big league Tigers.
DUNEDIN IN THE PLAYOFFS ... This is the third straight year Dunedin has qualified for the FSL playoffs. Last season, the club fell two games to one to Daytona in the first round. The Blue Jays last advanced to the championship round in 2006 when they were swept by St. Lucie in three games. Overall, Dunedin has made 11 trips to the postseason (all since 1990) with a 11-28 record. The Blue Jays are looking for their first FSL championship.
KEEP IT IN THE PARK ... Dunedin has the second most homers of any FSL club (94) hitting 46 at home and 48 on the road. However, Lakeland pitchers have allowed the fewest homers (59) of any staff in the league.
GREEN MACHINE ... Dean Green has definitely had the hot bat down the stretch for Lakeland, going 17x34 (.500) his last nine games and 25x56 (.446) his last 15 games with 15 RBI and nine runs scored.
LEMON-AID ... Marcus Lemon has also carried the lumber to the dish and brings an 11-game hit streak into the playoffs in which he is 16x41 (.390) with eight runs scored. He hit .356 in August.
DYNAMIC DUO II? ... Many moons ago, the great Detroit shortstop/second baseman combo of Alan Trammel and Lou Whitaker took the field in Lakeland. If things hold up, perhaps this year’s middle infielder duo could be next great combo. Dixon Machado leads all FSL shortstops with a .965 fielding percentage while second baseman Hernan Perez tops his position brethren with a .979 fielding mark.
CASUALLY CASALI ... Catcher Curt Casali is 5x16 (.313) with three doubles and four runs scored in his last five games.
TWO FOR TYLER ... Tyler Collins has 35 doubles this season, the most for any Lakeland player since Gabe Kapler set the team record with 40 in 1997. His doubles are second most in the FSL while he ranks fourth with 137 hits.
CROUSE IN THE HOUSE ... Matt Crouse has the third lowest opponent’s batting average in the league (.189) and leads all FSL relievers with just 9.09 baserunners allowed per nine innings. He has racked up an 8-2 record and six saves with a 1.91 ERA in 38 appearances this season.
WADE’S WORLD ... Wade Gaynor has hits in eight of his last nine games (8x33, .242) and 14 of his last 16 contests (16x59, .271).
STINGY LAREZ ... Victor Larez has allowed two runs in his last 14.0 innings over six appearances and just five earned runs since June 1 (22 appearances, 40.1 innings) for a 1.12 ERA.
IT’S REINA-ING ... Catcher Adolfo Reina has hits in eight of his last nine games and is 13x30 (.433) during that stretch with nine runs batted in. He hit .439 in August for Lakeland.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... The Flying Tigers welcomed two new pitchers to the club on Saturday in Jade Todd and Melvin Mercedes. Todd, who was 6-2 with two saves and a 1.65 ERA in West Michigan, was Detroit’s 7th round pick in 2008 out of Shades Valley High School in Alabama and has played for the GCL Tigers as well as West Michigan. Mercedes, who was 0-3 with nine saves and a 2.80 ERA in 37 games for West Michigan, was signed by Detroit in 2008 as a non-drafted free agent. He has played in the Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues as well for the Connecticut and West Michigan squads.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,745-1,592 record into the playoffs. Coincidently, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is the winningest active manager in the majors.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Aug. 30-Sept. 2)
THE SERIES ... The final four games of the regular season will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with four different start times. Thursday’s game is a 6:30 p.m. contest with Friday’s game getting underway at 7:11 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. while the regular season finale is Sunday at 11 a.m.
THE FLYING TIGERS (34-28 second half, 2nd 1.0 GB, 70-57 overall) ... Lakeland was rained out last night while Dunedin and Tampa split a doubleheader. All said, the Flying Tigers remain in second place, 1.0 behind Dunedin and 1.0 game ahead of Clearwater and Tampa. Should Lakeland win at least two of the four games in this series, it would finish the regular season with the most wins (72) since the 2005 squad won 85 contests. Tyler Collins is second in the FSL with 35 doubles and fourth with 135 hits. Lakeland still leads the FSL with a .265 batting average.
THE YANKEES (34-30 second half, T-3rd, 2.0 GB, 64-67 overall) ... Tampa split a doubleheader with Dunedin last night and failed to pick up any ground on the Flying Tigers. Nick Turley leads the Florida State League with a 2.89 ERA and is fourth with 116 strikeouts. Ramon Flores leads the league with 151 hits, second with 80 runs scored, and is seventh with a .298 average. Kyle Roller is second in the league with 18 homers and third with 83 runs batted in and a .476 slugging percentage.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/30 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.62 ERA) ... Luis Angel Sanz has won his last seven decisions over his last nine starts and has a 1.94 ERA in that span of games. However, six of his 10 runs allowed in those nine starts, have come in the last two games. Sanz has 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in his last eight games. In his last start on Aug. 23 at Brevard County, Sanz struck out five and walked two in 5.2 innings while allowing two runs on four hits. He is 7-0 at home in 2012. Sanz is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts versus Tampa this season. His 11 wins is tied for best in the FSL while his 3.62 ERA ranks eighth.
8/31 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 2.57 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold has dropped hist last two starts despite allowing just two earned runs. He struck out nine and walked three while surrendering four total runs on 12 hits in the last two games. In his last start on Aug. 24 at Dunedin, Saupold allowed two unearned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks. He has not faced the Yankees in 2012.
9/01 - LHP Sean Teufel (5-7, 6.64) ... Sean Teufel has not posted a win since July 3. In his last nine games (five starts) dating back to July 8, he is 0-2 with a 7.97 ERA. Teufel got a no-decision in his last start on Aug. 25 at Dunedin, giving up three runs to the Blue Jays on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Tampa has had success against Teufel, scoring 10 runs on 18 hits in 11 innings leaving Teufel with a 0-1 record and a 8.18 ERA against the Yankees.
9/02 - RHP - Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen has yet to crack the win column as a Flying Tiger posting an 0-3 record in eight games (six starts). He had his worst outing of the year in his last start on Aug. 28 at home against Brevard County, getting tagged for four runs on five hits, lasting just 2.1 innings. He is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA when when facing Tampa this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won the first seven meetings between the two clubs this season, but Tampa has won six of the last nine. Nick Castellanos, now with AA Erie, had 18 hits to lead Lakeland in the series while Hernan Perez has 16 hits in the 16 games. Tyler Collins has had 15 hits vs. the Yankees while Wade Gaynor has had 13 hits including two triples and three home runs for 10 RBI. Dixon Machado and James Robbins each have collected a dozen hits vs. Tampa in 2012. Luis Angel Sanz is 2-0 vs. Tampa with a 0.75 ERA in two starts.
INSIDE THE YANKEES’ ROSTER ... Designated hitter Kyle Roller and starting pitcher Nik Turley were named to the Florida State League 2012 postseason All-Star team that was announced on Monday ... Tom Kahnle helped pitch Lynn University to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009. Outfielder Slade Heathcott was a first-round pick of New York in 2009. He is working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery.
FLYING TIGERS SHUT OUT OF ALL-STAR TEAM ... Despite battling for the Florida State League North Division second half pennant, Lakeland failed to have any players named to the FSL’s postseason All-Star team.
NEWCOMER BRINGS GCL HONOR ... While no Flying Tiger made the FSL All-Star team, newcomer Austin Schotts was named to the Gulf Coast League All-Star squad. Schotts was joined on the squad by fellow GCL Tigers Yorfrank Lopez and Jose Valdez.
PENNANT CHASE ... The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005. That club advanced to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Lakeland would make the playoffs by winning the second half or by finishing second to Dunedin. Here’s a look the final series for the top four teams: Lakeland (2nd, 1.0 GB) and Tampa (T-3rd, 2.0 GB) clash for four games to end the regular season while Dunedin (1st place) and Clearwater (T-3rd, 2.0 GB) battle over the final four days.
FLYING HIGH ... Curt Casali is 5x20 (.250) in his last six games ... Luis Castillo is 4x12 (.250) his last four games after going hitless in 10 at bats. He is batting .299 versus lefties, but just .206 against righthanders ... Tyler Collins has hits in nine of his last 11 games and is 11x41 (.268) with eight runs scored. He has a .307 average against righthanders and a .259 mark against lefties ... Wade Gaynor has a six-game hit streak (6x19, .316) and has hits in 12 of his last 13 games with nine runs scored. He is batting .272 at home this season with eight homers in spacious Joker Marchant Stadium ... Dean Green is 8x18 (.444) in the last five games. He is 16x40 (.400) since Aug. 16 (11 games). He is hitting .361 versus lefties and .303 versus righthanders. At home, Green bats .258 with a lofty .390 mark on the road ... Marcus Lemon has a seven-game hit streak (9x26, .346). Against lefthanders, he has a .377 average and a .298 mark against righties ... Adolfo Reina has a six-game hit streak (10x18, .556) with nine RBI. He bats .338 versus righthanders and .237 against righties ... James Robbins has hits in eight of his last 11 games (11x39, .282). He is hitting .251 vs. righthanders and .217 vs. lefties.
GROUNDED ... Dixon Machado is 3x20 (.150) his last six games and 8x63 (.127) since Aug. 4 ... Hernan Perez is 1x14 (.071) his last four games and 4x27 (.148) in the last eight games. He has a .312 average versus lefties, but .231 against righthanders ... James Robbins has struck out 160 times this season, second most in Lakeland history ... Michael Rockett is hitless in his last 12 at bats after going 9x23 (.391) the previous five games.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Matt Perry was placed back on the disabled list where he was from July 28 thru August 7. Taking his roster spot is outfielder Austin Schotts who joins Lakeland from the Gulf Coast Tigers. Schotts was Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 draft out of Centennial High School in Texas. His pick came in the third round as Detroit did not have a first round pick. A high school shortstop, Schotts is making the transition to the outfield. Dan Schlereth has been sent to Toledo.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,742-1,592 record into the Tampa series.
GO OUT ON TOP ... Palm Beach’s Chris Corrigan made his last start of the regular season a memorable one by tossing a perfect game against Charlotte on Wednesday. Corrigan, who brought a 3-8 record into the game, struck out nine in tossing the Florida State League’s first perfect game since 2001.
THE FLYING TIGERS (34-28 second half, 2nd 1.0 GB, 70-57 overall) ... Lakeland was rained out last night while Dunedin and Tampa split a doubleheader. All said, the Flying Tigers remain in second place, 1.0 behind Dunedin and 1.0 game ahead of Clearwater and Tampa. Should Lakeland win at least two of the four games in this series, it would finish the regular season with the most wins (72) since the 2005 squad won 85 contests. Tyler Collins is second in the FSL with 35 doubles and fourth with 135 hits. Lakeland still leads the FSL with a .265 batting average.
THE YANKEES (34-30 second half, T-3rd, 2.0 GB, 64-67 overall) ... Tampa split a doubleheader with Dunedin last night and failed to pick up any ground on the Flying Tigers. Nick Turley leads the Florida State League with a 2.89 ERA and is fourth with 116 strikeouts. Ramon Flores leads the league with 151 hits, second with 80 runs scored, and is seventh with a .298 average. Kyle Roller is second in the league with 18 homers and third with 83 runs batted in and a .476 slugging percentage.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/30 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (11-3, 3.62 ERA) ... Luis Angel Sanz has won his last seven decisions over his last nine starts and has a 1.94 ERA in that span of games. However, six of his 10 runs allowed in those nine starts, have come in the last two games. Sanz has 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in his last eight games. In his last start on Aug. 23 at Brevard County, Sanz struck out five and walked two in 5.2 innings while allowing two runs on four hits. He is 7-0 at home in 2012. Sanz is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts versus Tampa this season. His 11 wins is tied for best in the FSL while his 3.62 ERA ranks eighth.
8/31 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-2, 2.57 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold has dropped hist last two starts despite allowing just two earned runs. He struck out nine and walked three while surrendering four total runs on 12 hits in the last two games. In his last start on Aug. 24 at Dunedin, Saupold allowed two unearned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks. He has not faced the Yankees in 2012.
9/01 - LHP Sean Teufel (5-7, 6.64) ... Sean Teufel has not posted a win since July 3. In his last nine games (five starts) dating back to July 8, he is 0-2 with a 7.97 ERA. Teufel got a no-decision in his last start on Aug. 25 at Dunedin, giving up three runs to the Blue Jays on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Tampa has had success against Teufel, scoring 10 runs on 18 hits in 11 innings leaving Teufel with a 0-1 record and a 8.18 ERA against the Yankees.
9/02 - RHP - Drew VerHagen (0-3, 3.67 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen has yet to crack the win column as a Flying Tiger posting an 0-3 record in eight games (six starts). He had his worst outing of the year in his last start on Aug. 28 at home against Brevard County, getting tagged for four runs on five hits, lasting just 2.1 innings. He is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA when when facing Tampa this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won the first seven meetings between the two clubs this season, but Tampa has won six of the last nine. Nick Castellanos, now with AA Erie, had 18 hits to lead Lakeland in the series while Hernan Perez has 16 hits in the 16 games. Tyler Collins has had 15 hits vs. the Yankees while Wade Gaynor has had 13 hits including two triples and three home runs for 10 RBI. Dixon Machado and James Robbins each have collected a dozen hits vs. Tampa in 2012. Luis Angel Sanz is 2-0 vs. Tampa with a 0.75 ERA in two starts.
INSIDE THE YANKEES’ ROSTER ... Designated hitter Kyle Roller and starting pitcher Nik Turley were named to the Florida State League 2012 postseason All-Star team that was announced on Monday ... Tom Kahnle helped pitch Lynn University to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009. Outfielder Slade Heathcott was a first-round pick of New York in 2009. He is working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery.
FLYING TIGERS SHUT OUT OF ALL-STAR TEAM ... Despite battling for the Florida State League North Division second half pennant, Lakeland failed to have any players named to the FSL’s postseason All-Star team.
NEWCOMER BRINGS GCL HONOR ... While no Flying Tiger made the FSL All-Star team, newcomer Austin Schotts was named to the Gulf Coast League All-Star squad. Schotts was joined on the squad by fellow GCL Tigers Yorfrank Lopez and Jose Valdez.
PENNANT CHASE ... The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005. That club advanced to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Lakeland would make the playoffs by winning the second half or by finishing second to Dunedin. Here’s a look the final series for the top four teams: Lakeland (2nd, 1.0 GB) and Tampa (T-3rd, 2.0 GB) clash for four games to end the regular season while Dunedin (1st place) and Clearwater (T-3rd, 2.0 GB) battle over the final four days.
FLYING HIGH ... Curt Casali is 5x20 (.250) in his last six games ... Luis Castillo is 4x12 (.250) his last four games after going hitless in 10 at bats. He is batting .299 versus lefties, but just .206 against righthanders ... Tyler Collins has hits in nine of his last 11 games and is 11x41 (.268) with eight runs scored. He has a .307 average against righthanders and a .259 mark against lefties ... Wade Gaynor has a six-game hit streak (6x19, .316) and has hits in 12 of his last 13 games with nine runs scored. He is batting .272 at home this season with eight homers in spacious Joker Marchant Stadium ... Dean Green is 8x18 (.444) in the last five games. He is 16x40 (.400) since Aug. 16 (11 games). He is hitting .361 versus lefties and .303 versus righthanders. At home, Green bats .258 with a lofty .390 mark on the road ... Marcus Lemon has a seven-game hit streak (9x26, .346). Against lefthanders, he has a .377 average and a .298 mark against righties ... Adolfo Reina has a six-game hit streak (10x18, .556) with nine RBI. He bats .338 versus righthanders and .237 against righties ... James Robbins has hits in eight of his last 11 games (11x39, .282). He is hitting .251 vs. righthanders and .217 vs. lefties.
GROUNDED ... Dixon Machado is 3x20 (.150) his last six games and 8x63 (.127) since Aug. 4 ... Hernan Perez is 1x14 (.071) his last four games and 4x27 (.148) in the last eight games. He has a .312 average versus lefties, but .231 against righthanders ... James Robbins has struck out 160 times this season, second most in Lakeland history ... Michael Rockett is hitless in his last 12 at bats after going 9x23 (.391) the previous five games.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Matt Perry was placed back on the disabled list where he was from July 28 thru August 7. Taking his roster spot is outfielder Austin Schotts who joins Lakeland from the Gulf Coast Tigers. Schotts was Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 draft out of Centennial High School in Texas. His pick came in the third round as Detroit did not have a first round pick. A high school shortstop, Schotts is making the transition to the outfield. Dan Schlereth has been sent to Toledo.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,742-1,592 record into the Tampa series.
GO OUT ON TOP ... Palm Beach’s Chris Corrigan made his last start of the regular season a memorable one by tossing a perfect game against Charlotte on Wednesday. Corrigan, who brought a 3-8 record into the game, struck out nine in tossing the Florida State League’s first perfect game since 2001.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County
THE SERIES ... All three games of this series will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with 6:30 pm start times for all three games.
THE FLYING TIGERS (34-26 second half, 1st 0.0 GB, 70-55 overall) ... The Flying Tigers lost out on an opportunity to try and put an extra game between them and the Blue Jays when Sunday’s game at Dunedin was cancelled due to impending bad weather. The game will not be made up as the two clubs do not face each other again this season. The win on Friday gave Lakeland 70 wins on the year, just the second time (2010) in the last six years they have reached that milestone. The club record of 85 wins came in 1977 (85-53) and 2005 (85-48). By the way the 1977 club was managed by current Detroit manager Jim Leyland while the 2005 club was the last Lakeland team to make the playoffs. Lakeland has increased its league leading team batting average to .266. Should the Flying Tigers maintain this pace, they will post the highest team average since the 2005 club hit .276 on the year.
THE MANATEES (31-30 second half, 5th, 3.5 GB, 60-69 overall) ... Brevard County, which was also rained out on Sunday, took two from Clearwater over the weekend, knocking the Threshers to two games back in the standings. While Lakeland leads the FSL in hitting, Brevard County has the lowest average (.242) in the league. Taylor Jungmann picked up his 11th win of the year on Friday, moving him into a tie with Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz for most wins in the FSL. Casey Medlen ranks second in the league with 21 saves while outfielder Reggie Keen is second in the FSL with 43 stolen bases.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/27 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (1-2, 5.40 ERA) ... Cesar Carrillo picked up his first win as a Lakeland Flying Tiger in his last start on Aug. 19 at him against Dunedin. In that game, he worked 5.2 innings, holding the Blue Jays to three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Carrillo has not face Brevard County this season.
8/28 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.55 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen will be looking for his first win in a Flying Tigers uniform. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, he tossed 4.0 shutout innings on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. That is his only appearance versus Brevard County this season. He is 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA on the road.
8/28 - Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.06 ERA) ... Alex Burgos has allowed two earned runs over his last four outings for a 1.15 ERA, but has just one win to show for his efforts. Burgos’ achilles heel this season has been his control as he has issued a Florida State League leading 86 walks. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, Burgos allowed one run on four hits thru 3.2 innings with three walks and no strikeouts. He is 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in four starts against the Manateees this season and is 2-2 in five home starts in 2012.
THIS YEAR ... Brevard County took six of the first seven meetings between the two clubs, but Lakeland has won seven consecutive games in the series since then. Nine of the 14 contests between the Flying Tigers and the Manatees have been settled by one run with Lakeland winning six of those close games. Tyler Collins has 16 hits in the series and has driven in eight runs while James Robbins has had 12 hits including four doubles and a home run. Matt Crouse has two wins against the Manatees and has not allowed a run in five appearances versus Brevard County.
INSIDE THE MANATEES’ ROSTER ... Brevard’s Taylor Jungmann was the Brewer’s top pick (12th overall) in the 2011 draft out of Texas while Eric Arnett was a first-round pick (26th overall) by Milwaukee in 2009 out of Indiana University, Catcher Joey Paciorek is the son of former Brewers’ outfielder Jim Paciorek.
SAME COLLEGE, DIFFERENT TIMES ... Manatee infielder Nick Shaw played four seasons (2007-10) at Barry University in Miami Shores. Lakeland designated hittter Dean Green followed in 2010 to play one season for the Buccaneers.
PENNANT CHASE ... Lakeland split two games at Dunedin over the weekend to take over sole possession of first place. Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater are all 1.0 games behind the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005. That club advanced to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Should Dunedin, which won the first half, surge ahead and win the second half as well, Lakeland could earn a wild card playoff spot which goes to the club with the best record in the event of a repeat winner. Lakeland returns to Joker Marchant Stadium for the final seven games of the regular season. Brevard County comes in for three games while the Yankees are the Flying Tigers’ opponent for the final four games. Here’s a look the remaining games for the top four teams.
TAMPA – DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
FLYING HIGH ... Curt Casali is 5x16 (.313) his last five games with three doubles ... Luis Castillo has hits in his last three games (4x9, .444) including his first home run of the year on Saturday, Aug. 25 ... Tyler Collins has hit .310 (26x84) in August with 17 runs scored, seven doubles, a pair of homers and 13 runs batted in ... Wade Gaynor is 12x40 (.300) in the last 11 games with hits in 10 of those contests, including the last four straight ... Dean Green is 7x13 his last three games and is 15x40 (.375) his last nine games with seven runs scored, two homers and eight runs batted in ... Marcus Lemon has hits in six consecutive games and is 8x23 (.348) in those contests. He has also drawn five walks in that span ... Adolfo Reina has gone 8x12 (.667) over the last four games with nine runs driven in ... James Robbins has collected hits in six of the last seven games with four runs scored and five more driven in.
ON THE HILL ... Matt Crouse has a streak of 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched and has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last 14 appearances. He is now 7-1 with six saves and a 1.71 ERA ... Drew VerHagen has back-to-back shutout appearances, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings against both Daytona and Brevard County ... Warwick Saupold tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his last start on Aug. 24 at Dunedin. He struck out five and allowed seven in that game.
#2 IN DOUBLES ... With a double on Friday at Dunedin, Tyler Collins moved into second place on the all-time Lakeland list with 35 doubles, passing Jeff Larish (2006) and Cody Ross (2001) who were tied for second with 34 doubles. The Lakeland record of 40 was set by Gabe Kapler in 1997.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Curt Casali left Friday’s game due to an injury and was placed on the disabled list on Sunday with Jordan Guida taking his place on the Lakeland roster. Guida, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by Detroit out of Tennessee Wesleyan College in 2012, began his collegiate career with nearby Florida Southern College in 2009, playing one season with the Moccasins.
LAST HOMESTAND ... Lakeland closes out the regular season with four home games against Tampa on Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,742-1,590 record into the Dunedin series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (34-26 second half, 1st 0.0 GB, 70-55 overall) ... The Flying Tigers lost out on an opportunity to try and put an extra game between them and the Blue Jays when Sunday’s game at Dunedin was cancelled due to impending bad weather. The game will not be made up as the two clubs do not face each other again this season. The win on Friday gave Lakeland 70 wins on the year, just the second time (2010) in the last six years they have reached that milestone. The club record of 85 wins came in 1977 (85-53) and 2005 (85-48). By the way the 1977 club was managed by current Detroit manager Jim Leyland while the 2005 club was the last Lakeland team to make the playoffs. Lakeland has increased its league leading team batting average to .266. Should the Flying Tigers maintain this pace, they will post the highest team average since the 2005 club hit .276 on the year.
THE MANATEES (31-30 second half, 5th, 3.5 GB, 60-69 overall) ... Brevard County, which was also rained out on Sunday, took two from Clearwater over the weekend, knocking the Threshers to two games back in the standings. While Lakeland leads the FSL in hitting, Brevard County has the lowest average (.242) in the league. Taylor Jungmann picked up his 11th win of the year on Friday, moving him into a tie with Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz for most wins in the FSL. Casey Medlen ranks second in the league with 21 saves while outfielder Reggie Keen is second in the FSL with 43 stolen bases.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/27 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (1-2, 5.40 ERA) ... Cesar Carrillo picked up his first win as a Lakeland Flying Tiger in his last start on Aug. 19 at him against Dunedin. In that game, he worked 5.2 innings, holding the Blue Jays to three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Carrillo has not face Brevard County this season.
8/28 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.55 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen will be looking for his first win in a Flying Tigers uniform. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, he tossed 4.0 shutout innings on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. That is his only appearance versus Brevard County this season. He is 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA on the road.
8/28 - Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.06 ERA) ... Alex Burgos has allowed two earned runs over his last four outings for a 1.15 ERA, but has just one win to show for his efforts. Burgos’ achilles heel this season has been his control as he has issued a Florida State League leading 86 walks. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, Burgos allowed one run on four hits thru 3.2 innings with three walks and no strikeouts. He is 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in four starts against the Manateees this season and is 2-2 in five home starts in 2012.
THIS YEAR ... Brevard County took six of the first seven meetings between the two clubs, but Lakeland has won seven consecutive games in the series since then. Nine of the 14 contests between the Flying Tigers and the Manatees have been settled by one run with Lakeland winning six of those close games. Tyler Collins has 16 hits in the series and has driven in eight runs while James Robbins has had 12 hits including four doubles and a home run. Matt Crouse has two wins against the Manatees and has not allowed a run in five appearances versus Brevard County.
INSIDE THE MANATEES’ ROSTER ... Brevard’s Taylor Jungmann was the Brewer’s top pick (12th overall) in the 2011 draft out of Texas while Eric Arnett was a first-round pick (26th overall) by Milwaukee in 2009 out of Indiana University, Catcher Joey Paciorek is the son of former Brewers’ outfielder Jim Paciorek.
SAME COLLEGE, DIFFERENT TIMES ... Manatee infielder Nick Shaw played four seasons (2007-10) at Barry University in Miami Shores. Lakeland designated hittter Dean Green followed in 2010 to play one season for the Buccaneers.
PENNANT CHASE ... Lakeland split two games at Dunedin over the weekend to take over sole possession of first place. Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater are all 1.0 games behind the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005. That club advanced to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Should Dunedin, which won the first half, surge ahead and win the second half as well, Lakeland could earn a wild card playoff spot which goes to the club with the best record in the event of a repeat winner. Lakeland returns to Joker Marchant Stadium for the final seven games of the regular season. Brevard County comes in for three games while the Yankees are the Flying Tigers’ opponent for the final four games. Here’s a look the remaining games for the top four teams.
TAMPA – DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
FLYING HIGH ... Curt Casali is 5x16 (.313) his last five games with three doubles ... Luis Castillo has hits in his last three games (4x9, .444) including his first home run of the year on Saturday, Aug. 25 ... Tyler Collins has hit .310 (26x84) in August with 17 runs scored, seven doubles, a pair of homers and 13 runs batted in ... Wade Gaynor is 12x40 (.300) in the last 11 games with hits in 10 of those contests, including the last four straight ... Dean Green is 7x13 his last three games and is 15x40 (.375) his last nine games with seven runs scored, two homers and eight runs batted in ... Marcus Lemon has hits in six consecutive games and is 8x23 (.348) in those contests. He has also drawn five walks in that span ... Adolfo Reina has gone 8x12 (.667) over the last four games with nine runs driven in ... James Robbins has collected hits in six of the last seven games with four runs scored and five more driven in.
ON THE HILL ... Matt Crouse has a streak of 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched and has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last 14 appearances. He is now 7-1 with six saves and a 1.71 ERA ... Drew VerHagen has back-to-back shutout appearances, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings against both Daytona and Brevard County ... Warwick Saupold tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his last start on Aug. 24 at Dunedin. He struck out five and allowed seven in that game.
#2 IN DOUBLES ... With a double on Friday at Dunedin, Tyler Collins moved into second place on the all-time Lakeland list with 35 doubles, passing Jeff Larish (2006) and Cody Ross (2001) who were tied for second with 34 doubles. The Lakeland record of 40 was set by Gabe Kapler in 1997.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Curt Casali left Friday’s game due to an injury and was placed on the disabled list on Sunday with Jordan Guida taking his place on the Lakeland roster. Guida, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by Detroit out of Tennessee Wesleyan College in 2012, began his collegiate career with nearby Florida Southern College in 2009, playing one season with the Moccasins.
LAST HOMESTAND ... Lakeland closes out the regular season with four home games against Tampa on Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,742-1,590 record into the Dunedin series.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 24-26)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland travels to Dunedin for a weekend series on Aug. 24-26. Friday’s and Saturday’s games are at 6:30 pm with Sunday’s serires finale getting underway at 5 pm. .
THE FLYING TIGERS (33-25 second half, 1st 0.0 GB, 69-54 overall) ... Lakeland is peaking at the right time having won five games in a row and seven of the last eight to take over sole possession of first place in the North Division with a one-game lead over Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater. The Flying Tigers own the highest team batting average in the league and now hold a .002 lead over Daytona. Lakeland is also tied for the FSL lead with Bradenton for the league lead with a .977 fielding percentage.
THE BLUE JAYS (31-25 second half, T-2nd, 1.0 GB, 73-50 overall) ... Dunedin is 8-2 its last ten games and has moved into a three-way tie for second place, 1.0 game back of the Flying Tigers, along with Tampa and Clearwater. Closer Danny Barnes, who for some unexplainable reason, is still with the Blue Jays despite his minor league-leading 32 saves. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has the third lowest ERA in the league with a 3.61 mark.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/24 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-1, 3.27 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold had won back-to-back starts before falling to Dunedin at home on Aug. 17. In that start, the former Australian League pitcher allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 5.1 innings pitched – his longest outing with Lakeland.
8/25 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (1-2, 5.40 ERA) ... Cesar Carrillo picked up his first win as a Lakeland Flying Tiger in his last start on Aug. 19 at him against Dunedin (his only appearance against the Blue Jays). In that game, he worked 5.2 innings, holding the Blue Jays to three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
8/26 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.55 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen will be looking for his first win in a Flying Tigers uniform. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, he tossed 4.0 shutout innings on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. He is 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA on the road. VerHagen has not faced Dunedin this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won eight of the fourteen previous meetings between the two clubs and emerged victorious in five of the last seven contests. Tyler Collins has a team-leading 19 hits in the series with nine doubles. Nick Castellanos, now at AA Erie, had 18 hits against the Blue Jays while SeaWolves teammate James McCann contributed 14 hits while wearing a Lakeland uniform. Hernan Perez and Wade Gaynor has had 11 hits while Luis Castillos has collected 10 hits in the series.
PENNANT CHASE ... Lakeland has won five in a row and has taken over sole possession of first place. Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater are all 1.0 games behind the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005 and advancing to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Should Dunedin, which won the first half, surge ahead and win the second half as well, Lakeland could earn a wild card playoff spot which goes to the club with the best record in the event of a repeat winner. Lakeland plays three games at Dunedin then heads back to Lakeland for the final seven games of the regular season. Brevard County comes in for three games while the Yankees are the Flying Tigers’ opponent for the final four games. Here’s a look the remaining games for the top four teams.
TAMPA – vs. DAY (3 H); DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – vs. DUN (3 A); vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – vs. LAK (3 H), vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – vs BRV (3 A), (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
LONG BALL ... Lakeland knocked seven ball out of the park in the last five games with Dean Green and James Robbins each homering twice with Tyler Collins, Wade Gaynor, and Adolfo Reina also going deep.
SANZ TAKES OVER FSL LEAD ... With his win in last night’s game, Luis Angel Sanz picked up his 11th win of the year – the most of any Florida State League hurler. Throw in his one win with West Michigan and Sanz has an organizational-leading 12 wins. With a 3.62 ERA in FSL games, Sanz ranks eighth in the league.
CALLIN’ COLLINS ... Tyler Collins may be the next Flying Tiger to climb the organizational ladder if he keeps up his current play. His 34 doubles is second most in the Florida State League while his 46 extra base hits is tied for third most. His 132 hits and 197 total bases is fourth most in the league. With 34 doubles, Collins has tied Jeff Larish and Cody Ross for second most two-baggers in Lakeland history. The record is held by Gabe Kapler who had 40 doubles in 1997.
NICE TURNAROUND ... Lakeland lost six of the first seven games to Brevard County this season, but rebounded to win the last seven straight games against the Manatees.
NOT SO NICE TURNAROUND ... The Flying Tigers beat Tampa seven consecutive times the two teams met this season, but the Yankees have come back to win six of the last nine contests.
FLYING HIGH ... Alex Burgos has allowed two earned runs over his last four outings for a 1.15 ERA, but has just one win to show for his efforts ... Curt Casali has hits in 10 of his last 13 games for a .277 mark (13x47) and has three doubles in his last four games ... Tyler Collins has hit .316 (24x76) in August with 16 runs scored, six doubles, a pair of homers and 13 runs batted in ... Matt Crouse has a streak of 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings and has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last 13 appearances. He is now 7-1 with five saves and a 1.79 ERA ... Wade Gaynor is 10x34 (.294) in the last nine games with hits in eight of those contests ... Dean Green has showed why he was the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year for Barry University in 2011, going 10x27 (.371) his last seven games with five runs scored, two homers and seven runs batted in – not to mention two stolen bases ... Guido Knudson has not allowed a run in his last 10.1 innings pitched over six appearnces ... Hernan Perez has hits in 16 of his last 20 games and is batting .319 (22x69) in the month of August ... Adolfo Reina has driven in four runs in his last two games with three hits including a home run ... James Robbins has collected hits in five consecutive games with four runs scored and three more driven on a pair homers ... Michael Rockett has a six-game hit streak going in which he is 9x23 (.391) ... Drew VerHagen has back-to-back shutout appearances, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings against both Daytona and Brevard County.
KEEPING IT CLOSE ... Six of Lakeland’s last 10 games have been decided by one run. Fortunately, the Flying Tigers are 4-2 in those close games. Overall, Lakeland has an FSL-best record of 25-14 in one-run games this season.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis. Schlereth has appeared in eight games so far for Lakeland with a 0-0 record and a 1.13 ERA. He has struck out nine, but walked seven, and allowed six hits in his 8.0 innings pitched.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,741-1,589 record into the Dunedin series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (33-25 second half, 1st 0.0 GB, 69-54 overall) ... Lakeland is peaking at the right time having won five games in a row and seven of the last eight to take over sole possession of first place in the North Division with a one-game lead over Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater. The Flying Tigers own the highest team batting average in the league and now hold a .002 lead over Daytona. Lakeland is also tied for the FSL lead with Bradenton for the league lead with a .977 fielding percentage.
THE BLUE JAYS (31-25 second half, T-2nd, 1.0 GB, 73-50 overall) ... Dunedin is 8-2 its last ten games and has moved into a three-way tie for second place, 1.0 game back of the Flying Tigers, along with Tampa and Clearwater. Closer Danny Barnes, who for some unexplainable reason, is still with the Blue Jays despite his minor league-leading 32 saves. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has the third lowest ERA in the league with a 3.61 mark.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/24 - RHP Warwick Saupold (2-1, 3.27 ERA) ... Warwick Saupold had won back-to-back starts before falling to Dunedin at home on Aug. 17. In that start, the former Australian League pitcher allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 5.1 innings pitched – his longest outing with Lakeland.
8/25 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (1-2, 5.40 ERA) ... Cesar Carrillo picked up his first win as a Lakeland Flying Tiger in his last start on Aug. 19 at him against Dunedin (his only appearance against the Blue Jays). In that game, he worked 5.2 innings, holding the Blue Jays to three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
8/26 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.55 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen will be looking for his first win in a Flying Tigers uniform. In his last start on Aug. 22 at Brevard County, he tossed 4.0 shutout innings on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. He is 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA on the road. VerHagen has not faced Dunedin this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won eight of the fourteen previous meetings between the two clubs and emerged victorious in five of the last seven contests. Tyler Collins has a team-leading 19 hits in the series with nine doubles. Nick Castellanos, now at AA Erie, had 18 hits against the Blue Jays while SeaWolves teammate James McCann contributed 14 hits while wearing a Lakeland uniform. Hernan Perez and Wade Gaynor has had 11 hits while Luis Castillos has collected 10 hits in the series.
PENNANT CHASE ... Lakeland has won five in a row and has taken over sole possession of first place. Dunedin, Tampa and Clearwater are all 1.0 games behind the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are gunning for their first pennant since winning both halves of the season in 2005 and advancing to the Florida State League Championship, falling three games to two to the Palm Beach Cardinals. Should Dunedin, which won the first half, surge ahead and win the second half as well, Lakeland could earn a wild card playoff spot which goes to the club with the best record in the event of a repeat winner. Lakeland plays three games at Dunedin then heads back to Lakeland for the final seven games of the regular season. Brevard County comes in for three games while the Yankees are the Flying Tigers’ opponent for the final four games. Here’s a look the remaining games for the top four teams.
TAMPA – vs. DAY (3 H); DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – vs. DUN (3 A); vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – vs. LAK (3 H), vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – vs BRV (3 A), (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
LONG BALL ... Lakeland knocked seven ball out of the park in the last five games with Dean Green and James Robbins each homering twice with Tyler Collins, Wade Gaynor, and Adolfo Reina also going deep.
SANZ TAKES OVER FSL LEAD ... With his win in last night’s game, Luis Angel Sanz picked up his 11th win of the year – the most of any Florida State League hurler. Throw in his one win with West Michigan and Sanz has an organizational-leading 12 wins. With a 3.62 ERA in FSL games, Sanz ranks eighth in the league.
CALLIN’ COLLINS ... Tyler Collins may be the next Flying Tiger to climb the organizational ladder if he keeps up his current play. His 34 doubles is second most in the Florida State League while his 46 extra base hits is tied for third most. His 132 hits and 197 total bases is fourth most in the league. With 34 doubles, Collins has tied Jeff Larish and Cody Ross for second most two-baggers in Lakeland history. The record is held by Gabe Kapler who had 40 doubles in 1997.
NICE TURNAROUND ... Lakeland lost six of the first seven games to Brevard County this season, but rebounded to win the last seven straight games against the Manatees.
NOT SO NICE TURNAROUND ... The Flying Tigers beat Tampa seven consecutive times the two teams met this season, but the Yankees have come back to win six of the last nine contests.
FLYING HIGH ... Alex Burgos has allowed two earned runs over his last four outings for a 1.15 ERA, but has just one win to show for his efforts ... Curt Casali has hits in 10 of his last 13 games for a .277 mark (13x47) and has three doubles in his last four games ... Tyler Collins has hit .316 (24x76) in August with 16 runs scored, six doubles, a pair of homers and 13 runs batted in ... Matt Crouse has a streak of 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings and has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last 13 appearances. He is now 7-1 with five saves and a 1.79 ERA ... Wade Gaynor is 10x34 (.294) in the last nine games with hits in eight of those contests ... Dean Green has showed why he was the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year for Barry University in 2011, going 10x27 (.371) his last seven games with five runs scored, two homers and seven runs batted in – not to mention two stolen bases ... Guido Knudson has not allowed a run in his last 10.1 innings pitched over six appearnces ... Hernan Perez has hits in 16 of his last 20 games and is batting .319 (22x69) in the month of August ... Adolfo Reina has driven in four runs in his last two games with three hits including a home run ... James Robbins has collected hits in five consecutive games with four runs scored and three more driven on a pair homers ... Michael Rockett has a six-game hit streak going in which he is 9x23 (.391) ... Drew VerHagen has back-to-back shutout appearances, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings against both Daytona and Brevard County.
KEEPING IT CLOSE ... Six of Lakeland’s last 10 games have been decided by one run. Fortunately, the Flying Tigers are 4-2 in those close games. Overall, Lakeland has an FSL-best record of 25-14 in one-run games this season.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis. Schlereth has appeared in eight games so far for Lakeland with a 0-0 record and a 1.13 ERA. He has struck out nine, but walked seven, and allowed six hits in his 8.0 innings pitched.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,741-1,589 record into the Dunedin series.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 21-23)
THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers will play all three games in this series at Space Coast Stadium with 6:35 pm start times. The team then heads back across the state for a three-game set at Dunedin on Aug. 24-26. Lakeland then returns to Joker Marchant Stadium for the final seven games of the regular season. The Flying Tigers will play Brevard County once again on Aug. 27-29 and then close out 2012 with Tampa at home Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
THE FLYING TIGERS (31-23 second half, 2nd, 1.5 GB, 66-54 overall) ... Lakeland took two out of three against Daytona over the weekend to move into second place, just a game and a half behind division-leading Tampa. The race for the second half pennant is still up for grabs with just three games separating the top five teams. At 66-54, The Flying Tigers have the third-best overall record in the Florida State League and have climbed into a tie with Daytona for the highest team batting average (.265) in the league.
THE MANATEES (28-23 second half, 2nd, 1.0 GB, 70-48 overall) ... Brevard County lost a barn-burner on Sunday, falling 14-13 at Clearwater in game that featured 35 hits with all the scoring coming in the first three and last three innings. The loss was the Manatees’ fifth in their last six games – all on the road. Taylor Jungmann is one of four pitchers (including Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz) tied for the league lead with 10 wins. He ranks ninth in the Florida State League with a 3.59 ERA while Casey Medlen is tied for third in the FSL with 19 saves. Third baseman Mike Walker is fifth in the league with 68 runs batted in while outfielder Reggie Keen is second with 41 stolen bases. Brevard County has the lowest team batting average in the league (.241) and have hit the second fewest home runs of any league team.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/17 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 3.05 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen hopes today will be the day he gets his name into the win column. The 6’6”, 230-pound righthander dropped his first two games and has two no decisions in two starts since. In his last start on Aug. 15 at Daytona, VerHagen held the Cubs to two hits on 4.0 shutout innings with one strikeout and one walk. He has not faced Brevard County.
8/18 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.15 ERA) ... Burgos has come in relief of Dan Schlereth (who is was on a major league rehab assignment) the last two games. In his last three appearances, he has allowed just two runs – one earned – for a 0.75 ERA. The runs came in his last outing on Aug. 15 at Daytona when he gave up three hits in 3.1 innings pitched. This is Burgos’ 17th road start this season where he has a 6-8 record with a 6.20 ERA in 17 previous away games. Burgos is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in three starts against the Manatees this season.
8/19 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (10-3, 3.65 ERA) ... Sanz is 6-0 with one no decision in his eight appearances (seven starts). He has allowed 11 total runs in 46.2 innings over those eight games for a 2.12 ERA while holding opponents to a .191 batting average. In his last start on Aug. 16 at Daytona, Sanz allowed four runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The four runs allowed equals what he had allowed in the previous five games. Sanz is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four appearances vs. Brevard County this season. This will be his first start against the Manatees.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won four straight games in the series, but Brevard County had won six of the first seven meetings and holds a 6-5 advantage overall. Seven of the 11 games have been decided by one run. Tyler Collins is hitting .341 in the series with 14 hits while James Robbins has nine hits including three doubles. Wade Gaynor has hit two homers in the 11 games.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Brevard County’s Eric Arnett was the Brewers’ top pick (26th overall) in the 2009 draft out of Indiana University where he was the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year. Taylor Jungmann was Milwaukee’s first round selection (12th overall) in the 2011 draft out of the University of Texas where he was the 2011 recipient of the Dick Howser Award as the top college player.
EXTRA BASES ... Lakeland has collected 44 hits in the last four games with nine doubles, one triple, and five homers. The five home runs have come in the last two games.
FLYING HIGH ... Alex Burgos has allowed one earned run over his last 12.0 innings ... Curt Casali has hits in seven of his last eight games and is 9x30 (.300) in those games ... Tyler Collins has hits in four straight games with a 6x17 (.353) for his efforts with five runs scored ... Matt Crouse has not allowed a run in his last eight outings and just two runs in his last 12 games ... Wade Gaynor has hits in six straight games (8x22, .364) with four runs scored, two homers and five RBI ... Dean Green has hits in four consecutive games and is 7x17 (.412) with five runs batted in and homers in the last two games ... Hernan Perez has hits in 11 of his last 13 games (13x45, .289), but has scored just one run in that span (Aug. 9) ... Adolfo Reina is 6x15 (.400) his last five games ... James Robbins is 5x15 (.333) in the last four games ... Michael Rockett has hits in four straight games and is 7x16 (.438) his last four games.
GROUNDED ... Luis Castillo is hitless in his last 10 at bats ... Marcus Lemon is 2x20 (.100) in his last five games played ... Dixon Machado is 5x43 (.012) over a span of 13 games dating back to Aug, 4 ... Matt Perry is 2x20 as a Flying Tiger ... Sean Teufel has allowed at least two runs in each of his last 11 games and a total of 44 runs in that time ... Tyler White has surrendered 12 earned runs in his last 14.1 innings ... Ryan Woolley has given up 11 runs in his last 10 innings.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Here’s a look at some of the players that have worn a Flying Tigers jersey in 2012 and moved up the organization ladder: ERIE: Nick Castellanos is hitting .287 with 12 doubles and seven homers; Daniel Fields is batting .207; Avisail Garcia has a .306 average with five homers; James McCann is hitting .173; Tyler Clark is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in three appearances; TOLEDO: Bruce Rondon is 0-0 with one save and a 0.00 in four appearances.
UP THE LADDER (Overall Records) ... DETROIT (64-57, 2nd, 1.5 GB) ... TOLEDO (53-77, 3rd, 23.5 GB) ... ERIE (53-73, 6th, 22.0 GB) ... LAKELAND (66-54, 2nd, 4.5 GB) ... WEST MICHIGAN (63-62, T-4th, 13.5 GB) ... CONNECTICUT (27-31, 3rd, 15.5 GB) ... GULF COAST (34-21, T-1st, 0.0 GB)
PENNANT CHASE ... Heading into Tuesday’s action, Tampa had a 1.5 game leader over Lakeland while Dunedin was in third place, 2.0 games back. Clearwater is in fourth place, 2.5 games back while Brevard County is in fifth place, 3.0 games out of first. Here’s a look at the remaining games for each of the five clubs:
TAMPA – DUN (3 H); vs. DAY (3 H); DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – BRV (3 A); vs. DUN (3 A); vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – TPA (3 A); vs. LAK (3 H), vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – DAY (3 H); vs BRV (3 A), (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
BREVARD – LAK (3 H); vs. CLR (3 H); vs. LAK (3 A); vs. DAY (4 A)
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,738-1,589 record into the Brevard County series.var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
THE FLYING TIGERS (31-23 second half, 2nd, 1.5 GB, 66-54 overall) ... Lakeland took two out of three against Daytona over the weekend to move into second place, just a game and a half behind division-leading Tampa. The race for the second half pennant is still up for grabs with just three games separating the top five teams. At 66-54, The Flying Tigers have the third-best overall record in the Florida State League and have climbed into a tie with Daytona for the highest team batting average (.265) in the league.
THE MANATEES (28-23 second half, 2nd, 1.0 GB, 70-48 overall) ... Brevard County lost a barn-burner on Sunday, falling 14-13 at Clearwater in game that featured 35 hits with all the scoring coming in the first three and last three innings. The loss was the Manatees’ fifth in their last six games – all on the road. Taylor Jungmann is one of four pitchers (including Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz) tied for the league lead with 10 wins. He ranks ninth in the Florida State League with a 3.59 ERA while Casey Medlen is tied for third in the FSL with 19 saves. Third baseman Mike Walker is fifth in the league with 68 runs batted in while outfielder Reggie Keen is second with 41 stolen bases. Brevard County has the lowest team batting average in the league (.241) and have hit the second fewest home runs of any league team.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/17 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 3.05 ERA) ... Drew VerHagen hopes today will be the day he gets his name into the win column. The 6’6”, 230-pound righthander dropped his first two games and has two no decisions in two starts since. In his last start on Aug. 15 at Daytona, VerHagen held the Cubs to two hits on 4.0 shutout innings with one strikeout and one walk. He has not faced Brevard County.
8/18 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.15 ERA) ... Burgos has come in relief of Dan Schlereth (who is was on a major league rehab assignment) the last two games. In his last three appearances, he has allowed just two runs – one earned – for a 0.75 ERA. The runs came in his last outing on Aug. 15 at Daytona when he gave up three hits in 3.1 innings pitched. This is Burgos’ 17th road start this season where he has a 6-8 record with a 6.20 ERA in 17 previous away games. Burgos is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in three starts against the Manatees this season.
8/19 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (10-3, 3.65 ERA) ... Sanz is 6-0 with one no decision in his eight appearances (seven starts). He has allowed 11 total runs in 46.2 innings over those eight games for a 2.12 ERA while holding opponents to a .191 batting average. In his last start on Aug. 16 at Daytona, Sanz allowed four runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The four runs allowed equals what he had allowed in the previous five games. Sanz is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four appearances vs. Brevard County this season. This will be his first start against the Manatees.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won four straight games in the series, but Brevard County had won six of the first seven meetings and holds a 6-5 advantage overall. Seven of the 11 games have been decided by one run. Tyler Collins is hitting .341 in the series with 14 hits while James Robbins has nine hits including three doubles. Wade Gaynor has hit two homers in the 11 games.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Brevard County’s Eric Arnett was the Brewers’ top pick (26th overall) in the 2009 draft out of Indiana University where he was the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year. Taylor Jungmann was Milwaukee’s first round selection (12th overall) in the 2011 draft out of the University of Texas where he was the 2011 recipient of the Dick Howser Award as the top college player.
EXTRA BASES ... Lakeland has collected 44 hits in the last four games with nine doubles, one triple, and five homers. The five home runs have come in the last two games.
FLYING HIGH ... Alex Burgos has allowed one earned run over his last 12.0 innings ... Curt Casali has hits in seven of his last eight games and is 9x30 (.300) in those games ... Tyler Collins has hits in four straight games with a 6x17 (.353) for his efforts with five runs scored ... Matt Crouse has not allowed a run in his last eight outings and just two runs in his last 12 games ... Wade Gaynor has hits in six straight games (8x22, .364) with four runs scored, two homers and five RBI ... Dean Green has hits in four consecutive games and is 7x17 (.412) with five runs batted in and homers in the last two games ... Hernan Perez has hits in 11 of his last 13 games (13x45, .289), but has scored just one run in that span (Aug. 9) ... Adolfo Reina is 6x15 (.400) his last five games ... James Robbins is 5x15 (.333) in the last four games ... Michael Rockett has hits in four straight games and is 7x16 (.438) his last four games.
GROUNDED ... Luis Castillo is hitless in his last 10 at bats ... Marcus Lemon is 2x20 (.100) in his last five games played ... Dixon Machado is 5x43 (.012) over a span of 13 games dating back to Aug, 4 ... Matt Perry is 2x20 as a Flying Tiger ... Sean Teufel has allowed at least two runs in each of his last 11 games and a total of 44 runs in that time ... Tyler White has surrendered 12 earned runs in his last 14.1 innings ... Ryan Woolley has given up 11 runs in his last 10 innings.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Here’s a look at some of the players that have worn a Flying Tigers jersey in 2012 and moved up the organization ladder: ERIE: Nick Castellanos is hitting .287 with 12 doubles and seven homers; Daniel Fields is batting .207; Avisail Garcia has a .306 average with five homers; James McCann is hitting .173; Tyler Clark is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in three appearances; TOLEDO: Bruce Rondon is 0-0 with one save and a 0.00 in four appearances.
UP THE LADDER (Overall Records) ... DETROIT (64-57, 2nd, 1.5 GB) ... TOLEDO (53-77, 3rd, 23.5 GB) ... ERIE (53-73, 6th, 22.0 GB) ... LAKELAND (66-54, 2nd, 4.5 GB) ... WEST MICHIGAN (63-62, T-4th, 13.5 GB) ... CONNECTICUT (27-31, 3rd, 15.5 GB) ... GULF COAST (34-21, T-1st, 0.0 GB)
PENNANT CHASE ... Heading into Tuesday’s action, Tampa had a 1.5 game leader over Lakeland while Dunedin was in third place, 2.0 games back. Clearwater is in fourth place, 2.5 games back while Brevard County is in fifth place, 3.0 games out of first. Here’s a look at the remaining games for each of the five clubs:
TAMPA – DUN (3 H); vs. DAY (3 H); DUN (3 A); vs. LAK (4 A)
LAKELAND – BRV (3 A); vs. DUN (3 A); vs. BRV (3 H); vs. TPA (4 H)
DUNEDIN – TPA (3 A); vs. LAK (3 H), vs. TPA (3 A); vs. CLR (AHAH)
CLEARWATER – DAY (3 H); vs BRV (3 A), (DAY 3 A) vs. DUN (HAHA)
BREVARD – LAK (3 H); vs. CLR (3 H); vs. LAK (3 A); vs. DAY (4 A)
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,738-1,589 record into the Brevard County series.var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
Friday, August 17, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 17-19)
THE SERIES ... All three games in this series will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with different start times. The series opener is Friday at 7:11 pm. with Saturday’s game starting at 6 pm. The two teams conclude their series Sunday at 1 pm. The first 750 kids (14 & under) to Friday’s game will receive a free Tiger Paws Coloring Set. On Saturday, the Flying Tigers will be wearing specially-designed jerseys to celebrate Arts in the Park. All day Saturday is the Tigertown Classic Car Show while at the game its Star Wars night with members of the 501st Legion (Vader’s Fist), along with the Rebel Legion bringing out Star Wars characters to the game for autographs and photos.
THE FLYING TIGERS (28-24 second half, 3rd, 1.5 GB, 64-53 overall) ... Lakeland took two out of three from Daytona the last two nights to win the season series with the Cubs 11 games to 7. The Flying Tigers moved into third place, 1.5 games out of first place and 0.5 games behind Dunedin. Lakeland has dropped one more point in team batting, but remains in second place in the league with a .264 mark. The staff ERA of 3.89 is fifth highest in the league. The Flying Tigers defense is tied for the top fielding percentage in the league at .977 on the year. Hernan Perez is the top fielding shortstop in the FSL with a .979 mark. Lakeland catchers have combined to throw out 38.5 percent of would-be base-stealers – the best mark of any FSL catching corps.
THE BLUE JAYS (28-23 second half, 2nd, 1.0 GB, 70-48 overall) ... Dunedin downed Brevard County 4-2 last night to notch its fifth straight win and 10th in its last 11 contests. The surge has lifted the Blue Jays into second place, 1.0 game behind Tampa. Winners of the first half, Dunedin is gunning for the second half penant. Kevin Nolan is third in the Florida State League with a .316 average while Egan Smith is eighth with a 3.49 earned run average. Sean Nolin has nine wins, second most in the league, while closer Danny Barnes is tied for the minor league lead with 31 saves. Marcus Knecht has 28 doubles, which is fifth most in the league as is his .471 slugging percentage. Jack Murphy has thrown out 39.7 percent of attempted basestealers – the best mark of any FSL catcher. Dunedin’s team batting average of .256 is fifth highest in the league while the team’s 86 homers is second most of any FSL team. The Blue Jays 3.60 ERA is third lowest in the league.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/17 - LHP Sean Teufel (5-7, 6.52 ERA) ... Tuefel has come in relief of MLB Rehabbing Daniel Schlereth in the last two games. In his last outing, Teufel was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in just 3.2 innings. Teufel’s ERA has jumped 0.91 points since recording back-to-back shutout starts on June 8 and 13. In his only start against Dunedin on, Teufel tossed seven shutout innings and limited the Blue Jays to three hits over 7.0 innings with four strikeouts.
8/18 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (0-2, 5.65 ERA) ... Carrillo is still aiming for his first win as a Flying Tiger. In his last start on Aug. 12 at Clearwater, he allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Carrillo has not faced Dunedin this season.
8/19 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.15 ERA) ... Burgos has two no decisions in his last two outings, both in relief of MLB Rehabbing Daniel Schlereth. In his last appearance on Aug. 15 at Daytona, Burgos gave up two runs – one earned – on three hits in 3.1 innings pitched. In three previous starts against Dunedin, Burgos is 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA after allowing 10 runs – nine earned – on 15 hits in 11.1 innings with nine walks and seven strikeouts.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has emerged victorious in the last two games vs. Dunedin and has won three of the last four. Overall, the Flying Tigers enjoy a slim 6-5 margin in the season series. Nick Castellanos, now at AA Erie, had collected 18 hits in the series including a pair of home runs. James McCann, also at AA Erie, and Tyler Collins have each had 14 hits in the 11 games against the Blue Jays while Luis Castillo has collected 10 base hits. Tyler Clark, another player since promoted to AA, was 3-0 in the series with a 1.29 ERA.
I’M WALKING (OFF) ... Through the first 45 home games, Lakeland had not won a game in walk-off fashion. However, the club has won five home games with a game-ending hit in the last 10 contests, including the last two games. On Thursday, in game two of a doubleheader, Wade Gaynor stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. After falling behind 0-2, the Flying Tiger third baseman rocketed a shot onto the berm in left field for a 1-0 win. It was Gaynor’s second walk-off hit in 10 days. One night later, James Robbins came up to bat with the bases loaded with nobody out in the ninth and drilled a liner to left field to score Tyler Collins and Wade Gaynor. Dean Green and Marcus Lemon have also had walk-off hits this season.
RARE TWO-RBI SAC FLY ... Wade Gaynor pulled off an unusal plate appearance on Thursday. With Dixon Machado on third and Tyler Collins at second, Gaynor hit a ball deep into the gap in right center field. Daytona right fielder Elieser Bonne ran the ball down, but slipped on the play. Both Machado and Collins scored on the play to give Gaynor two runs batted in on sacrifice fly.
DOUBLE TIME ... Three of the last four hits for Tyler Collins have been doubles, including the last two. He remains in second place in the Florida State League with 33 two-baggers. Collins’ 186 total bases is fifth most in the league.
TEN AND HOLDING ... Luis Angel Sanz had a chance to take over the league lead for wins last night, but emerged with a no-decision. Sanz, who remains undefeated at home with a 7-0 record, is tied with three other pitchers with an FSL best 10 wins. However, his winning percentage of .769 (10-3) is best in the league.
DEAN “THE LEAN MEAN SPEED MACHINE” GREEN ... At 6’4”, 255 lbs., Dean Green is not your prototypical speed merchant. However, last night, he put his legs in motion and reached on a bunt single in the sixth inning and advanced to second on a throwing error on the play. One out later, he motored into third with his first stolen base in 91 games this season and just his second of his two-year career.
STEADY AT THE PLATE ... Dixon Machado has a hit in three straight games, nine of his last 10, and 13 of his last 15 contests.
MAKING THE MOST OUT OF IT ... Michael Rockett’s last two hits have been for extra bases. On Aug. 12 he hit his first home run of the year for Lakeland and just two nights later, collected his first triple as a Flying Tiger in 2012.
QUIET AS A CROUSE ... Matt Crouse has quietly compiled a 6-1 record and a 1.88 ERA this season with four saves in five opportunities. He has a 9.32 baserunners allowed per nine inning ratio - tops among relievers in the Florida State League.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,736-1,588 record into the Dunedin series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (28-24 second half, 3rd, 1.5 GB, 64-53 overall) ... Lakeland took two out of three from Daytona the last two nights to win the season series with the Cubs 11 games to 7. The Flying Tigers moved into third place, 1.5 games out of first place and 0.5 games behind Dunedin. Lakeland has dropped one more point in team batting, but remains in second place in the league with a .264 mark. The staff ERA of 3.89 is fifth highest in the league. The Flying Tigers defense is tied for the top fielding percentage in the league at .977 on the year. Hernan Perez is the top fielding shortstop in the FSL with a .979 mark. Lakeland catchers have combined to throw out 38.5 percent of would-be base-stealers – the best mark of any FSL catching corps.
THE BLUE JAYS (28-23 second half, 2nd, 1.0 GB, 70-48 overall) ... Dunedin downed Brevard County 4-2 last night to notch its fifth straight win and 10th in its last 11 contests. The surge has lifted the Blue Jays into second place, 1.0 game behind Tampa. Winners of the first half, Dunedin is gunning for the second half penant. Kevin Nolan is third in the Florida State League with a .316 average while Egan Smith is eighth with a 3.49 earned run average. Sean Nolin has nine wins, second most in the league, while closer Danny Barnes is tied for the minor league lead with 31 saves. Marcus Knecht has 28 doubles, which is fifth most in the league as is his .471 slugging percentage. Jack Murphy has thrown out 39.7 percent of attempted basestealers – the best mark of any FSL catcher. Dunedin’s team batting average of .256 is fifth highest in the league while the team’s 86 homers is second most of any FSL team. The Blue Jays 3.60 ERA is third lowest in the league.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/17 - LHP Sean Teufel (5-7, 6.52 ERA) ... Tuefel has come in relief of MLB Rehabbing Daniel Schlereth in the last two games. In his last outing, Teufel was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in just 3.2 innings. Teufel’s ERA has jumped 0.91 points since recording back-to-back shutout starts on June 8 and 13. In his only start against Dunedin on, Teufel tossed seven shutout innings and limited the Blue Jays to three hits over 7.0 innings with four strikeouts.
8/18 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (0-2, 5.65 ERA) ... Carrillo is still aiming for his first win as a Flying Tiger. In his last start on Aug. 12 at Clearwater, he allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Carrillo has not faced Dunedin this season.
8/19 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.15 ERA) ... Burgos has two no decisions in his last two outings, both in relief of MLB Rehabbing Daniel Schlereth. In his last appearance on Aug. 15 at Daytona, Burgos gave up two runs – one earned – on three hits in 3.1 innings pitched. In three previous starts against Dunedin, Burgos is 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA after allowing 10 runs – nine earned – on 15 hits in 11.1 innings with nine walks and seven strikeouts.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has emerged victorious in the last two games vs. Dunedin and has won three of the last four. Overall, the Flying Tigers enjoy a slim 6-5 margin in the season series. Nick Castellanos, now at AA Erie, had collected 18 hits in the series including a pair of home runs. James McCann, also at AA Erie, and Tyler Collins have each had 14 hits in the 11 games against the Blue Jays while Luis Castillo has collected 10 base hits. Tyler Clark, another player since promoted to AA, was 3-0 in the series with a 1.29 ERA.
I’M WALKING (OFF) ... Through the first 45 home games, Lakeland had not won a game in walk-off fashion. However, the club has won five home games with a game-ending hit in the last 10 contests, including the last two games. On Thursday, in game two of a doubleheader, Wade Gaynor stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. After falling behind 0-2, the Flying Tiger third baseman rocketed a shot onto the berm in left field for a 1-0 win. It was Gaynor’s second walk-off hit in 10 days. One night later, James Robbins came up to bat with the bases loaded with nobody out in the ninth and drilled a liner to left field to score Tyler Collins and Wade Gaynor. Dean Green and Marcus Lemon have also had walk-off hits this season.
RARE TWO-RBI SAC FLY ... Wade Gaynor pulled off an unusal plate appearance on Thursday. With Dixon Machado on third and Tyler Collins at second, Gaynor hit a ball deep into the gap in right center field. Daytona right fielder Elieser Bonne ran the ball down, but slipped on the play. Both Machado and Collins scored on the play to give Gaynor two runs batted in on sacrifice fly.
DOUBLE TIME ... Three of the last four hits for Tyler Collins have been doubles, including the last two. He remains in second place in the Florida State League with 33 two-baggers. Collins’ 186 total bases is fifth most in the league.
TEN AND HOLDING ... Luis Angel Sanz had a chance to take over the league lead for wins last night, but emerged with a no-decision. Sanz, who remains undefeated at home with a 7-0 record, is tied with three other pitchers with an FSL best 10 wins. However, his winning percentage of .769 (10-3) is best in the league.
DEAN “THE LEAN MEAN SPEED MACHINE” GREEN ... At 6’4”, 255 lbs., Dean Green is not your prototypical speed merchant. However, last night, he put his legs in motion and reached on a bunt single in the sixth inning and advanced to second on a throwing error on the play. One out later, he motored into third with his first stolen base in 91 games this season and just his second of his two-year career.
STEADY AT THE PLATE ... Dixon Machado has a hit in three straight games, nine of his last 10, and 13 of his last 15 contests.
MAKING THE MOST OUT OF IT ... Michael Rockett’s last two hits have been for extra bases. On Aug. 12 he hit his first home run of the year for Lakeland and just two nights later, collected his first triple as a Flying Tiger in 2012.
QUIET AS A CROUSE ... Matt Crouse has quietly compiled a 6-1 record and a 1.88 ERA this season with four saves in five opportunities. He has a 9.32 baserunners allowed per nine inning ratio - tops among relievers in the Florida State League.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,736-1,588 record into the Dunedin series.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 14-16)
THE SERIES ... All three games in this series will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with 6:30 pm start times. Lakeland will then be at home on Friday-Sunday with games against Dunedin.
THE FLYING TIGERS (26-23 second half, 3rd, 2.5 GB, 62-52 overall) ... Lakeland has dropped two in a row and four of the last six games to fall to third place, 2.5 games out of first and 1.5 games out of second place. The Flying Tigers remain second in the league with a .265 team batting average, just one point behind Daytona. The club has played the fewest games of any Florida State League team this season at 114. Lakeland is tied first in the league with a .976 fielding percentage.
THE CUBS (22-26 second half, 6th, 6.0 GB, 52-64 overall) ... Daytona has also lost back-to-back games and five of its last seven contests. Rubi Silva is seventh in the league with a .302 average, fourth with 127 hits and tied for first with 11 triples. John Andreoli leads the FSL with 50 stolen bases – 12 more than any other player. Ronald Torreyes strikes out once in every 15.88 at bats, second best in the league. Matt Loosen is one of the three players tied with 10 wins – most in the league – and has the lowest opponent batting average (.200) of any FSL starter. He also ranks third with 8.37 strikeouts per nine inning and second with 10.87 baserunners allowed per nine innings. Austin Kirk is second with a 3.13 ERA. The Cubs lead the Florida State League with a .266 team batting average, but have the second highest staff ERA of 4.16 on the season. Daytona has committed the second most errors of any league defense.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/14 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 3.78 ERA) ... VerHagen surrendered three runs in 3.0 innings pitched in his last game on Aug. 9 at Daytona. He allowed just two hits in that game, but walked four. VerHagen has not worked past 4.0 innings for Lakeland and is 0-2 with three no decisions. He was whiffed nine batters in 6.2 innings in his last two outings. This will be just his second home appearance.
8/11 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.22 ERA) ... Burgos worked 2.0 innings of relief in his last appearance on Aug. 9 at Daytona. After being tagged for eight runs in 4.0 innings on July 28, he has not allowed a run in 8.2 innings over his last two appearances. This is just his sixth home start (2-2, 2.48 ERA) compared to 16 road starts (6-8, 6.20 ERA). Burgos is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in three appearances (two starts) versus Daytona.
8/12 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (10-3, 3.45 ERA) ... Sanz puts his perfect 7-0 home record (2.89 ERA) on the line as well as a six-game win streak. He has allowed just four runs in his last 36.0 innings over six starts for an impressive 1.00 earned run average. Sanz has struck out 11 batters in 11.0 innings in his last two starts and a total of 24 in his last five outings. He is 1-1 with a 7.30 ERA in three games (two starts) against Daytona this season.
THIS YEAR ... The Flying Tigers have won nine of the 15 meetings between the two clubs, but the Cubs have won three of the last five. Both Tyler Collins and James Robbins have 18 hits in the series. Collins has three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers with 10 runs scored and 12 more driven in while Robbins has scored 12 runs on five doubles and three home runs. Lakeland his hit 13 home runs in the series while the Cubs have hit just three round trippers.
A DOZEN LEMONS, PLEASE ... Marcus Lemon brings an 11-game hit streak into this series in which he is 22x47 (.468) with 12 runs scored. He has had six multi-hit games in the series and twice had four hits in a game (Aug 2 vs. Bradenton and Aug. 10 at Clearwater). Overall, Lemon has had five games with four hits – most of any Flying Tiger player – and 18 multi-hit games.
SANZ-SATIONAL ... Luis Angel Sanz is in a three-way tie for the league lead with 10 wins and is eighth in the league with a 3.45 ERA. His winning percentage of .769 is best in the Florida State League. Sanz also leads Lakeland with 77 strikeouts.
WHAT A RELIEF ... Tyler White ranks third among league relievers with 10.76 strikeouts per nine innings while Matt Crouse is second among relievers with 9.51 baserunners allowed per nine innings.
HANDY WITH A BAT ... Tyler Collins remains tenth in the league with a .295 average; second with 31 doubles; fourth with 182 total bases; and fifth with 123 hits. Collins had a four-game hit streak snapped on Sunday and is now 5x19 (.263) with four runs scored the last five games
CURT-SIE ... Curt Casali has hits in four straight games and is 5x16 (.333) during that span.
MEAN GREEN MACHINE ... Dean Green had a five-game hit streak snapped on Sunday. Prior to that contest, Green had back-to-back three-hit games and was 9x22 (.409) with 10 runs batted in his last six games.
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PEREZ ... Hernan Perez saw his six-game hit streak come to an end on Sunday. He is now 8x26 (.308) his last seven games.
REINA ON HIS PARADE ... Adolfo Reina has five hits in his last 11 at bats for a .454 average.
LUIS, LUIS ... Luis Castillo had three hits, including two doubles, on Sunday and is 5x12 (.417) in his last three games.
TOP GLOVE ... Hernan Perez leads all Florida State League shortstops with a .978 fielding percentage and has committed just nine errors in 417 total chances.
HARD TO MOW DOWN ... Dixon Machado is the fifth hardest batter to strike out in the league with one strikeout every 8.29 plate appearances.
HARD TO MOW DOWN - PT. 2 ... As a club, Daytona has struck out the third fewest times any FSL club while Lakeland is right behind with the fourth fewest strikeouts. The statuses look to be safe in this series as the Cubs pitching has struck out the third fewest batters (770) and the Flying Tigers hurlers have mowed down the fifth fewest (779).
KEEPING IN THE PARK ... Fans of the long ball may want to skip this season as Lakeland has hit the fewest homers of any Florida State League club with 53, followed by Daytona which has 56 dingers.
SPEED TO BURN ... However, if you like stolen bases, this is the series for you. Daytona has swiped the most bases of any club (183) while Lakeland has stolen 122 bases to rank fourth in the FSL.
GLAD TO BE HOME ... The Flying Tigers are 11 games over .500 at home this season (31-20), but having a losing record on the road (31-32)
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,734-1,587 record into the Daytona series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (26-23 second half, 3rd, 2.5 GB, 62-52 overall) ... Lakeland has dropped two in a row and four of the last six games to fall to third place, 2.5 games out of first and 1.5 games out of second place. The Flying Tigers remain second in the league with a .265 team batting average, just one point behind Daytona. The club has played the fewest games of any Florida State League team this season at 114. Lakeland is tied first in the league with a .976 fielding percentage.
THE CUBS (22-26 second half, 6th, 6.0 GB, 52-64 overall) ... Daytona has also lost back-to-back games and five of its last seven contests. Rubi Silva is seventh in the league with a .302 average, fourth with 127 hits and tied for first with 11 triples. John Andreoli leads the FSL with 50 stolen bases – 12 more than any other player. Ronald Torreyes strikes out once in every 15.88 at bats, second best in the league. Matt Loosen is one of the three players tied with 10 wins – most in the league – and has the lowest opponent batting average (.200) of any FSL starter. He also ranks third with 8.37 strikeouts per nine inning and second with 10.87 baserunners allowed per nine innings. Austin Kirk is second with a 3.13 ERA. The Cubs lead the Florida State League with a .266 team batting average, but have the second highest staff ERA of 4.16 on the season. Daytona has committed the second most errors of any league defense.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/14 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 3.78 ERA) ... VerHagen surrendered three runs in 3.0 innings pitched in his last game on Aug. 9 at Daytona. He allowed just two hits in that game, but walked four. VerHagen has not worked past 4.0 innings for Lakeland and is 0-2 with three no decisions. He was whiffed nine batters in 6.2 innings in his last two outings. This will be just his second home appearance.
8/11 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.22 ERA) ... Burgos worked 2.0 innings of relief in his last appearance on Aug. 9 at Daytona. After being tagged for eight runs in 4.0 innings on July 28, he has not allowed a run in 8.2 innings over his last two appearances. This is just his sixth home start (2-2, 2.48 ERA) compared to 16 road starts (6-8, 6.20 ERA). Burgos is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in three appearances (two starts) versus Daytona.
8/12 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (10-3, 3.45 ERA) ... Sanz puts his perfect 7-0 home record (2.89 ERA) on the line as well as a six-game win streak. He has allowed just four runs in his last 36.0 innings over six starts for an impressive 1.00 earned run average. Sanz has struck out 11 batters in 11.0 innings in his last two starts and a total of 24 in his last five outings. He is 1-1 with a 7.30 ERA in three games (two starts) against Daytona this season.
THIS YEAR ... The Flying Tigers have won nine of the 15 meetings between the two clubs, but the Cubs have won three of the last five. Both Tyler Collins and James Robbins have 18 hits in the series. Collins has three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers with 10 runs scored and 12 more driven in while Robbins has scored 12 runs on five doubles and three home runs. Lakeland his hit 13 home runs in the series while the Cubs have hit just three round trippers.
A DOZEN LEMONS, PLEASE ... Marcus Lemon brings an 11-game hit streak into this series in which he is 22x47 (.468) with 12 runs scored. He has had six multi-hit games in the series and twice had four hits in a game (Aug 2 vs. Bradenton and Aug. 10 at Clearwater). Overall, Lemon has had five games with four hits – most of any Flying Tiger player – and 18 multi-hit games.
SANZ-SATIONAL ... Luis Angel Sanz is in a three-way tie for the league lead with 10 wins and is eighth in the league with a 3.45 ERA. His winning percentage of .769 is best in the Florida State League. Sanz also leads Lakeland with 77 strikeouts.
WHAT A RELIEF ... Tyler White ranks third among league relievers with 10.76 strikeouts per nine innings while Matt Crouse is second among relievers with 9.51 baserunners allowed per nine innings.
HANDY WITH A BAT ... Tyler Collins remains tenth in the league with a .295 average; second with 31 doubles; fourth with 182 total bases; and fifth with 123 hits. Collins had a four-game hit streak snapped on Sunday and is now 5x19 (.263) with four runs scored the last five games
CURT-SIE ... Curt Casali has hits in four straight games and is 5x16 (.333) during that span.
MEAN GREEN MACHINE ... Dean Green had a five-game hit streak snapped on Sunday. Prior to that contest, Green had back-to-back three-hit games and was 9x22 (.409) with 10 runs batted in his last six games.
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PEREZ ... Hernan Perez saw his six-game hit streak come to an end on Sunday. He is now 8x26 (.308) his last seven games.
REINA ON HIS PARADE ... Adolfo Reina has five hits in his last 11 at bats for a .454 average.
LUIS, LUIS ... Luis Castillo had three hits, including two doubles, on Sunday and is 5x12 (.417) in his last three games.
TOP GLOVE ... Hernan Perez leads all Florida State League shortstops with a .978 fielding percentage and has committed just nine errors in 417 total chances.
HARD TO MOW DOWN ... Dixon Machado is the fifth hardest batter to strike out in the league with one strikeout every 8.29 plate appearances.
HARD TO MOW DOWN - PT. 2 ... As a club, Daytona has struck out the third fewest times any FSL club while Lakeland is right behind with the fourth fewest strikeouts. The statuses look to be safe in this series as the Cubs pitching has struck out the third fewest batters (770) and the Flying Tigers hurlers have mowed down the fifth fewest (779).
KEEPING IN THE PARK ... Fans of the long ball may want to skip this season as Lakeland has hit the fewest homers of any Florida State League club with 53, followed by Daytona which has 56 dingers.
SPEED TO BURN ... However, if you like stolen bases, this is the series for you. Daytona has swiped the most bases of any club (183) while Lakeland has stolen 122 bases to rank fourth in the FSL.
GLAD TO BE HOME ... The Flying Tigers are 11 games over .500 at home this season (31-20), but having a losing record on the road (31-32)
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,734-1,587 record into the Daytona series.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 10-12)
THE SERIES .... Lakeland concludes its seven-game road trip with a three-game weekend series at Clearwater on Aug. 10-12. Games one and two at Bright House Networks Field get underway at 6:30 pm while Sunday’s series finale is set for a 1 pm first pitch. The first 1,000 fans to Friday’s game will receive a “one-of-a-kind” bat-brella.
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-21 second half, 2nd, 3.5 GB, 61-50 overall) ... Lakeland managed a split of its doubleheader at Daytona on Thursday to record the only win in the series. The two losses have dropped the Flying Tigers to 3.5 games out of first place. The squad remains in second place with a 1/2 game lead over Brevard County. Tyler Collins, who is 13x30 (.533) his last eight games, is 10th in the Florida State League with a .300 average and second with 30 doubles. His 179 total bases is fifth most in the league. Lakeland remains second in the league with a .265 average, just behind Daytona’s .266 mark.
THE THRESHERS (23-23 second half, 5th, 5.5 GB, 59-53 overall) ... Clearwater was crushed by Tampa last night by a 12-0 score as the Yankees put up a nine spot in the eighth inning. The loss was the Threshers sixth in a row and ninth in the last 10 games. Austin Wright ranks third in the Florida State League with a 3.23 earned run average. At 9-3, Wright is tied with Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz and two other pitchers for second most wins in the FSL. His 115 strikeouts is third most in the league. Adam Morgan, whose 140 strikeouts tops the league, was fourth with a 3.29 ERA put has since been promoted to AA despite going 4-10 on the season. Jesse Biddle is second with 122 strikeouts and sixth with a 3.47 ERA. Jim Murphy is third in the FSL with 14 homers and 71 RBI while leading the league in doubles (34) and extra base hits (49). He is second with 182 total bases and fourth with 63 runs scored. While the Threshers have the top three pitchers in terms of strikeouts, they also have three pitchers in the top five in walks issued.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/11 - RHP Luis Alberto Sanz (9-3, 3.54 ERA) ... Sanz has allowed just three runs over 31.0 innings in his last five starts for amazing 0.87 ERA since July 14. In his last start on Aug. 4 versus Clearwater, he held the Threshers to one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Sanz is 7-0 at home with a 2.89 ERA in 11 games and 2-3 with a 4.50 in eight road appearances. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two previous appearances (one start) against Clearwater. His nine wins is tied with three others for second most in the FSL while his 3.54 ERA is ninth lowest in the league.
8/11 - LHP Shawn Teufel (5-6, 6.11 ERA) ... Teufel is looking for his first win in over a month. Since July 8, he is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in six games. In his last start on Aug. 5 against Clearwater, he limited the Threshers to three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 6.0 innings. He is 3-3 on the road with a 7.80 ERA in nine road starts while going 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA in ten home appearances. Teufel is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in two games (one start) vs. Clearwater.
8/12 - LHP Cesar Carrillo (0-1, 4.50 ERA) ... Carrillo will be making his third appearance and second start for Lakeland. In his previous start on Aug. 7 at Daytona, he checked the Cubs to two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings. He has not faced Clearwater this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has emerged victorious in eight of the 13 meetings between the two clubs this season and has won the last four games. The season series is split 3-3 in the games played at Bright House Networks Field. Wade Gaynor leads Lakeland with 15 hits, including six doubles, a triple and two homers for nine RBI. James Robbins has 13 hits, including five doubles, while Tyler Collins has collected 11 base hits. Dixon Machado has scored 11 times in the 13 games. For the Threshers, Jim Murphy has 17 hits, including nine doubles, while Albert Cartwright and Edgar Duran each have had 13 hits.
LET’S GO DEEP ... Adolfo Reina hit his first home run as a Flying Tiger in the second inning of the second game of a doubleheader at Daytona on Thursday to give Lakeland a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, Wade Gaynor clubbed his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot to give the Flying Tigers a 3-1 lead. After Michael Rockett doubled in two runs in the sixth for a 5-1 Lakeland lead, Dean Green connected for his first round-tripper for Lakeland in the seventh for the final 7-1 lead. The three homers marked the first time this season the Flying Tigers have hit a trio of round-trippers in a game.
A LEMON ROLL ... Marcus Lemon brings a 10-game hit streak into this series in which he is 17x39 (.434) with nine runs scored. He has five multi-hit games during the streak.
PEREZ-ING ... Hernan Perez has base hits in seven of his last eight games and is 12x28 (.429) during that span.
PACKIN’ ‘EM IN ... Clearwater leads the Florida State League in attendance with an average of 2,566 fans per game. The numbers have been helped by the fact that Clearwater has not had lost a home date to rain this season (although one game was called with the scored tied 2-2 in the sixth inning due to inclement weather). In contrast, Lakeland has had nine home games lost due to weather – most in the FSL.
ROSTER MOVES ... Tyler Clark was promoted to AA Erie on Monday with Dan Bennett being added from West Michigan. Clark was 6-1 with nine saves and a miniscule 0.63 ERA for Lakeland. Bennett, a 19th round pick by Detroit in 2011 out of Florida State University, was 5-2 with 11 saves and a 2.68 ERA for the Whitecaps. On Tuesday, Matt Perry was activated from the disabled list.
PLAYOFFS? ... With just over three weeks left in the season, the Flying Tigers need to win the second half (or for Dunedin to catch fire) to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The winner of each half advances to the Florida State League Playoffs in September. Should the first half winner repeat as Division winner in the second half, the team with the best record in the Division earns a berth in the playoffs. Dunedin took the first half pennant with a 66-48 record, but is in fourth place with a 24-23 mark, 5.0 games out of first. Lakeland is in second place, 3.5 games behind Tampa, but just 1/2 game ahead of third place Brevard County. Following this series, Lakeland has six games left with Brevard County and Dunedin, four against Tampa (the last four games of the regular season) and a three-game set with Daytona. In the South Division, St. Lucie won the first half with Bradenton currently leading the second half. However, there are four teams within one-game of the Marauders.
RONDON CLIMBS ANOTHER STEP ... Bruce Rondon, who began the season in Lakeland and was promoted to AA Erie on June 20, has been given a ticket to AAA Toledo. The closer had 12 saves in 13 opportunities with the SeaWolves and posted an impressive 0.83 ERA in 21 games.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,733-1,585 record into the Daytona series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-21 second half, 2nd, 3.5 GB, 61-50 overall) ... Lakeland managed a split of its doubleheader at Daytona on Thursday to record the only win in the series. The two losses have dropped the Flying Tigers to 3.5 games out of first place. The squad remains in second place with a 1/2 game lead over Brevard County. Tyler Collins, who is 13x30 (.533) his last eight games, is 10th in the Florida State League with a .300 average and second with 30 doubles. His 179 total bases is fifth most in the league. Lakeland remains second in the league with a .265 average, just behind Daytona’s .266 mark.
THE THRESHERS (23-23 second half, 5th, 5.5 GB, 59-53 overall) ... Clearwater was crushed by Tampa last night by a 12-0 score as the Yankees put up a nine spot in the eighth inning. The loss was the Threshers sixth in a row and ninth in the last 10 games. Austin Wright ranks third in the Florida State League with a 3.23 earned run average. At 9-3, Wright is tied with Lakeland’s Luis Angel Sanz and two other pitchers for second most wins in the FSL. His 115 strikeouts is third most in the league. Adam Morgan, whose 140 strikeouts tops the league, was fourth with a 3.29 ERA put has since been promoted to AA despite going 4-10 on the season. Jesse Biddle is second with 122 strikeouts and sixth with a 3.47 ERA. Jim Murphy is third in the FSL with 14 homers and 71 RBI while leading the league in doubles (34) and extra base hits (49). He is second with 182 total bases and fourth with 63 runs scored. While the Threshers have the top three pitchers in terms of strikeouts, they also have three pitchers in the top five in walks issued.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/11 - RHP Luis Alberto Sanz (9-3, 3.54 ERA) ... Sanz has allowed just three runs over 31.0 innings in his last five starts for amazing 0.87 ERA since July 14. In his last start on Aug. 4 versus Clearwater, he held the Threshers to one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Sanz is 7-0 at home with a 2.89 ERA in 11 games and 2-3 with a 4.50 in eight road appearances. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two previous appearances (one start) against Clearwater. His nine wins is tied with three others for second most in the FSL while his 3.54 ERA is ninth lowest in the league.
8/11 - LHP Shawn Teufel (5-6, 6.11 ERA) ... Teufel is looking for his first win in over a month. Since July 8, he is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in six games. In his last start on Aug. 5 against Clearwater, he limited the Threshers to three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 6.0 innings. He is 3-3 on the road with a 7.80 ERA in nine road starts while going 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA in ten home appearances. Teufel is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in two games (one start) vs. Clearwater.
8/12 - LHP Cesar Carrillo (0-1, 4.50 ERA) ... Carrillo will be making his third appearance and second start for Lakeland. In his previous start on Aug. 7 at Daytona, he checked the Cubs to two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings. He has not faced Clearwater this season.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has emerged victorious in eight of the 13 meetings between the two clubs this season and has won the last four games. The season series is split 3-3 in the games played at Bright House Networks Field. Wade Gaynor leads Lakeland with 15 hits, including six doubles, a triple and two homers for nine RBI. James Robbins has 13 hits, including five doubles, while Tyler Collins has collected 11 base hits. Dixon Machado has scored 11 times in the 13 games. For the Threshers, Jim Murphy has 17 hits, including nine doubles, while Albert Cartwright and Edgar Duran each have had 13 hits.
LET’S GO DEEP ... Adolfo Reina hit his first home run as a Flying Tiger in the second inning of the second game of a doubleheader at Daytona on Thursday to give Lakeland a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, Wade Gaynor clubbed his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot to give the Flying Tigers a 3-1 lead. After Michael Rockett doubled in two runs in the sixth for a 5-1 Lakeland lead, Dean Green connected for his first round-tripper for Lakeland in the seventh for the final 7-1 lead. The three homers marked the first time this season the Flying Tigers have hit a trio of round-trippers in a game.
A LEMON ROLL ... Marcus Lemon brings a 10-game hit streak into this series in which he is 17x39 (.434) with nine runs scored. He has five multi-hit games during the streak.
PEREZ-ING ... Hernan Perez has base hits in seven of his last eight games and is 12x28 (.429) during that span.
PACKIN’ ‘EM IN ... Clearwater leads the Florida State League in attendance with an average of 2,566 fans per game. The numbers have been helped by the fact that Clearwater has not had lost a home date to rain this season (although one game was called with the scored tied 2-2 in the sixth inning due to inclement weather). In contrast, Lakeland has had nine home games lost due to weather – most in the FSL.
ROSTER MOVES ... Tyler Clark was promoted to AA Erie on Monday with Dan Bennett being added from West Michigan. Clark was 6-1 with nine saves and a miniscule 0.63 ERA for Lakeland. Bennett, a 19th round pick by Detroit in 2011 out of Florida State University, was 5-2 with 11 saves and a 2.68 ERA for the Whitecaps. On Tuesday, Matt Perry was activated from the disabled list.
PLAYOFFS? ... With just over three weeks left in the season, the Flying Tigers need to win the second half (or for Dunedin to catch fire) to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The winner of each half advances to the Florida State League Playoffs in September. Should the first half winner repeat as Division winner in the second half, the team with the best record in the Division earns a berth in the playoffs. Dunedin took the first half pennant with a 66-48 record, but is in fourth place with a 24-23 mark, 5.0 games out of first. Lakeland is in second place, 3.5 games behind Tampa, but just 1/2 game ahead of third place Brevard County. Following this series, Lakeland has six games left with Brevard County and Dunedin, four against Tampa (the last four games of the regular season) and a three-game set with Daytona. In the South Division, St. Lucie won the first half with Bradenton currently leading the second half. However, there are four teams within one-game of the Marauders.
RONDON CLIMBS ANOTHER STEP ... Bruce Rondon, who began the season in Lakeland and was promoted to AA Erie on June 20, has been given a ticket to AAA Toledo. The closer had 12 saves in 13 opportunities with the SeaWolves and posted an impressive 0.83 ERA in 21 games.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assignment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,733-1,585 record into the Daytona series.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 7-9)
THE SERIES .... After a seven-game home stand, Lakeland will have Monday, Aug. 6 off and then hit the road for six games starting with a three-game set at Daytona on Aug. 7-9. All three games are 7:05 pm starts and all games will be available on the internet at www.daytonacubs.com.
THE FLYING TIGERS (24-19 second half, 2nd, 1.5 GB, 60-48 overall) ... Lakeland pulled out a 4-3, 10-inning win over Clearwater on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the Threshers. The win is Lakeland’s fifth in a row and propels the team into second place in the North Division, 1.5 games behind Tampa. Tyler Collins is tenth in the Florida State League with a .299 average, second with 30 doubles and fifth with 118 hits. Luis Angel Sanz has moved into the top ten in the FSL rankings with a 3.54 ERA to place eighth and is tied for second with nine wins. Lakeland is second in the FSL with a .265 team batting average.
THE CUBS (20-24 second half, 6th, 6.0 GB, 50-62 overall) ... Daytona lost 4-2 at Dunedin on Sunday, falling for the third straight time after posting five consecutive wins. Rubi Silva and Arismendy Alcantara rank sixth and seventh in the FSL, respectively, with .303 and .302 batting averages. Silva is tied for first with 11 triples and is third with 123 hits. John Andreoli has six more stolen bases (44) than any other FSL player and ranks third with a .394 on-base percentage. Austin Kirk is second in the league with a 3.20 ERA to go with his 6-3 record. Matt Loosen is fifth with a 3.33 ERA while sitting atop the standings with 10 wins. His 96 strikeouts is fifth most in the league while his .190 opponents batting average is lowest of any FSL starter. Daytona leads the FSL with a .266 team batting average.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/07 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (0-0, 5.40 ERA) ... Carrillo joined Lakeland from AA Erie on July 30. His first appearance came on Aug. 1 when he came on to start the second inning for Al Aburquerque who was on a MLB rehab assignment. Carrillo worked 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Originally a first-round pick of the Padres in 2005, he made his major league debut for San Diego on Aug. 13, 2009. Carrillo signed with Detroit on June 12, 2012.
8/08 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.32 ERA) ... Burgos shutout Bradenton for 6.2 innings on his last start on Aug. 2 to win his eighth game of the year. Holding the Pirates to six hits, he struck out two and walked three. In his two starts prior to the Bradenton game, Burgos had allowed a total of 14 earned run on 13 hits with nine walks. Burgos is 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA vs. Daytona this season.
8/09 - LHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.63 ERA) ... VerHagen will be looking for his first win as a Flying Tiger. Since joining Lakeland on July 17, he lost his first two starts and did not factor into the decision in his last two. In his last outing on Aug. 3 against Clearwater, VerHagen came on in the first inning in relief of Drew Schlereth, who started the game as part of the MLB rehab assignment. VerHagen struck out five in that outing allowing one unearned on two hits in 3.2 innings.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won eight of the previous 12 meetings this season and won two out of three in each of the four previous series. Tyler Collins has 15 hits in the series with a .375 average. He has hit three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers to drive in a team-high 12 runs. James Robbins also has 15 hits with three home runs and eight RBI. Robbins has scored 10 runs, but has struck out 14 times in the series. Rubi Silva has a series-high 16 hits for Daytona for a .356 average with three triples and 12 runs batted in.
INSIDE THE CUBS ROSTER ... Daytona has added 19-year old Javier Baez to their roster and the former 2011 first-round pick (9th overall) will make his home debit on Aug. 7. Baez was hitting .333 with 12 homers, 22 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 57 games for Peoria, the Cub’s low-A affiliate. Austin Kirk was named to the 2012 Florida State League All-Star team while Ryan Searle, who is from Brisbane, Australia, was named to the FSL All-Star team in 2009. Five members of the Cubs were originally drafted by teams other than Chicago.
LOADED TEAM ... Daytona catcher Micah Gibbs, former Daytona second baseman DJ LeMahieu, former Dunedin Blue Jay second baseman, Ryan Schmipf, and former Charlotte Stone Crab infielder Mikie Mahtook, along with former Lakeland Flying Tigers pitchers Charlie Furbush and Nolan Cain all played for the 2009 Louisiana State University baseball team. With all that talent, it is no surprise that LSU team won the NCAA College World Series that season.
HO-HUM, ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER WALK-OFF ... Lakeland had played 43 home games this season before winning one with a walk-off hit. In the last seven games, the Flying Tigers have won three times with such a hit. Marcus Lemon delivered a game-winning hit in the bottom of the tenth on July 30 against Bradenton while Dean Green duplicated the feat two nights later, also against the Marauders. On Sunday, Wade Gaynor delivered the knock-out blow in the bottom of the tenth against Clearwater.
MARVELOUS MARCUS ... Marcus Lemon enters this series with a seven-game hit streak in which he is 16x35 (.457). In his last six games, he is an amazing 14x26 (.538) with eight runs scored. On Saturday, he scored a run and drove in two while on Sunday he scored twice and drove in a third run. Lemon has not struck out in his last 36 at bats.
TERRIFIC TYLER ... Tyler Collins has hits in each of the last five games, totalling 10 base knocks in 20 at bats for a .500 clip. He has scored four times and driven in seven runs.
HE-MAN HERNAN ... Hernan Perez has hits in four of his last five games and is 9x18 (.500) during those five games.
CLARK CONTINUES TO ROLL ... Tyler Clark has not been scored upon in his last 17 outings and just once in his last 26 appearances. Since moving into the closer role, Clark has a 2-1 record and is 8-for-8 in save opportunities.
MIGHTY CROUSE ... Matt Crouse has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last eight appearances out of the pen with seven strikeouts and just one walk. He is 2-0 with a save in those eight games.
LUCKY LUIS ... To say Luis Angel Sanz is dominant at home is an understatement. Sanz is a perfect 7-0 at home this season with a 2.89 ERA and has the most home wins for a Lakeland pitcher since Jonah Nickerson finished the 2008 season with a 7-1 home mark. Kevin Ardoin and Jeff Hahn were both 7-2 at home for the 2006 Lakeland club.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assisgnment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
THE POST NICK ERA ... The talk of the Detroit organization is Nick Castellanos, who began the season in Lakeland. With Castellanos playing third base, the Flying Tigers were 28-27 with a .266 team batting average. Since his promotion to AA Erie, the Flying Tigers have a 32-21 record and a .263 batting average.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,732-1,583 record into the Daytona series.
THE FLYING TIGERS (24-19 second half, 2nd, 1.5 GB, 60-48 overall) ... Lakeland pulled out a 4-3, 10-inning win over Clearwater on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the Threshers. The win is Lakeland’s fifth in a row and propels the team into second place in the North Division, 1.5 games behind Tampa. Tyler Collins is tenth in the Florida State League with a .299 average, second with 30 doubles and fifth with 118 hits. Luis Angel Sanz has moved into the top ten in the FSL rankings with a 3.54 ERA to place eighth and is tied for second with nine wins. Lakeland is second in the FSL with a .265 team batting average.
THE CUBS (20-24 second half, 6th, 6.0 GB, 50-62 overall) ... Daytona lost 4-2 at Dunedin on Sunday, falling for the third straight time after posting five consecutive wins. Rubi Silva and Arismendy Alcantara rank sixth and seventh in the FSL, respectively, with .303 and .302 batting averages. Silva is tied for first with 11 triples and is third with 123 hits. John Andreoli has six more stolen bases (44) than any other FSL player and ranks third with a .394 on-base percentage. Austin Kirk is second in the league with a 3.20 ERA to go with his 6-3 record. Matt Loosen is fifth with a 3.33 ERA while sitting atop the standings with 10 wins. His 96 strikeouts is fifth most in the league while his .190 opponents batting average is lowest of any FSL starter. Daytona leads the FSL with a .266 team batting average.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
8/07 - RHP Cesar Carrillo (0-0, 5.40 ERA) ... Carrillo joined Lakeland from AA Erie on July 30. His first appearance came on Aug. 1 when he came on to start the second inning for Al Aburquerque who was on a MLB rehab assignment. Carrillo worked 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Originally a first-round pick of the Padres in 2005, he made his major league debut for San Diego on Aug. 13, 2009. Carrillo signed with Detroit on June 12, 2012.
8/08 - LHP Alex Burgos (8-10, 5.32 ERA) ... Burgos shutout Bradenton for 6.2 innings on his last start on Aug. 2 to win his eighth game of the year. Holding the Pirates to six hits, he struck out two and walked three. In his two starts prior to the Bradenton game, Burgos had allowed a total of 14 earned run on 13 hits with nine walks. Burgos is 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA vs. Daytona this season.
8/09 - LHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 2.63 ERA) ... VerHagen will be looking for his first win as a Flying Tiger. Since joining Lakeland on July 17, he lost his first two starts and did not factor into the decision in his last two. In his last outing on Aug. 3 against Clearwater, VerHagen came on in the first inning in relief of Drew Schlereth, who started the game as part of the MLB rehab assignment. VerHagen struck out five in that outing allowing one unearned on two hits in 3.2 innings.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland has won eight of the previous 12 meetings this season and won two out of three in each of the four previous series. Tyler Collins has 15 hits in the series with a .375 average. He has hit three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers to drive in a team-high 12 runs. James Robbins also has 15 hits with three home runs and eight RBI. Robbins has scored 10 runs, but has struck out 14 times in the series. Rubi Silva has a series-high 16 hits for Daytona for a .356 average with three triples and 12 runs batted in.
INSIDE THE CUBS ROSTER ... Daytona has added 19-year old Javier Baez to their roster and the former 2011 first-round pick (9th overall) will make his home debit on Aug. 7. Baez was hitting .333 with 12 homers, 22 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 57 games for Peoria, the Cub’s low-A affiliate. Austin Kirk was named to the 2012 Florida State League All-Star team while Ryan Searle, who is from Brisbane, Australia, was named to the FSL All-Star team in 2009. Five members of the Cubs were originally drafted by teams other than Chicago.
LOADED TEAM ... Daytona catcher Micah Gibbs, former Daytona second baseman DJ LeMahieu, former Dunedin Blue Jay second baseman, Ryan Schmipf, and former Charlotte Stone Crab infielder Mikie Mahtook, along with former Lakeland Flying Tigers pitchers Charlie Furbush and Nolan Cain all played for the 2009 Louisiana State University baseball team. With all that talent, it is no surprise that LSU team won the NCAA College World Series that season.
HO-HUM, ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER WALK-OFF ... Lakeland had played 43 home games this season before winning one with a walk-off hit. In the last seven games, the Flying Tigers have won three times with such a hit. Marcus Lemon delivered a game-winning hit in the bottom of the tenth on July 30 against Bradenton while Dean Green duplicated the feat two nights later, also against the Marauders. On Sunday, Wade Gaynor delivered the knock-out blow in the bottom of the tenth against Clearwater.
MARVELOUS MARCUS ... Marcus Lemon enters this series with a seven-game hit streak in which he is 16x35 (.457). In his last six games, he is an amazing 14x26 (.538) with eight runs scored. On Saturday, he scored a run and drove in two while on Sunday he scored twice and drove in a third run. Lemon has not struck out in his last 36 at bats.
TERRIFIC TYLER ... Tyler Collins has hits in each of the last five games, totalling 10 base knocks in 20 at bats for a .500 clip. He has scored four times and driven in seven runs.
HE-MAN HERNAN ... Hernan Perez has hits in four of his last five games and is 9x18 (.500) during those five games.
CLARK CONTINUES TO ROLL ... Tyler Clark has not been scored upon in his last 17 outings and just once in his last 26 appearances. Since moving into the closer role, Clark has a 2-1 record and is 8-for-8 in save opportunities.
MIGHTY CROUSE ... Matt Crouse has allowed just two runs (both in the same game) in his last eight appearances out of the pen with seven strikeouts and just one walk. He is 2-0 with a save in those eight games.
LUCKY LUIS ... To say Luis Angel Sanz is dominant at home is an understatement. Sanz is a perfect 7-0 at home this season with a 2.89 ERA and has the most home wins for a Lakeland pitcher since Jonah Nickerson finished the 2008 season with a 7-1 home mark. Kevin Ardoin and Jeff Hahn were both 7-2 at home for the 2006 Lakeland club.
MLB REHAB ... Joining the Flying Tigers on a MLB rehab assisgnment is Detroit Tiger reliever Daniel Schlereth, who is working his way back from left shoulder tendinitis.
THE POST NICK ERA ... The talk of the Detroit organization is Nick Castellanos, who began the season in Lakeland. With Castellanos playing third base, the Flying Tigers were 28-27 with a .266 team batting average. Since his promotion to AA Erie, the Flying Tigers have a 32-21 record and a .263 batting average.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was just named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame, recorded his 1,700th victory as a minor league manager on Sunday, June 3 when the Flying Tigers posted an 11-1 win at Jupiter. He is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who became the winningest active manager in the minor leagues with Lakeland’s sixth win on April 19 of this year, brings a 1,732-1,583 record into the Daytona series.
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