THE SERIES .... Coming off a four-game set at Fort Myers, the Flying Tigers continue their swing into the South Division with a four-game series at home against the Palm Beach Cardinals. Game one is a 6:30 pm start on Tuesday with game three getting underway at 10:30 am on Wednesday in the second Education Day of the season. Game three is Thursday at 6:30 pm with the series finale Friday at 7:11 pm.
THE FLYING TIGERS (15-14, T3rd-North, 5.0 GB) ... After racking up nine wins in 13 games, Lakeland saw the wheels come off its express with back-to-back losses at Fort Myers. Taking game one comfortably by a 6-1 score, the Flying Tigers squeezed out a 4-3, 11-inning win in game two. The Miracle then got revenge in style with wins of 13-3 and 12-3 to even the series, collecting 30 hits in the two contests. Responsibility for the runs allowed was event split as the starters gave up 12 earned runs with the bullpen roughed up for 13 runs, 10 of them earned. Lakeland continues to lead the Florida State League with a .275 average.
THE CARDINALS (16-15, 2nd-South, 9.0 GB) ... Palm Beach is coming off three straight wins over Brevard County in its last series and have now won nine of the last 11 games. Mike O’Neill is second in the FSL with a .342 average - some 79 points behind Lakeland’s Nick Castellanos – while Jonathan Rodriguez is tops with 11 doubles. The Cardinals have three pitchers in the top ten in the league in Seth Maness (3-0, 1.32, 3rd); Richard Castillo (1-3, 1-42, 4th) and Carlos Martinez (2-1, 2.17, 9th). The Cardinals are fourth in the league with a .262 team average, but have hit just 10 home runs as a team – fewest in the league. Palm Beach has the third lowest earned run average in the FSL with a 3.12 mark.
PROBABLE STARTERS
5/08 - RHP Jacob Turner (0-2, 2.45) ... Lakeland fans will finally get their chance to see Jacob Turner pitch at Joker Marchant Stadium after making his first three appearances on the road. In his last outing on May 3 at Dunedin, he allowed four runs on five hits over 4.2 innings and struck out six and walked three in that outing. He is looking for his first win of 2012 after dropping his last two starts.
5/09 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (3-1, 3.75) ... Winner of his last three starts, Kevin Eichhorn is coming off his best start since his season debut. At Fort Myers on May 4, Eichhorn surrendered just one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks over 6.2 innings. In his previous start he worked a team-long 8.0 in a win over Daytona.
5/10 - LHP Brian Flynn (3-1, 3.63) ... Brian Flynn is looking to recapture the magic that allowed him to open the season with a 3-0 record and a 0.92 ERA. In his last three starts, he has a 0-1 record and a 7.20 ERA. He may have snapped out of his mini-slump with his performance in his last start, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Despite his efforts, he did not factor into the decision.
5/11 - LHP Shawn Teufel (1-2, 8.25 ERA) ... Shawn Teufel got a rude “welcome back” in his last start on May 6 at Fort Myers. After a two-game stint at AAA Toledo where he was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA, Teufel made his first start for Lakeland since April 15 and was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in just 2.2 innings of work. Teufel was 0-1 with an 8.44 in two starts versus Palm Beach in 2011.
LAST YEAR ... Palm Beach won five of the eight meetings last season, including the last three contests in Lakeland. The Cardinals cranked out five homers in a 10-3 win on July 26 in Lakeland.
DESERVED HONOR ... Nick Castellanos has been named the Florida State League player-of-the week for the week of April 30-May 6. The Flying Tiger third baseman went 13x28 for the week for a .464 average with two doubles, one homer and seven runs batted in. Castellanos brings a nine-game hit streak (17x35, .486) into this series and has hits in 27 of Lakeland’s 29 contests. He has had two or more hits in 15 games this season and continues to lead minor league baseball with a .421 average. He also leads the Florida State League with 48 hits, 68 total bases and a .489 on-base percentage.
ROCKIN’ ROBBINS ... James Robbins may want to play out his season at Hammond Stadium. In the four-game series at the home of the Miracle, the Flying Tiger first baseman went 10x18 (.556) with three hits in each of games one and three and two hits in each of games two and four. He also knocked in five runs with three doubles and a homer.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS? ... Kevin Eichhorn has a 0.71 ERA in his first outing of a month in April and May. In his season debut on April 6, Eichhorn allowed one unearned run over 6.0 innings with four strikeouts. In his first appearance of May, he allowed one earned run with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings. For the rest of April, Eichhorn had a 5.40 ERA.
HIM AGAIN? ... Fort Myers’ Anderson Hidalgo slugged a grand slam in a six-run fifth inning on Monday. It was the first grand slam allowed by Lakeland this season and the first allowed since ... the same Anderson Hidalgo hit one on July 20, 2011.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING ... Although it may have not in the traditional sense, Lakeland manager Dave Huppert finally went to his bench for the first two pinch-hitters of the season. Down 10 runs in the eighth, Huppert sent Matt Perry up to the plate for Dixon Machado and then followed with Edgar Corcino subbing for Nick Castellanos. Corcino, who has since been sent back to extended spring training, fared better at the plate with a single while Perry struck out.
WHERE’S THE GOOSE EGG? ... Lakeland and Daytona are the only two teams yet to shut out an opponent this season. St. Lucie, which has the league’s best record at 25-6, has tossed six shutouts in 31 games.
ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... Daniel Fields was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 2 and Wade Gaynor was added to the roster on May 7 from AA Erie.
YO-YO MAN ... Edgar Corcino sure knows the way to and from the back fields of Tiger Town. The Tiger infielder was added to the Lakeland roster from extended spring training on May 1 only to return on May 2. The next day on May 3, he made the trip back across the landing strip to the Flying Tigers. After an extended stay of four days, he once again rejoined his Connecticut teammates on the back fields. To add a little salt to the wound, Corcino had homered in his only start for Lakeland.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. Huppert, who entered the 2012 season as the second winningest active minor league manager, brings a 1,687-1,549 record into the Palm Beach series.
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