THE SERIES .... Call it a sandwich series with a top heavy bun. The series begins on Monday, July 23 with a 5 pm doubleheader at Tampa’s George Steinbrenner Field. The twinbill was forced when a June 22 game between the two clubs was rained out. The two clubs then head to Lakeland for game two on Tuesday, July 24 for a 6:30 pm game with the series finale slated for Wednesday, July 25 in Tampa at 7 pm.
THE FLYING TIGERS (16-12 second half, T-2nd, 0.5 GB, 52-41 overall) ... Lakeland split its four-game series with Fort Myers over the weekend winning the opening and closing game while dropping the two middle contests. All four games were decided by two runs or less. The Flying Tigers are 3-3 in their last six games and now trail co-leaders Clearwater and Tampa by 0.5 games. Lakeland still is the top hitting team in the Florida State League with a .265 team batting average.
THE YANKEES (17-12 second half, T-1st, 0.0 GB, 47-49 overall) ... Tampa dropped three straight to Bradenton over the weekend with Sunday’s game being rained out. Prior to the three losses, the Yankees had won four in a row and eight of nine. Ramon Flores leads the league with 112 hits and is fourth with 153 total bases while leading the Yankees with a .296 average. Kyle Roller leads Tampa with 14 homers and 57 rubs batted in. Tampa is seventh in the FSL with a .254 team batting average
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
7/23 GM 1 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-1, 2.45 ERA) ... VerHagen will be making his second start since joining the club on July 17. In his Lakeland debut on July 18 at Palm Beach, he worked 3.2 innings, holding the Cardinals to one run on one hit with a strikeout and a pair of walks. VerHagen took the loss in that game as Lakeland was shutout 1-0.
7/23 GM2 - LHP Alex Burgos (7-8, 4.86 ERA) ... Alex Burgos has three wins in his last four starts with a 2.59 ERA. He has struck out 21 batters in the four games and walked three in each outing. In his last start on July 18 at Palm Beach, Burgos limited the Cards to three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks, but did not factor in the decision.
7/24 - RHP Luis Angel Sanz (7-3, 4.26 ERA) ... Sanz has won his last three starts with a 2.12 ERA. In his last start on July 19 at home against Fort Myers, he surrendered just one run on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks. He is a perfect 5-0 at home this season with a 4.00 earned run average while going 2-3 with a 4.50 mark on the road.
7/25 - RHP Brian Stroud (1-3, 3.89 ERA) ... After not allowing a run and just a combined three hits in back-to-back starts, Stroud was tagged for six runs on seven hits in just 2.2 innings in his last start on July 20 at home against Fort Myers. He is 1-1 on the road with a 2.67 ERA while posting an 0-2 mark at home with a 5.82 earned run average.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won the first seven games of the series with Tampa taking three of the last five contests. The Flying Tigers have batted .272 in the series with Nick Castellanos, now at AA Erie, collecting 28 base hits. Tyler Collins has added 13 hits with Dixon Machado contributing 11 hits. Alex Burgos (5.40) and Brian Flynn (2.28) each have a 2-1 record in the series with the pitching staff combining for a 2.92 ERA. Tampa’s Kelvin Castro and Rob Segedin each have had 13 hits in the 12 games while Ramon Flores and JR Murphy each have had 12 hits as the Yankees have a .273 average in the series.
JOBA THE REHAB ... New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain is currently on a rehab assignment with Tampa and is expected to start Tuesday’s game in Lakeland. The 6’2”, 250 pound pitcher is coming back from elbow and ankle surgeries.
INSIDE THE YANKEE ROSTER ... Tampa manager Luis Sojo has the most career wins of any Florida State League manager with 418 ... pitcher Thomas Kahnle helped pitch Lynn University to the 2009 NCAA Division II national championship ... outfielder Slade Heathcott was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2009 out of Texas High School.
UP & DOWN ... Marcus Lemon has eight hits the last six games, but has not had hits in back-to-back games in that stretch. He had two hits in game one a doubleheader on July 14 and went hitless in game two. The next night, he again had two hits and followed that by not getting a hit the next game. On July 21, he collected a season-high four hits, but was held hitless on July 22.
FLYING HIGH ... Tyler Collins has hits in five straight games and is 6x17 (.353) during that stretch with one RBI in each of the five games. Collins is tied for second in the FSL with 28 doubles ... Daniel Fields has seven hits in his last four games and has hits in 13 of his last 15 games (19x54, .352) dating back to July 7 ... Wade Gaynor has hits in five straight games (6x21, .286) and seven of his last eight games ... Dixon Machado has hits in six straight games and is 10x23 (.435) ... Tyler Clark has not allowed a run in his last 13 appearances and has seven saves in that stretch and leads FSL relievers with an .140 opponents batting average ... Victor Larez has not allowed an earned run in his last 13 outings ... Ryan Woolley has been touched for just one earned run over his last six appearances.
GROUNDED ... Curt Casali is 2x13 (.154) his last four games ... Luis Castillo is 2x14 (.143) his last four games and 6x36 (.167) since July 14 ... Dixon Machado has five hits in his last 25 at bats (200) ... Adolfo Reina is 4x28 (.143) his last nine games dating back to July 5 ... James Robbins is 6x39 (.154) with 18 strikeouts in the last 11 games dating back to July 11 ... Shawn Teufel has surrendered 20 earned run over his last six starts for a 7.20 ERA with 19 walks ... Tyler White has given up eight earned runs over 3.0 innings in his last three appearances.
DO YOU COME FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER? ... Detroit went to the Great Outback for the latest addition to the Flying Tigers roster in pitcher Warwick Saupold. The 6’2” righthander pitcher was signed in January from the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League where he once was a 2010 teammate of former Flying Tiger Brendan Wise. Saupold joins Lakeland from West Michigan where he struck out 58 batters in 58 innings while walking just 10 batters.
ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... In addition to Warwick Saupold, the Flying Tigers also welcomed 1B/DH Dean Green to the squad. The 6’4”, 255 pound first baseman/DH was an 11th round pick of Detroit in 2011 out of Barry University in Miami. Green was the Connecticut Player of the Year in 2011 and is working his way back from right elbow inflammation which forced him to the disabled list while at West Michigan. Pitcher Brian Flynn was promoted to AA Erie on July 19 while Lance Durham was sent to West Michigan on July 20.
FIELDS MOVES UP ... Daniel Fields, now in his third season with Lakeland, ranks fifth on the Lakeland all-time games played list with 284. Next up for Field is Basilio Cabrera’s fourth place mark of 298 games played in 1988, 1989 and 1991. The Lakeland Tiger record for games played is held by Ron Marigny who participated in 371 games from 1987-91.
UP NEXT ... Following this series, Lakeland travels to St. Lucie for a four-game set against the Mets on July 26-29. The next home game for Lakeland is Monday, June 30 against the Bradenton Marauders.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE MANAGER ... Manager Dave Huppert 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 1,724-1,578 record into the Tampa series.
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