THE SERIES .... These two clubs open their three-game set with a 7:05 pm game at Daytona on Saturday before returning to Lakeland for the first Sunday afternoon game. (1 pm start). The series concludes Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium in the first of two Education Days hosted by the Flying Tigers. All three games can be heard on the Cub’s internet broadcasts. Visit www.daytonacubs.com for details.
THE FLYING TIGERS (10-9, 2nd place, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a series win over North Division leading Dunedin. After dropping the first game, the Flying Tigers powered back with 9-6 and 6-4 wins. Lakeland has now won two in a row and four of their last five and has climbed into second place in the North Division. The club is tops in the FSL with a .280 batting average, some 21 points higher than the next team and is tied with two other teams for second with 92 runs scored. The Flying Tigers are also the top basestealing team with 29 swipes. Lakeland has a 3.58 staff ERA to rank fifth in the league.
THE CUBS (6-15, 6th place, 10.0 GB) ... Daytona fell 4-3 at Clearwater on Friday, losing for the second straight game and fourth time in the last five games. The Cubs rank seventh in the league with a .242 average and are tied with Lakeland and St. Lucie with 92 runs scored. Daytona has the highest earned run average in the league with a 4.36 mark. Rubi Silva leads the Cubs with a .328 average (which ranks fifth in the FSL) while John Andreoli is second with a .308 mark (and ranks third in the FSL with a .446 on-base percentage. Greg Rohan has hit the most homers of anyone in the league with five while also leading with 23 runs batted in and ranking third with .537 slugging percentage. Matt Szczur has swiped a league-leading 11 bases and is tied for the FSL lead with 18 runs scored.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/28 - LAK: Jacob Turner (0-0, 0.00) ... Jacob Turner is making his second start of the season after shutting down in spring training with tendonitis in his throwing shoulder. In his first start on April 23 at Daytona, Turner threw 4.0 no-hit shutout innings at the Cubs.
4/29 - LAK: Kevin Eichhorn (1-1, 4.22) ... Kevin Eichhorn earned his first win of 2012 on April 24 against Daytona in Lakeland, working 6.1 innings. He allowed three runs on nine hits, but struck out five and walked just one. This will be just the second home start for Eichhorn who has three road starts.
4/30 - LAK: Brian Flynn (1-3, 4.43) ... After opening the season with three straight wins, Brian Flynn tasted defeat for the first time in his last outing on April 25 at home versus Daytona. The Cubs tagged Flynn for five earned runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Flynn entered that game with a 3-0 mark and a 0.92 ERA.
THIS YEAR ... Lakeland won two of three games earlier this season, splitting the two games in Daytona (2-6 and 7-2) and winning in Lakeland 13-5. Nick Castellanos led the Flying Tigers with a 6x13 series driving in four runs while Avisail Garcia was 5x13 with three RBI. James Robbins hit two solo homers for Lakeland on April 24. Rubi Silva and Matthew Szczur each had four hits for the Cubs in the series.
SCORING BIG ... Although four runs may not sound like a lot, Lakeland is 8-2 when crossing the plate four or more times in a game. When the Flyings are held to three runs or less, their record drops to 2-7. In games in which the Lakeland pitchers have allowed four or more runs the team is 2-7. When holding foes to three or less runs, the record is 7-1.
TOP THREE ... Lakeland boasts the top three hitters in the Florida State League in Nick Castellanos (.413), Avisail Garcia (.384) and Tyler Collins (.356). Castellanos and Garcia have traded the league lead over the past three games with Castellanos retaking the lead after a 4x5 effort on Friday. The Flying Tiger third baseman leads the FSL with 31 hits, eight doubles and a .560 slugging percentage while ranking second with a .452 on-base percentage and third with 42 stolen bases. Garcia is second in the FSL with 28 base knocks, fourth with a .430 on-base percentage, and fifth with a .507 slugging mark. Collins is fifth with a .427 mark.
CLAWING AT THE PLATE ... The Flying Tigers must think the baseball coming across home plate is the size of a grapefruit as the club has rapped on 81 hits (245 AB) over the last seven games for a .331 clip.
EIGHT IS GREAT ... Nick Castellanos went 4x5 in Friday’s game to extend his hit streak to eight games. The Flying Tiger third baseman is 15x32 during the streak for a .469 tear with six doubles and seven runs batted in. Castellanos has hit in 18 of Lakeland’s 19 games this season.
ANOTHER AT EIGHT ... Avisail Garcia has also hit safely in his last eight games including five games with two or more hits. The 20-year old outfielder is 14x33 for a .424 average with two doubles, a triple and a pair homers. He has also scored eight runs and driven in seven runs.
COOL COLLINS ... Tyler Collins has hit safely in his last five games with nine hits (22 AB), including four doubles, for a .409 mark.
DANDY DAN ... Although he was a last minute line-up scratch on Friday, Daniel Fields has hits in five straight games with two doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. He is second in the FSL with eight stolen bases.
JAMES McCANN CAN ... Catcher James McCann has hits in each of his last four games and is 9x15 for a hefty .600 average with three doubles and two stolen bases for six runs scored in that span.
TWIN-BAGGERS ... Lakeland has hit at least two doubles in seven of the last eight games and has 22 doubles in those seven contests.
TO THE VICTOR GOES THE WIN ... Reliever Victor Larez tossed four shutout innings at Dunedin on Friday to pick up his first win of the season. The 6-foot-3 righthander struck out a season-high six batters and held the Blue Jays to just two hits.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,682-1,544 record into the Daytona series.
ALUMNI SHUFFLIN’ ... On Thursday, Brayan Villarreal and Luke Putkonen were both called up to the majors while Adam Wilk and Thad Weber were sent down to Toledo. Rawley Bishop, who was hitting .293 with AA Erie, has earned a trip to AAA Toledo on April 27 to take the roster spot vacated with Brad Eldred’s addition to the big league roster. In addition, Brent Wyatt, has announced his retirement. Wyatt had played in the Tigers’ organization since 2008 including two seasons in Lakeland in 2010 and 2011.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (April 25-27)
THE FLYING TIGERS (8-8, 6.0 GB) ... Lakeland has won two in a row and three of their last four games. Last night, the Flying Tigers collected 17 hits to go with 11 walks en route to a 13-5 win over Daytona. James Robbins led the hit parade with two homers and a single while Nick Castellanos had three singles. Tyler Collins also had three hits, including two doubles while Avisail Garcia, Luis Alberto Sanz and Dixon Machado each singled and doubled. Daniel Fields added three stolen bases and Sanz scored three times. Lakeland is the top-hitting team in the Florida State League with a .270 average – six points higher than the second place team – and has stolen a league best 25 bases. Flying Tigers pitchers have struck out 98 batters, the second lowest total in the FSL. Lakeland has a .968 fielding percentage – second lowest in the league and has committed 20 errors – second most of any FSL team.
THE BLUE JAYS (15-3, 0.0 GB) ... One of two teams in the FSL with a 15-3 record, Dunedin has won two in a row, eight of the last nine and 13 of the last 15 games. Remarkably, the Blue Jays are the second worst hitting team in the Florida State League with a .237 team average. The strength of the team has been the pitching which is second in the FSL with a 2.63 ERA and a league-best 10 saves. Jon Talley leads the league with a .465 on-base percentage and is fourth with a .345 average while Marcus Knecht is fourth with 14 RBI. Michael Crouse is tied for third with six stolen bases and Kevin Nolan is tied for third with 22 hits. Reliever Danny Barnes leads all minor league relievers with eight saves while Shawn Griffith is one of five pitchers in the league with five wins.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/25 - LAK: Brian Flynn (3-0, 0.92) vs. DUN: Sam Dyson (1-0. 4.30) ... Brian Flynn has won each of three starts ... went season-long 7.0 innings on 4/19 vs. Clearwater ... allowed one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in that game ... has 12 strikeouts and two walks in 19.2 innings.
4/26 - LAK: TBA vs. DUN: Randy Boone (0-0, 0.00)
4/27 - LAK: Alex Burgos (1-3, 4.43) vs. DUN: John Stilson (0-0, 1.42) ... Alex Burgos was tagged for five runs on six hits with five walks in last start on 4/22 at Daytona ... dropped three straight starts ... has allowed two or more runs in each start ... struck out 17 in first three games but none in his last start.
LAST YEAR ... The two clubs split their 18 games last season with Lakeland taking five of the nine in Lakeland ad the Blue Jays returning the favor taking wins in five of nine games played in Dunedin.
FSL HONOR ... Dunedin’s Sean Nolin was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 15. The 6’5” lefty was 2-0 that week with wins over Clearwater and Brevard County in which he did not allow a run over 11.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks.
JUST A GREAT NAME ... No reason to mention pitcher Jared Potts other than he goes by “Boomer” Potts. (I guess he could be mentioned for not allowing a run and only one hits in his nine appearances to far this season.)
AAA WIN ... Shawn Teufel was called up from Lakeland on Sunday to start for the AAA Mud Hens in Toledo. He allowed two earned runs over 5.1 innings on four hits and five walks, but picked up the win. Teufel also got a win for Toledo in 2011, beating Buffalo, a team managed by his father, Tim Teufel.
TOP SPOT ... Lakeland sports the top hitter in the Florida State League in Nick Castellanos. He is tops with a .403 average and has a league-high 25 base hits and is third with a .443 on-base percentage. His .548 slugging percentage is second in the league. Castellanos is 9x19 (.474) his last five games and has base hits in 17 of 18 games this season, including eight games with two or more hits.
WIN LIKE FLYNN ... Brian Flynn is a perfect 3-0 this season, and is third in the Florida State League with a 0.92 earned run average. He is one of five starters tied for the FSL lead with three wins and is third in the league with 0.82 walks per nine innings. His 7.32 baserunners allowed per nine innings is second fewest in the Florida State League.
JUST ONE ... Matt Crouse and Tyler Clark have each allowed just one hit this season. Crouse leads all league relievers with a .038 opponents’ batting average while Clark is second with a .056 mark. Among relievers, Crouse has allowed a league-low 3.12 baserunners per nine innings and Clark is third with 5.40 runners allowed per game.
NICE DEBUT ... Jacob Turner was with the big league club in spring training this year before tendonitis in his throwing shoulder shut him down. He has worked his way back and made his first appearance of the year on Monday at Daytona. Turner held the Cubs scoreless thru 4.0 innings of no-hit ball.
NUMBER TWO ... Avisail Garcia is second in the league with a .361 mark and is third with 22 hits. He is 8x21 (.381) over his last six games and has hits in 13 of his 15 games played with eight games with two or more hits.
THIRD IN TOP FIVE ... Tyler Collins is fifth in the FSL with a . 344 mark. On Tuesday, he collected three hits in a game for a fifth time this season. He began the season knocking out three hits in each of his first four games.
THRICE IS NICE ... Daniel Fields came into Tuesday’s game with four stolen bases in 15 games. Against Daytona, the speedy centerfielder swiped three bases to take over the team lead with seven on the year. His seven stolen bases places him second in the FSL, one behind the leader.
FOUR BAGGER TIMES TWO ... James Robbins hit his first homer of the year on Tuesday against Daytona, leading off the second inning with a dinger to right field. Six innings later, he again led off an inning, taking a 1-1 pitch deep over the right field fence to take over the team lead with two home runs.
SANZ I and SANZ II ... Pitcher Luis Angel Sanz and catcher Luis Alberto Sanz made a unique baseball happening on Tuesday night as brother duo formed the battery for Lakeland in the ninth inning against Daytona. Luis Alberto made the most of his fourth game started, scoring three times for Lakeland, becoming the first Flying Tiger this season to cross the plate three times in a game.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,680-1,543 record into the Dunedin series.
THE BLUE JAYS (15-3, 0.0 GB) ... One of two teams in the FSL with a 15-3 record, Dunedin has won two in a row, eight of the last nine and 13 of the last 15 games. Remarkably, the Blue Jays are the second worst hitting team in the Florida State League with a .237 team average. The strength of the team has been the pitching which is second in the FSL with a 2.63 ERA and a league-best 10 saves. Jon Talley leads the league with a .465 on-base percentage and is fourth with a .345 average while Marcus Knecht is fourth with 14 RBI. Michael Crouse is tied for third with six stolen bases and Kevin Nolan is tied for third with 22 hits. Reliever Danny Barnes leads all minor league relievers with eight saves while Shawn Griffith is one of five pitchers in the league with five wins.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/25 - LAK: Brian Flynn (3-0, 0.92) vs. DUN: Sam Dyson (1-0. 4.30) ... Brian Flynn has won each of three starts ... went season-long 7.0 innings on 4/19 vs. Clearwater ... allowed one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in that game ... has 12 strikeouts and two walks in 19.2 innings.
4/26 - LAK: TBA vs. DUN: Randy Boone (0-0, 0.00)
4/27 - LAK: Alex Burgos (1-3, 4.43) vs. DUN: John Stilson (0-0, 1.42) ... Alex Burgos was tagged for five runs on six hits with five walks in last start on 4/22 at Daytona ... dropped three straight starts ... has allowed two or more runs in each start ... struck out 17 in first three games but none in his last start.
LAST YEAR ... The two clubs split their 18 games last season with Lakeland taking five of the nine in Lakeland ad the Blue Jays returning the favor taking wins in five of nine games played in Dunedin.
FSL HONOR ... Dunedin’s Sean Nolin was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 15. The 6’5” lefty was 2-0 that week with wins over Clearwater and Brevard County in which he did not allow a run over 11.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks.
JUST A GREAT NAME ... No reason to mention pitcher Jared Potts other than he goes by “Boomer” Potts. (I guess he could be mentioned for not allowing a run and only one hits in his nine appearances to far this season.)
AAA WIN ... Shawn Teufel was called up from Lakeland on Sunday to start for the AAA Mud Hens in Toledo. He allowed two earned runs over 5.1 innings on four hits and five walks, but picked up the win. Teufel also got a win for Toledo in 2011, beating Buffalo, a team managed by his father, Tim Teufel.
TOP SPOT ... Lakeland sports the top hitter in the Florida State League in Nick Castellanos. He is tops with a .403 average and has a league-high 25 base hits and is third with a .443 on-base percentage. His .548 slugging percentage is second in the league. Castellanos is 9x19 (.474) his last five games and has base hits in 17 of 18 games this season, including eight games with two or more hits.
WIN LIKE FLYNN ... Brian Flynn is a perfect 3-0 this season, and is third in the Florida State League with a 0.92 earned run average. He is one of five starters tied for the FSL lead with three wins and is third in the league with 0.82 walks per nine innings. His 7.32 baserunners allowed per nine innings is second fewest in the Florida State League.
JUST ONE ... Matt Crouse and Tyler Clark have each allowed just one hit this season. Crouse leads all league relievers with a .038 opponents’ batting average while Clark is second with a .056 mark. Among relievers, Crouse has allowed a league-low 3.12 baserunners per nine innings and Clark is third with 5.40 runners allowed per game.
NICE DEBUT ... Jacob Turner was with the big league club in spring training this year before tendonitis in his throwing shoulder shut him down. He has worked his way back and made his first appearance of the year on Monday at Daytona. Turner held the Cubs scoreless thru 4.0 innings of no-hit ball.
NUMBER TWO ... Avisail Garcia is second in the league with a .361 mark and is third with 22 hits. He is 8x21 (.381) over his last six games and has hits in 13 of his 15 games played with eight games with two or more hits.
THIRD IN TOP FIVE ... Tyler Collins is fifth in the FSL with a . 344 mark. On Tuesday, he collected three hits in a game for a fifth time this season. He began the season knocking out three hits in each of his first four games.
THRICE IS NICE ... Daniel Fields came into Tuesday’s game with four stolen bases in 15 games. Against Daytona, the speedy centerfielder swiped three bases to take over the team lead with seven on the year. His seven stolen bases places him second in the FSL, one behind the leader.
FOUR BAGGER TIMES TWO ... James Robbins hit his first homer of the year on Tuesday against Daytona, leading off the second inning with a dinger to right field. Six innings later, he again led off an inning, taking a 1-1 pitch deep over the right field fence to take over the team lead with two home runs.
SANZ I and SANZ II ... Pitcher Luis Angel Sanz and catcher Luis Alberto Sanz made a unique baseball happening on Tuesday night as brother duo formed the battery for Lakeland in the ninth inning against Daytona. Luis Alberto made the most of his fourth game started, scoring three times for Lakeland, becoming the first Flying Tiger this season to cross the plate three times in a game.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,680-1,543 record into the Dunedin series.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Apr. 22-24)
THE FLYING TIGERS (6-7, 6.0 GB) ... Lakeland scored early and often in its last game on Thursday against Clearwater, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after three innings, and then coasting to a 7-1 victory. Wade Gaynor homered and doubled on his birthday while Avisail Garcia, Hernan Perez and James McCann all had two hits a piece for the Flying Tigers. Lakeland has split it last six games since starting the season 3-4.
THE CUBS (4-11, 9.0 GB) ... After opening the season with just two wins in the first 13 games, Daytona has won two straight. The Cubs, who did not score more than seven runs in any of the first 13 games, won Friday’s game, 9-2, versus Tampa and Saturday’s game against the Yankees by a 13-2 score. Greg Rohan leads the FSL with four homers – one more than Lakeland has a team – and also leads the league with 14 runs batted in.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/22 - LAK: Shawn Teufel (1-1, 4.82) ... making his third start ... allowed three earned runs on six hits in 4.0 inning start on April 10 against Brevard ... gave up two earned runs on four hits in 5.1 innings in second outing versus Brevard on April 15 ... lefties hit .412 and have scored five runs versus Teufel while righties are batting just .167 so far.
4/23 - LAK: Alex Burgos (1-2, 3.18) ... making his fourth start ... has lost his last two decisions ... allowed two earned runs in each of his first three starts ... stuck out season-high seven batters in 6.0 innings on April 11 vs. Brevard County ... lefties are batting .160 vs. Burgos while righthanders are hitting .286 against him.
4/24 - Mark Eichhorn (0-1, 4.20 ) ... making his fourth start ... lost his last outing, allowing three runs on six hits in 4.0 innings after getting a no-decision in his first two starts ... longest outing of 6.0 innings game in his first start on April 6 at Tampa in which he struck out a season-high four batters while allowing six hits and one unearned run.
LAST YEAR ... Lakeland won 11 of the 17 meetings between the two clubs last season. The Flying Tigers were 6-2 in Lakeland but were 5-4 in Daytona.
RAINED OUT SERIES ... Lakeland will be looking to play its first game since Thursday night. Friday’s game in Lakeland against Clearwater was called due to wet grounds, forcing a Saturday doubleheader which was called off in the afternoon with the threat of heavy storms in the evening. The games will not be made up as the two teams do not play again in the first half.
ON THE OFFENSIVE ... This series sports five of the top six hitters in the Florida State League, including the top three in Lakeland’s Nick Castellanos (.388), Daytona’s Rubi Silva (.386) and the Flying Tigers’ Avisail Garcia (.354). The Cubs’ John Andreoli is fifth with a .333 mark while Lakeland’s Tyler Collins is sixth with a .333 mark.
IN LIKE FLYNN ... Lakeland’s Brian Flynn is a perfect 3-0 on the season with a 0.92 ERA, which ranks fifth in the Florida State League. His three wins is tied for the league lead.
NICK IN TIME ... Nick Castellanos began the season with a 10-game hit streak in which he was 16x39 (.410). After seeing his streak snapped on April 16, he has hits in each of his last two games with two doubles. Castellanos has been consistent at the plate, batting .389 vs. lefties and .387 vs. right handers.
HIT A WALL ... Daniel Fields had hits in each of his first nine games in which he was 13x39 (.333), but has been held hitless in each of his last four games, going 0x17 in those contests. He had struck out nine times in the first nine games, but has K’ed eight times in the last four games.
SAILING AGAINST SOUTHPAWS ... Avisail Garcia has a lofty .421 average (8x19) against left handers, but .310 versus right handers. Garcia is tied for first with an FSL-best five stolen bases.
QUICK RISE ... Lakeland’s Drew Smyly tossed 7.0 no-hit innings in a start at Daytona on June 8 of last season as the Flying Tigers posted a 4-0 win on the road. Smyly, now with the big club, is scheduled to make his third start on Sunday. He is 0-0 with a 0.90 ERA with 8 strikeouts and 4 walks in 1.0 innings with one earned run on 11 hits in his two previous starts.
TWICE AS NICE AT HOME ... Wade Gaynor is hitting just .150 on the road (3x20), but has a .300 mark at home (6x20).
McCANN CAN ... James McCann had just four hits in his first seven games, but has equalled that mark with four hits in his last three games.
SWING AND A MISS ... Flying Tiger batters have struck out 48 times over the last six games while walking just eight times.
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS ... The Lakeland bullpen has allowed just three runs over the last 18.2 innings over six games for a 1.45 ERA. The relievers have also struck out 27 batters and walked eight while allowing 10 hits in those contests. Tyler Clark has allowed one hit in 5.0 innings over his three outings while Matt Crouse also has allowed just one hit over his three appearances and 7.2 innings pitched.
WHERE’S THE POWER? ... Nick Castellanos, Daniel Fields, and Wade Gaynor are the only Flying Tigers to have homered in the first 13 games of 2012. A year ago, the squad had hit eight homers in the first 13 games.
DO’IN THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Patrick Cooper started the season in Lakeland and picked up a save in his only appearance on April 6. On April 11, he was promoted to AA Erie with Luis Angel Sanz coming to Lakeland from West Michigan. The next night, Cooper tossed 1.1 innings for the SeaWolves, giving up one run on two hits. On April 16, Cooper rejoined Lakeland where he threw 3.0 shutout innings that evening against Brevard County. Sanz, meanwhile, was sent back to the Whitecaps. Three days later, on April 19, Cooper headed north once again to rejoin Erie. The next day, April 20, Sanz rejoined Lakeland.
MORE MOVES ... Ryan Woolley was added to the Lakeland roster from West Michigan on April 19, taking Patrick Cooper’s spot. Woolley was 0-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four appearances, striking out eight and walking two in 7.1 innings for the Whitecaps. On April 20, Mark Sorensen earned a promotion to AA Erie with Luis Angel Sanz taking the roster spot.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,678-1,542 record into the Daytona series.
THE CUBS (4-11, 9.0 GB) ... After opening the season with just two wins in the first 13 games, Daytona has won two straight. The Cubs, who did not score more than seven runs in any of the first 13 games, won Friday’s game, 9-2, versus Tampa and Saturday’s game against the Yankees by a 13-2 score. Greg Rohan leads the FSL with four homers – one more than Lakeland has a team – and also leads the league with 14 runs batted in.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/22 - LAK: Shawn Teufel (1-1, 4.82) ... making his third start ... allowed three earned runs on six hits in 4.0 inning start on April 10 against Brevard ... gave up two earned runs on four hits in 5.1 innings in second outing versus Brevard on April 15 ... lefties hit .412 and have scored five runs versus Teufel while righties are batting just .167 so far.
4/23 - LAK: Alex Burgos (1-2, 3.18) ... making his fourth start ... has lost his last two decisions ... allowed two earned runs in each of his first three starts ... stuck out season-high seven batters in 6.0 innings on April 11 vs. Brevard County ... lefties are batting .160 vs. Burgos while righthanders are hitting .286 against him.
4/24 - Mark Eichhorn (0-1, 4.20 ) ... making his fourth start ... lost his last outing, allowing three runs on six hits in 4.0 innings after getting a no-decision in his first two starts ... longest outing of 6.0 innings game in his first start on April 6 at Tampa in which he struck out a season-high four batters while allowing six hits and one unearned run.
LAST YEAR ... Lakeland won 11 of the 17 meetings between the two clubs last season. The Flying Tigers were 6-2 in Lakeland but were 5-4 in Daytona.
RAINED OUT SERIES ... Lakeland will be looking to play its first game since Thursday night. Friday’s game in Lakeland against Clearwater was called due to wet grounds, forcing a Saturday doubleheader which was called off in the afternoon with the threat of heavy storms in the evening. The games will not be made up as the two teams do not play again in the first half.
ON THE OFFENSIVE ... This series sports five of the top six hitters in the Florida State League, including the top three in Lakeland’s Nick Castellanos (.388), Daytona’s Rubi Silva (.386) and the Flying Tigers’ Avisail Garcia (.354). The Cubs’ John Andreoli is fifth with a .333 mark while Lakeland’s Tyler Collins is sixth with a .333 mark.
IN LIKE FLYNN ... Lakeland’s Brian Flynn is a perfect 3-0 on the season with a 0.92 ERA, which ranks fifth in the Florida State League. His three wins is tied for the league lead.
NICK IN TIME ... Nick Castellanos began the season with a 10-game hit streak in which he was 16x39 (.410). After seeing his streak snapped on April 16, he has hits in each of his last two games with two doubles. Castellanos has been consistent at the plate, batting .389 vs. lefties and .387 vs. right handers.
HIT A WALL ... Daniel Fields had hits in each of his first nine games in which he was 13x39 (.333), but has been held hitless in each of his last four games, going 0x17 in those contests. He had struck out nine times in the first nine games, but has K’ed eight times in the last four games.
SAILING AGAINST SOUTHPAWS ... Avisail Garcia has a lofty .421 average (8x19) against left handers, but .310 versus right handers. Garcia is tied for first with an FSL-best five stolen bases.
QUICK RISE ... Lakeland’s Drew Smyly tossed 7.0 no-hit innings in a start at Daytona on June 8 of last season as the Flying Tigers posted a 4-0 win on the road. Smyly, now with the big club, is scheduled to make his third start on Sunday. He is 0-0 with a 0.90 ERA with 8 strikeouts and 4 walks in 1.0 innings with one earned run on 11 hits in his two previous starts.
TWICE AS NICE AT HOME ... Wade Gaynor is hitting just .150 on the road (3x20), but has a .300 mark at home (6x20).
McCANN CAN ... James McCann had just four hits in his first seven games, but has equalled that mark with four hits in his last three games.
SWING AND A MISS ... Flying Tiger batters have struck out 48 times over the last six games while walking just eight times.
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS ... The Lakeland bullpen has allowed just three runs over the last 18.2 innings over six games for a 1.45 ERA. The relievers have also struck out 27 batters and walked eight while allowing 10 hits in those contests. Tyler Clark has allowed one hit in 5.0 innings over his three outings while Matt Crouse also has allowed just one hit over his three appearances and 7.2 innings pitched.
WHERE’S THE POWER? ... Nick Castellanos, Daniel Fields, and Wade Gaynor are the only Flying Tigers to have homered in the first 13 games of 2012. A year ago, the squad had hit eight homers in the first 13 games.
DO’IN THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Patrick Cooper started the season in Lakeland and picked up a save in his only appearance on April 6. On April 11, he was promoted to AA Erie with Luis Angel Sanz coming to Lakeland from West Michigan. The next night, Cooper tossed 1.1 innings for the SeaWolves, giving up one run on two hits. On April 16, Cooper rejoined Lakeland where he threw 3.0 shutout innings that evening against Brevard County. Sanz, meanwhile, was sent back to the Whitecaps. Three days later, on April 19, Cooper headed north once again to rejoin Erie. The next day, April 20, Sanz rejoined Lakeland.
MORE MOVES ... Ryan Woolley was added to the Lakeland roster from West Michigan on April 19, taking Patrick Cooper’s spot. Woolley was 0-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four appearances, striking out eight and walking two in 7.1 innings for the Whitecaps. On April 20, Mark Sorensen earned a promotion to AA Erie with Luis Angel Sanz taking the roster spot.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,678-1,542 record into the Daytona series.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (April 19-21)
THE FLYING TIGERS (5-7, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland will be looking to recapture the magic of their opening series sweep of the Yankees on Apr. 5-7. Since then, the Flying Tigers are 2-7. After knocking out 12 hits in back to back games on Apr. 12 and 13 at Clearwater, Lakeland has been held to six or fewer hits in each of the last four games. Once among the league leaders in runs scored, the Flying Tigers have been shutout in each of the last two games and haven’t scored in 22 consecutive innings.
THE THRESHERS (4-8, 6.0 GB) ... Clearwater comes to Lakeland after getting swept in three games at Tampa in which they were outscored 20-4 over the three games. With the three straight losses, the Threshers are 2-6 in their last eight games. D’Arby Myers leads the club with a .360 average in seven games while Peter Lavin has a .340 mark in 11 games. Brandon Tripp, or gin ally signed as free agent by Detroit in 2010, has a .311 mark and had three doubles against Lakeland on April 14 in Clearwater ... Austin Wright, who will start game two for the Threshers, is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.0 innings.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/19 - LAK: Brian Flynn (2-0, 1.42) vs. CLR: Jesse Biddle (0-1, 6.48) ... Brian Flynn: making his third start ... tossed 6.2 shutout innings in season debut on 4/7 at home vs. Tampa ... has struck out seven and walked just one in 12.2 innings ... lefties batting .214 against Flynn, while righties hit .219 on the season.
4/20 - LAK: Mark Sorensen (0-1, 4.50) vs. CLR: Austin Wright (2-0, 2.45) ... Mark Sorensen: making his third start ... went 7.0 innings against Brevard County on April 9, allowing one run on two hits ... shelled for five runs on nine hits over 5.0 innings on April 14 at Clearwater ... lefties batting .318 against Sorensen, while righties hit .200 on the season.
4/21 - LAK: Shawn Teufel (1-1, 4.82) vs. CLR: Perci Garner (0-1, 2.70) ... Shawn Teufel: making his third start ... Allowed three earned runs on six hits in 4.0 inning start on April 10 against Brevard ... gave up two earned runs on four hits in 5.1 innings in second outing vs Brevard on April 15 ... lefties hit .412 and have scored five runs vs. Teufel while righties are batting just .167 so far.
THE SERIES ... The Threshers won 13 of the 18 meetings between these two clubs in 2011, including the last five straight.
SHARK BITES ... Carlos Alonso has gone 2x3 in his last two games ... Cody Asche has hits in nine of his 10 games played ... Peter Lavin, who is eighth in the FSL with a .340 average, is 13x33 (.394) since April 10 ... D’Arby Myers gets his hits in bunches. He has got two or more hits in four games and zero hits in his other three games played ... Brandon Tripp brings a five-game hit streak into the series in which he is 8x20 (.400) ... Jim Murphy is tied for second in the FSL with 10 RBI.
DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? ... Each of the Flying Tiger’s next five games have different start times. Tonight’s game is 6:30 – Lakeland’s normal Monday-Thursday start time. Friday gets underway at 7:11 as part of a new partnership with the convenience store while Saturday’s first pitch is at 6:00 pm to make room for the Fireworks Extravaganza. The Flying Tigers then hit the road for a pair of games at Daytona at 5:35 and 7:05 pm.
CLARK BAR ... Tyler Clark has yet to allow a run and has given up just one hit over 5.0 innings in his three appearances this season. He has struck out five and walked two.
ZERO ... Matt Crouse is in the boat as Clark with 7.2 scoreless innings pitched this season. He has struck out four and walked two while allowing a single hit so far.
MOUNDS ... Victor Larez has surrendered six run over 5.2 innings in his first four outings this season and has struck out seven and walked five.
GROUNDED ... After getting hits in each of his first nine games, Daniel Fields was held hitless in each game at Brevard County ... Dixon Machado is 0x12 his last four games.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Patrick Cooper rejoined Lakeland on April 16 from AA Erie while Luis Angel Sanz was sent back to extended spring training. Cooper began the season in Lakeland and was promoted to Erie on April 11. He made one appearances for the SeaWolves, working 1.1 innings while allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Sanz had one outing for Lakeland tossing 2.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
FSL LEADERS ... Nick Castellanos is third in the Florida State League with a .391 batting average, second with 18 hits and 25 total bases and ranks fifth with a .431 on-base percentage ... Tyler Collins is sixth with a .354 hitting mark and is tied for third with 17 hits ... Avisail Garcia is seventh with a .341 batting average ... James Robbins is tied for the league lead with six doubles.
LEAGUE LEADERS ... Dunedin and Saint Lucie lead their respective divisions with identical 10-2 records.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,672-1,542 record into the Brevard County series.
LAKELAND ALUMNI (entering Wednesday’s games):
Detroit (8-3, 1st AL Central) ... Brennan Boesch (.267-1-6); Andy Dirks (.304-0-2); Don Kelly (.200-0-0); Ryan Raburn (.086-0-4); Ramon Santiago (.143-0-2); Duane Below (2-0, 0.00); Rick Porcello (1-0, 1.84); Drew Smyly (0-0. 0.90); Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.13); Adam Wilk (0-1, 3.60)
Toledo (7-5, 2nd, 0.5 GB, IL West) ... Audy Ciriaco (.143-2-2); Justin Henry (.111-0-2); Bryan Holaday (.158-0-3); Ryan Strieby (.250-1-8); Danny Worh (.375-2-3); Matt Hoffman (1-0, 10.38); Andrew Oliver (0-1, 2.79); Luke Putkonen (0-0, 0.00); Brayan Villarreal (0-0, 0.00); Rob Waite (0-0. 4.50); Thad Weber (2-0, 0.75); Austin Wood (0-0, 6.14)
Erie (4-7, 6th, 3.0 GB, EL Western) ... Rawley Bishop (.278-0-5); Rob Brantly(.333-1-6); Brent Dlugach (.273-0-0); Brandon Douglas (.214-0-5); Jamie Johnson (.154-0-1); Jordan Lennerton (.293-5-10); John Murrian (.238-1-3); Tony Plagman (.244-1-5); Bryan Pounds (.222-2-4); Michael Rockett (.238-1-8); Brent Wyatt (.200-0-0); Kenny Faulk (0-0. 1.29); Ramon Garcia (0-1, 10.50); Jared Gayhart (0-0, 5.00); Michael Morrison (1-0, 0.00); Ryan Robowski (0-0, 1.13); Zach Samuels (0-0, 12.00); Tyler Stohr (1-0, 2.25); Jay Voss (0-3, 6.10); Robbie Weinhart (0-0, 4.91); Jared Wesson (1-0, 9.00)
West Michigan (6-6, T-3rd, 5.0 GB, MWL Eastern) ... Brandon Loy (.327-0-6); Luis Angel Sanz (1-0, 0.00); Michael Torrealba (0-0. 0.00)
THE THRESHERS (4-8, 6.0 GB) ... Clearwater comes to Lakeland after getting swept in three games at Tampa in which they were outscored 20-4 over the three games. With the three straight losses, the Threshers are 2-6 in their last eight games. D’Arby Myers leads the club with a .360 average in seven games while Peter Lavin has a .340 mark in 11 games. Brandon Tripp, or gin ally signed as free agent by Detroit in 2010, has a .311 mark and had three doubles against Lakeland on April 14 in Clearwater ... Austin Wright, who will start game two for the Threshers, is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.0 innings.
PROBABLE STARTERS
4/19 - LAK: Brian Flynn (2-0, 1.42) vs. CLR: Jesse Biddle (0-1, 6.48) ... Brian Flynn: making his third start ... tossed 6.2 shutout innings in season debut on 4/7 at home vs. Tampa ... has struck out seven and walked just one in 12.2 innings ... lefties batting .214 against Flynn, while righties hit .219 on the season.
4/20 - LAK: Mark Sorensen (0-1, 4.50) vs. CLR: Austin Wright (2-0, 2.45) ... Mark Sorensen: making his third start ... went 7.0 innings against Brevard County on April 9, allowing one run on two hits ... shelled for five runs on nine hits over 5.0 innings on April 14 at Clearwater ... lefties batting .318 against Sorensen, while righties hit .200 on the season.
4/21 - LAK: Shawn Teufel (1-1, 4.82) vs. CLR: Perci Garner (0-1, 2.70) ... Shawn Teufel: making his third start ... Allowed three earned runs on six hits in 4.0 inning start on April 10 against Brevard ... gave up two earned runs on four hits in 5.1 innings in second outing vs Brevard on April 15 ... lefties hit .412 and have scored five runs vs. Teufel while righties are batting just .167 so far.
THE SERIES ... The Threshers won 13 of the 18 meetings between these two clubs in 2011, including the last five straight.
SHARK BITES ... Carlos Alonso has gone 2x3 in his last two games ... Cody Asche has hits in nine of his 10 games played ... Peter Lavin, who is eighth in the FSL with a .340 average, is 13x33 (.394) since April 10 ... D’Arby Myers gets his hits in bunches. He has got two or more hits in four games and zero hits in his other three games played ... Brandon Tripp brings a five-game hit streak into the series in which he is 8x20 (.400) ... Jim Murphy is tied for second in the FSL with 10 RBI.
DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? ... Each of the Flying Tiger’s next five games have different start times. Tonight’s game is 6:30 – Lakeland’s normal Monday-Thursday start time. Friday gets underway at 7:11 as part of a new partnership with the convenience store while Saturday’s first pitch is at 6:00 pm to make room for the Fireworks Extravaganza. The Flying Tigers then hit the road for a pair of games at Daytona at 5:35 and 7:05 pm.
CLARK BAR ... Tyler Clark has yet to allow a run and has given up just one hit over 5.0 innings in his three appearances this season. He has struck out five and walked two.
ZERO ... Matt Crouse is in the boat as Clark with 7.2 scoreless innings pitched this season. He has struck out four and walked two while allowing a single hit so far.
MOUNDS ... Victor Larez has surrendered six run over 5.2 innings in his first four outings this season and has struck out seven and walked five.
GROUNDED ... After getting hits in each of his first nine games, Daniel Fields was held hitless in each game at Brevard County ... Dixon Machado is 0x12 his last four games.
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Patrick Cooper rejoined Lakeland on April 16 from AA Erie while Luis Angel Sanz was sent back to extended spring training. Cooper began the season in Lakeland and was promoted to Erie on April 11. He made one appearances for the SeaWolves, working 1.1 innings while allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Sanz had one outing for Lakeland tossing 2.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
FSL LEADERS ... Nick Castellanos is third in the Florida State League with a .391 batting average, second with 18 hits and 25 total bases and ranks fifth with a .431 on-base percentage ... Tyler Collins is sixth with a .354 hitting mark and is tied for third with 17 hits ... Avisail Garcia is seventh with a .341 batting average ... James Robbins is tied for the league lead with six doubles.
LEAGUE LEADERS ... Dunedin and Saint Lucie lead their respective divisions with identical 10-2 records.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,672-1,542 record into the Brevard County series.
LAKELAND ALUMNI (entering Wednesday’s games):
Detroit (8-3, 1st AL Central) ... Brennan Boesch (.267-1-6); Andy Dirks (.304-0-2); Don Kelly (.200-0-0); Ryan Raburn (.086-0-4); Ramon Santiago (.143-0-2); Duane Below (2-0, 0.00); Rick Porcello (1-0, 1.84); Drew Smyly (0-0. 0.90); Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.13); Adam Wilk (0-1, 3.60)
Toledo (7-5, 2nd, 0.5 GB, IL West) ... Audy Ciriaco (.143-2-2); Justin Henry (.111-0-2); Bryan Holaday (.158-0-3); Ryan Strieby (.250-1-8); Danny Worh (.375-2-3); Matt Hoffman (1-0, 10.38); Andrew Oliver (0-1, 2.79); Luke Putkonen (0-0, 0.00); Brayan Villarreal (0-0, 0.00); Rob Waite (0-0. 4.50); Thad Weber (2-0, 0.75); Austin Wood (0-0, 6.14)
Erie (4-7, 6th, 3.0 GB, EL Western) ... Rawley Bishop (.278-0-5); Rob Brantly(.333-1-6); Brent Dlugach (.273-0-0); Brandon Douglas (.214-0-5); Jamie Johnson (.154-0-1); Jordan Lennerton (.293-5-10); John Murrian (.238-1-3); Tony Plagman (.244-1-5); Bryan Pounds (.222-2-4); Michael Rockett (.238-1-8); Brent Wyatt (.200-0-0); Kenny Faulk (0-0. 1.29); Ramon Garcia (0-1, 10.50); Jared Gayhart (0-0, 5.00); Michael Morrison (1-0, 0.00); Ryan Robowski (0-0, 1.13); Zach Samuels (0-0, 12.00); Tyler Stohr (1-0, 2.25); Jay Voss (0-3, 6.10); Robbie Weinhart (0-0, 4.91); Jared Wesson (1-0, 9.00)
West Michigan (6-6, T-3rd, 5.0 GB, MWL Eastern) ... Brandon Loy (.327-0-6); Luis Angel Sanz (1-0, 0.00); Michael Torrealba (0-0. 0.00)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Apr. 15-17)
THE FLYING TIGERS (4-5, 3.0 GB) ... After sweeping the Yankees to start the season, Lakeland has dropped five of their last six games, including three straight to the Manatees in a series at Joker Marchant Stadium. Last night, the Flying Tigers fell 6-2 to Clearwater at Bright House Networks Stadium to stand at 4-5 on the season.
THE MANATEES (6-3, 1.0 GB) ... Brevard County is coming off a series with Dunedin in which they dropped two of the three games, scoring just two runs over the trio of contests. After falling 2-0 in eight innings in a rain-shortened game on April 12, the Manatees lost 4-1 in game two on Friday and 1-0 last night. Jed Bradley (1-1, 0.00), who will pitch game three of this series, is one of two Brevard County pitchers who have 0.00 ERAs with Bradley allowing just one unearned run over 13.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. Taking the mound in game one for the Manatees will be Taylor Jungmann (2-0, 3.09) who beat Lakeland on April 10 with Jimmy Nelson (1-0, 1.80) taking the hill in game two. Shawn Zarraga leads Brevard County with a .421 average but doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the FSL leaders.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
4/15 - Shawn Teufel (0-0, 0.00) ... Making his second start ... gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 4.0 innings against Brevard County on April 10 ... struck out two and walked two in that game ... allowed lefties a .500 batting average against while righties hit .222 facing Teufel.
4/16 - Alex Burgos (1-1, 3.00) ... making his third start ... worked 6.0 innings and gave up two runs in each of his first two starts ... struck out 12 and walked 4 over his two starts ... beat Tampa in season opener on April 5 and lost to Brevard County on April 11 ... righties batted .318 against him; lefties batted .222 vs. Burgos.
4/17 - Kevin Eichhorn (0-0, 3.27) ... making his third start ... allowed one unearned run on six hits in 6.0 innings in first start against Tampa on April 6 ... surrendered four runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings against Clearwater on April 12 ... did not factor into decision in either start ... righthanders hitting .360 against him; .250 by lefties.
THE SERIES ... Brevard County swept the Flying Tigers in a three-game set in Lakeland on April 9-11, taking the first two games by one run, 5-4 and 4-3 and the third by a 5-1 decision. Daniel Fields was 5x12 in the series with a double, a homer and two stolen bases while Nick Castellano and Tyler Collins each went 4x11. Castellanos homered while Collins had a pair of doubles. Lakeland hit .250 in the series while Brevard County hit .239 with TJ Mittelstaedt going 4x9 with a pair of homers and Michael Walker hitting a homer, triple, double and two singles.
DOUBLE DOWN ... Doubles have been a big part of the Lakeland offense so far as the club has had at least one double in seven of the nine games and have hit 11 two baggers in the last six games.
SHINING AT NINE ... Daniel Fields and Nick Castellanos have each had at least one base hit in each of Lakeland’s nine games so far this season. Fields leads the team with eight runs batted in and is tied for third in the league in that category.
THREE IN TOP TEN ... Nick Castellanos, Tyler Collins and Avisail Garcia rank 3-4-5 in the Florida State League batting leaders. Castellanos and Collins both have .417 averages while Garcia is hitting .394 so far. With 15 hits each, Castellanos and Collins are tied with Clearwater’s Peter Lavin for second in the FSL.
FLYING HIGH ... In addition to the aforementioned nine-game hit streaks by Daniel Fields and Nick Castellanos, Avisail Garcia has hit in each of his last eight games and is 10x23 (.435) with four stolen bases during that streak.
GROUNDED ... After collecting three hits in each of his first four games, Tyler Collins has cooled off and has been held to three hits overall in his last five games.
DOUBLE DIGIT HITS ... Lakeland has had ten or more hits in five games this season and has had no fewer than six hits in every game.
ON THE OTHER HAND ... While hitting has improved this season – the team is third in the league with a .276 average – strikeouts are still a problem. The Flying Tigers have whiffed 85 times this season – more than any other FSL team – and have had four games with double digit strikeouts.
ONE-RUN BLUES ... Three of Lakeland’s five losses in the last six games have been by one run.
USUAL SPOT ... Last season, Lakeland swiped a league low 57 bases. This season, the squad leads the Florida State League with 16 stolen bases with Daniel Fields and Avisail Garcia each tied for the league lead with four stolen bases. The Flying Tigers are second in the league in runs scored and have scored four or more runs in six of the nines games this season.
HITTING IN BUNCHES ... Tyler Collins, Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia have each had five multi-hit games while Daniel Fields has had four games with two of more hits. Collins has four games with three hits while Castellanos, Garcia and Fields each have had one three-hit game.
NEEDING THE OFFENSE ... Lakeland pitching is 10th in the league with a 3.64 earned run average. After posting a 1.00 in their first four games, the starting staff has a 5.45 mark in the last five contests. Control has not been a problem as the starters have combined for 28 strikeouts and just nine walks over 51.2 innings, however opponents are hitting .274 against the starters so far. The Flying Tigers have been among the league leaders defensively the past few seasons, but are currently seventh in the league this season with a .972 fielding percentage.
SOLID AT FIRST ... James Robbins has continued the tradition of good fielding first baseman for Lakeland, leading the FSL in fielding percentage (1.000), total chances (93) and most putouts (88).
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Corey Jones, who was hitting .235 in five game at AA Erie has been added to the Lakeland roster. Jones was Lakeland’s starting second baseman last season, batting .259 with 19 doubles, six homers and 47 RBI in 122 games. To make room on the Flying Tigers roster, Ryan Soares was sent back to extended spring training.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,671-1,540 record into the Brevard County series.
THE MANATEES (6-3, 1.0 GB) ... Brevard County is coming off a series with Dunedin in which they dropped two of the three games, scoring just two runs over the trio of contests. After falling 2-0 in eight innings in a rain-shortened game on April 12, the Manatees lost 4-1 in game two on Friday and 1-0 last night. Jed Bradley (1-1, 0.00), who will pitch game three of this series, is one of two Brevard County pitchers who have 0.00 ERAs with Bradley allowing just one unearned run over 13.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. Taking the mound in game one for the Manatees will be Taylor Jungmann (2-0, 3.09) who beat Lakeland on April 10 with Jimmy Nelson (1-0, 1.80) taking the hill in game two. Shawn Zarraga leads Brevard County with a .421 average but doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the FSL leaders.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
4/15 - Shawn Teufel (0-0, 0.00) ... Making his second start ... gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 4.0 innings against Brevard County on April 10 ... struck out two and walked two in that game ... allowed lefties a .500 batting average against while righties hit .222 facing Teufel.
4/16 - Alex Burgos (1-1, 3.00) ... making his third start ... worked 6.0 innings and gave up two runs in each of his first two starts ... struck out 12 and walked 4 over his two starts ... beat Tampa in season opener on April 5 and lost to Brevard County on April 11 ... righties batted .318 against him; lefties batted .222 vs. Burgos.
4/17 - Kevin Eichhorn (0-0, 3.27) ... making his third start ... allowed one unearned run on six hits in 6.0 innings in first start against Tampa on April 6 ... surrendered four runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings against Clearwater on April 12 ... did not factor into decision in either start ... righthanders hitting .360 against him; .250 by lefties.
THE SERIES ... Brevard County swept the Flying Tigers in a three-game set in Lakeland on April 9-11, taking the first two games by one run, 5-4 and 4-3 and the third by a 5-1 decision. Daniel Fields was 5x12 in the series with a double, a homer and two stolen bases while Nick Castellano and Tyler Collins each went 4x11. Castellanos homered while Collins had a pair of doubles. Lakeland hit .250 in the series while Brevard County hit .239 with TJ Mittelstaedt going 4x9 with a pair of homers and Michael Walker hitting a homer, triple, double and two singles.
DOUBLE DOWN ... Doubles have been a big part of the Lakeland offense so far as the club has had at least one double in seven of the nine games and have hit 11 two baggers in the last six games.
SHINING AT NINE ... Daniel Fields and Nick Castellanos have each had at least one base hit in each of Lakeland’s nine games so far this season. Fields leads the team with eight runs batted in and is tied for third in the league in that category.
THREE IN TOP TEN ... Nick Castellanos, Tyler Collins and Avisail Garcia rank 3-4-5 in the Florida State League batting leaders. Castellanos and Collins both have .417 averages while Garcia is hitting .394 so far. With 15 hits each, Castellanos and Collins are tied with Clearwater’s Peter Lavin for second in the FSL.
FLYING HIGH ... In addition to the aforementioned nine-game hit streaks by Daniel Fields and Nick Castellanos, Avisail Garcia has hit in each of his last eight games and is 10x23 (.435) with four stolen bases during that streak.
GROUNDED ... After collecting three hits in each of his first four games, Tyler Collins has cooled off and has been held to three hits overall in his last five games.
DOUBLE DIGIT HITS ... Lakeland has had ten or more hits in five games this season and has had no fewer than six hits in every game.
ON THE OTHER HAND ... While hitting has improved this season – the team is third in the league with a .276 average – strikeouts are still a problem. The Flying Tigers have whiffed 85 times this season – more than any other FSL team – and have had four games with double digit strikeouts.
ONE-RUN BLUES ... Three of Lakeland’s five losses in the last six games have been by one run.
USUAL SPOT ... Last season, Lakeland swiped a league low 57 bases. This season, the squad leads the Florida State League with 16 stolen bases with Daniel Fields and Avisail Garcia each tied for the league lead with four stolen bases. The Flying Tigers are second in the league in runs scored and have scored four or more runs in six of the nines games this season.
HITTING IN BUNCHES ... Tyler Collins, Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia have each had five multi-hit games while Daniel Fields has had four games with two of more hits. Collins has four games with three hits while Castellanos, Garcia and Fields each have had one three-hit game.
NEEDING THE OFFENSE ... Lakeland pitching is 10th in the league with a 3.64 earned run average. After posting a 1.00 in their first four games, the starting staff has a 5.45 mark in the last five contests. Control has not been a problem as the starters have combined for 28 strikeouts and just nine walks over 51.2 innings, however opponents are hitting .274 against the starters so far. The Flying Tigers have been among the league leaders defensively the past few seasons, but are currently seventh in the league this season with a .972 fielding percentage.
SOLID AT FIRST ... James Robbins has continued the tradition of good fielding first baseman for Lakeland, leading the FSL in fielding percentage (1.000), total chances (93) and most putouts (88).
ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Corey Jones, who was hitting .235 in five game at AA Erie has been added to the Lakeland roster. Jones was Lakeland’s starting second baseman last season, batting .259 with 19 doubles, six homers and 47 RBI in 122 games. To make room on the Flying Tigers roster, Ryan Soares was sent back to extended spring training.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,671-1,540 record into the Brevard County series.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Apr. 12-14)
THE FLYING TIGERS (3-3, 2.0 GB) ... After starting the season with a three-game sweep of Tampa, the Flying Tigers found themselves on the other end of the broom as Brevard County took three straight from Lakeland. The Flying Tigers are atop the Florida State League with a .286 team batting average while the staff ERA of 3.11 ranks fifth in the league. After a three-game home set against Brevard County, Lakeland now hits the road for its next six games, three in Clearwater and three at Brevard County. The Flying Tigers won their only two previous road games of the season, taking the first two outings of the year at Tampa.
THE THRESHERS (2-4, 3.0 GB) ... Clearwater dropped two out of three to Dunedin to start the season and is coming off two straight losses to Tampa after downing the Yankees in the series opener. Each of the last two games were of the one-run variety, including a 2-1 loss in 12 innings last night at home on Wednesday. The Threshers are sixth in the FSL with a .259 team batting average and 8th in the league with a 3.57 staff ERA. Cameron Rupo leads the Threshers with a .357 average while Cody Asche and Kyle Lafrenze both are hitting .300
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
4/12 - Kevin Eichhorn (0-0, 0.00) ... making his second start ... allowed just one unearned run on six hits over 6.0 innings in first outing vs. Tampa on Apr. 6, but did not factor into the decision ... struck out four and walked one.
4/13 - Brian Flynn (1-0, 0.00) ... making his second start ... tossed 6.2 shutout innings in first start vs. Tampa on April 7 ... held Yankees to four hits while striking out three and walking none.
4/14 - Mark Sorensen (0-0, 1.29) ... making his second start ... worked longest outing for any Lakeland pitcher this season in first start vs. Brevard County on Apr. 9, going 7.0 innings ... allowed one run on two hits while striking out two and issuing zero free passes ... did not factor into the decision.
THE SERIES ... Tonight opens a six-game road trip for Lakeland - three in Clearwater and three at Brevard County. Game one of the Clearwater series is set for 7 pm with Friday’s and Saturday’s games getting underway at 6:30 p.m.
LAST SEASON ... The Threshers thrashed Lakeland for 13 wins in the 18 meetings between the two clubs in 2011. Clearwater won the last five meetings and seven of the last eight match-ups.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Thresher pitcher Jesse Biddle was the Phillies’ first round draft pick in 2010 out of high school while rightfielder Anthony Hewitt was Philadelphia’s top pick in 2008, also out of high school
MLB REHAB ... Philadelphia’s Jose Contreras is currently in Clearwater on a major league rehab assignment (elbow).
HEY CUZ ... Clearwater outfielder D’Arby Myers is a cousin of NBA great Shaquille O’Neal.
DO I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE? ... Thresher outfielder Brandon Tripp is a former member of the Tigers’ organization, having signed with Detroit as a minor league free agent in 2010. He played in the Florida State League in 2009 for Jupiter and is in his second season in Clearwater.
1-ADAM-15 ... Clearwater pitcher Adam Morgan leads the FSL with 15 strikeouts.
ATOP LOOKING DOWN ... Tyler Collins’ hot start (12 hits in his first four games) has left him with a .542 batting average – the highest in the Florida State League. Collins also leads the league with 13 hits and 16 total bases and is second with a .393 on-base percentage. Nick Castellanos is eighth at .391 while Avisail Garcia is ninth with a .381 mark.
TORRID START ... Tyler Collins knocked out three base hits in each of his first four games and was 12x17 during those games for a .706 clip. He scored five times, drove in a pair of runs, and hit three doubles in the first four games.
UNDER THE TAG ... Daniel Fields and Avisail Garcia are tied for second in the league with three stolen bases.
STREAKING ... Nick Castellanos and Daniel Fields have each hit safely in each of the first six games. Castellanos, batting .391, has had three games with two hits and has scored in four of six games and driven in one run in four games. With a .360 average, Fields has one game with two hits and collected three hits, including a home run and double, in last night’s game. He, too, has driven in runs in four games.
NEED TIMELY ONES ... Getting on base hasn’t been a problem for Lakeland as the Flying Tigers have out-hit their opponents in four of their five games so far in 2012. The problem has been hitting when those runners get into scoring position. In the opening game of the Brevard series, Lakeland was 3x17 with runners on second or third base and left 13 runners stranded. The next night, the team was 4x11 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and stranded five. In the series finale, the Flying Tigers were 0x7 with eight left hanging. Overall, in the Manatee series, Lakeland was 7x35 (.200) with RISP and left 21 men on base and lost all three games. However, against Tampa, they were 7x38 (.138) with 23 LOBs and won those three games.
SWING AND A MISS ... Lakeland whiffed 13 times against Brevard County on Wednesday (on the flip side, the Flying Tigers pitching also struck out 13), marking the third time this season, the team has had 12 or more strikeouts in a game.
REUNITED ... Pitcher Patrick Cooper, who picked up a save against Tampa on Apr. 6 in his only appearance for Lakeland in 2012, earned a promotion to AA Erie on Wednesday. Added to the roster is Luis Sanz. Fans checking the Flying Tiger roster may say, “how can Luis Sanz be added to the roster when he’s already here?” as catcher Luis Sanz started the season in Lakeland. Well, this Luis Sanz is Luis Angel Sanz, a pitcher. The established Sanz is Luis Alberto Sanz, a pitcher. The dueling Sanz’s are brothers.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,675-1,538 record into the Clearwater series.
THE THRESHERS (2-4, 3.0 GB) ... Clearwater dropped two out of three to Dunedin to start the season and is coming off two straight losses to Tampa after downing the Yankees in the series opener. Each of the last two games were of the one-run variety, including a 2-1 loss in 12 innings last night at home on Wednesday. The Threshers are sixth in the FSL with a .259 team batting average and 8th in the league with a 3.57 staff ERA. Cameron Rupo leads the Threshers with a .357 average while Cody Asche and Kyle Lafrenze both are hitting .300
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
4/12 - Kevin Eichhorn (0-0, 0.00) ... making his second start ... allowed just one unearned run on six hits over 6.0 innings in first outing vs. Tampa on Apr. 6, but did not factor into the decision ... struck out four and walked one.
4/13 - Brian Flynn (1-0, 0.00) ... making his second start ... tossed 6.2 shutout innings in first start vs. Tampa on April 7 ... held Yankees to four hits while striking out three and walking none.
4/14 - Mark Sorensen (0-0, 1.29) ... making his second start ... worked longest outing for any Lakeland pitcher this season in first start vs. Brevard County on Apr. 9, going 7.0 innings ... allowed one run on two hits while striking out two and issuing zero free passes ... did not factor into the decision.
THE SERIES ... Tonight opens a six-game road trip for Lakeland - three in Clearwater and three at Brevard County. Game one of the Clearwater series is set for 7 pm with Friday’s and Saturday’s games getting underway at 6:30 p.m.
LAST SEASON ... The Threshers thrashed Lakeland for 13 wins in the 18 meetings between the two clubs in 2011. Clearwater won the last five meetings and seven of the last eight match-ups.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Thresher pitcher Jesse Biddle was the Phillies’ first round draft pick in 2010 out of high school while rightfielder Anthony Hewitt was Philadelphia’s top pick in 2008, also out of high school
MLB REHAB ... Philadelphia’s Jose Contreras is currently in Clearwater on a major league rehab assignment (elbow).
HEY CUZ ... Clearwater outfielder D’Arby Myers is a cousin of NBA great Shaquille O’Neal.
DO I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE? ... Thresher outfielder Brandon Tripp is a former member of the Tigers’ organization, having signed with Detroit as a minor league free agent in 2010. He played in the Florida State League in 2009 for Jupiter and is in his second season in Clearwater.
1-ADAM-15 ... Clearwater pitcher Adam Morgan leads the FSL with 15 strikeouts.
ATOP LOOKING DOWN ... Tyler Collins’ hot start (12 hits in his first four games) has left him with a .542 batting average – the highest in the Florida State League. Collins also leads the league with 13 hits and 16 total bases and is second with a .393 on-base percentage. Nick Castellanos is eighth at .391 while Avisail Garcia is ninth with a .381 mark.
TORRID START ... Tyler Collins knocked out three base hits in each of his first four games and was 12x17 during those games for a .706 clip. He scored five times, drove in a pair of runs, and hit three doubles in the first four games.
UNDER THE TAG ... Daniel Fields and Avisail Garcia are tied for second in the league with three stolen bases.
STREAKING ... Nick Castellanos and Daniel Fields have each hit safely in each of the first six games. Castellanos, batting .391, has had three games with two hits and has scored in four of six games and driven in one run in four games. With a .360 average, Fields has one game with two hits and collected three hits, including a home run and double, in last night’s game. He, too, has driven in runs in four games.
NEED TIMELY ONES ... Getting on base hasn’t been a problem for Lakeland as the Flying Tigers have out-hit their opponents in four of their five games so far in 2012. The problem has been hitting when those runners get into scoring position. In the opening game of the Brevard series, Lakeland was 3x17 with runners on second or third base and left 13 runners stranded. The next night, the team was 4x11 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and stranded five. In the series finale, the Flying Tigers were 0x7 with eight left hanging. Overall, in the Manatee series, Lakeland was 7x35 (.200) with RISP and left 21 men on base and lost all three games. However, against Tampa, they were 7x38 (.138) with 23 LOBs and won those three games.
SWING AND A MISS ... Lakeland whiffed 13 times against Brevard County on Wednesday (on the flip side, the Flying Tigers pitching also struck out 13), marking the third time this season, the team has had 12 or more strikeouts in a game.
REUNITED ... Pitcher Patrick Cooper, who picked up a save against Tampa on Apr. 6 in his only appearance for Lakeland in 2012, earned a promotion to AA Erie on Wednesday. Added to the roster is Luis Sanz. Fans checking the Flying Tiger roster may say, “how can Luis Sanz be added to the roster when he’s already here?” as catcher Luis Sanz started the season in Lakeland. Well, this Luis Sanz is Luis Angel Sanz, a pitcher. The established Sanz is Luis Alberto Sanz, a pitcher. The dueling Sanz’s are brothers.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,675-1,538 record into the Clearwater series.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
THE FLYING TIGERS (3-0, 2011 Season: 64-74) ... At 3-0 on the year, Lakeland is the only undefeated team in the North Division (Charlotte is the only team in the South without a loss). The Flying Tigers scored 17 runs in the three games over Tampa and lead the league in hitting with a .321 average while the staff ERA of 1.93 is third best in the league.
THE MANATEES (2-1, 2011 Season: 62-76) ... Brevard County, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, is close behind the Flying Tigers with a 2-1 mark after downing Daytona 1-0 on Saturday. Shawn Zarraga and Reggie Keen are tied for second in the Florida State League with four RBI each. Zarraga is the team’s top hitter with a .444 average and is the only player hitting over .273 so far on the club. The Manatees are hitting .227 as a team and are fourth in the league with a 2.77 staff ERA.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Manatee pitchers Eric Arnett, Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley were all first-round picks by Milwaukee in their respective drafts. Arnett was the 29th pick overall in 2009 out of Indiana University where he was the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year with a 12-2 record. Jungmann, who was rated as the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect entering the 2012 by MLB.com, was the team’s top pick 2011 first round pick (12th overall) out of Texas. He won the 2011 Dick Howser Award as the top college baseball player. Bradley, who’s full name is Jedidiah Custer Bradley, was also a first-round pick (15th overall pick) by the Brewers’ in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech.
MOUND PRESENCE ... Brevard County pitcher Gregory Holle is 6’8” and weighs 240 pounds. He is the son of former major leaguer Gary Holle who played for Texas in 1979.
LAST SEASON ... Brevard Country took 11 of the 17 games played between these two clubs in 2011. Four of Lakeland’s six wins came in the friendly confines of Joker Marchant Stadium, including the last two meetings of the season.
LET’S PLAY NINE ... The Manatees posted a 9-6 win over Lakeland on Aug. 6 last season. It was the final nine-inning game in the series. The next night, Aug. 7, Brevard Country triumphed again, this time 6-5 in 13 innings. The final five games in the series were all seven-inning contests.
PERFECT START ... Lakeland’s opening series sweep of Tampa gives the Flying Tigers a 3-0 start, becoming just the second Lakeland club since at least 1995 to begin the season with three consecutive wins. The 2002 club was the last Lakeland club to start with three wins, but lost their fourth game.
YANKEE SWEEP ... The three-game sweep over Tampa marked the first time since May 24-26, 2010 that the Flying Tigers swept a series from the Yankees.
HOME OPENERS ... Lakeland’s 5-2 win on Saturday was their fifth straight home opening win for the Flying Tigers.
OPENING DAY CROWDS ... Saturday’s home opener drew 2,020 fans, the second largest crowd for the first home game of the year in the last nine years. The 2009 home opener pulled in 2,224 fans.
THREE FOR THREE ... Perhaps Tyler Collins’ first name should be Trey as the former sixth-round pick by Detroit has had three hits in each of his first three games. He is hitting 9-for-13 for a .692 start the season and his nine hits lead the FSL while his .693 average is second best to John Andreoli of Daytona who is 3x4 (.750) in two games played. Collins’ .714 on base percentage is also second in the league while his .769 slugging percentage is third best.
STRONG ARMS ... A big reason for Lakeland’s 3-0 start is the quality of the starting pitching staff so far. Alex Burgos and Kevin Eichhorn each worked 6.0 innings in their respective starts while Brian Flynn went 6.2 frames on Saturday. Flynn did not allow a run in his stint while Eichhorn allowed one earned run and Burgos was touched for just two earned run giving the Lakeland starters a 0.92 ERA to start the season. The trio has combined for 12 strikeouts while walking four. Overall, Lakeland pitching has a 1.93 staff ERA.
HOT BATS ... In addition to Tyler Collins, other Flying Tigers have been swinging hot bats: Frank Castellanos had two doubles in Friday’s game at Tampa and added a pair of singles in Saturday’s game at home against the Yankees to make him 5x12 (.417) to start the year while Avisail Garcia also has five hits and is 5x17 (.385) on the year. Dixon Machado (.364) and Daniel Fields (.308) are also hitting over .300 in the early going. As a team, Lakeland is batting .321 so far.
AVERAGING OVER TEN ... Lakeland is 3-0 on the year, despite striking out 32 times over the first three games. Tampa pitchers struck out 12 Lakeland batters in both games one and three.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,675-1,535 record into the Brevard County series.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Here’s a look at how some former Flying Tigers are doing in the early going at Erie (1-2): Rawley Bishop is hitting .444, good for sixth in the Midwest League while Rob Brantly has a home run and a .375 average. Corey Jones is 3x5. Two of Lakeland’s top hitters in 2011 are still looking for their stroke at AA as Jordan Lennerton is 2x11 with five strikeouts and Tony Plagman is 1x11 with four K’s. Jared Wesson won his first start allowing one run over 5.0 innings.
Up in Toledo (1-1), Audy Ciriaco is 1x8 with four strikeouts while Drew Smyly lasted just 1.2 innings in his first start, getting tagged for three runs on three hits. Adam Wilk tossed five shutout innings with six punchouts in 5.0 in getting his first win of the year.
For Detroit (2-0), Brennan Boesch is 0x9, Andy Dirks is 2x4 and Ryan Raburn is 1x8. Duane Below picked up a win with 2.1 innings of relief work in Saturday’s 10-0 blowout of Boston while Justin Verlander tossed 8.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven, but came out of the opener without a win as Detroit won it in the bottom of the ninth.
THE MANATEES (2-1, 2011 Season: 62-76) ... Brevard County, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, is close behind the Flying Tigers with a 2-1 mark after downing Daytona 1-0 on Saturday. Shawn Zarraga and Reggie Keen are tied for second in the Florida State League with four RBI each. Zarraga is the team’s top hitter with a .444 average and is the only player hitting over .273 so far on the club. The Manatees are hitting .227 as a team and are fourth in the league with a 2.77 staff ERA.
FIRST ROUNDERS ... Manatee pitchers Eric Arnett, Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley were all first-round picks by Milwaukee in their respective drafts. Arnett was the 29th pick overall in 2009 out of Indiana University where he was the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year with a 12-2 record. Jungmann, who was rated as the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect entering the 2012 by MLB.com, was the team’s top pick 2011 first round pick (12th overall) out of Texas. He won the 2011 Dick Howser Award as the top college baseball player. Bradley, who’s full name is Jedidiah Custer Bradley, was also a first-round pick (15th overall pick) by the Brewers’ in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech.
MOUND PRESENCE ... Brevard County pitcher Gregory Holle is 6’8” and weighs 240 pounds. He is the son of former major leaguer Gary Holle who played for Texas in 1979.
LAST SEASON ... Brevard Country took 11 of the 17 games played between these two clubs in 2011. Four of Lakeland’s six wins came in the friendly confines of Joker Marchant Stadium, including the last two meetings of the season.
LET’S PLAY NINE ... The Manatees posted a 9-6 win over Lakeland on Aug. 6 last season. It was the final nine-inning game in the series. The next night, Aug. 7, Brevard Country triumphed again, this time 6-5 in 13 innings. The final five games in the series were all seven-inning contests.
PERFECT START ... Lakeland’s opening series sweep of Tampa gives the Flying Tigers a 3-0 start, becoming just the second Lakeland club since at least 1995 to begin the season with three consecutive wins. The 2002 club was the last Lakeland club to start with three wins, but lost their fourth game.
YANKEE SWEEP ... The three-game sweep over Tampa marked the first time since May 24-26, 2010 that the Flying Tigers swept a series from the Yankees.
HOME OPENERS ... Lakeland’s 5-2 win on Saturday was their fifth straight home opening win for the Flying Tigers.
OPENING DAY CROWDS ... Saturday’s home opener drew 2,020 fans, the second largest crowd for the first home game of the year in the last nine years. The 2009 home opener pulled in 2,224 fans.
THREE FOR THREE ... Perhaps Tyler Collins’ first name should be Trey as the former sixth-round pick by Detroit has had three hits in each of his first three games. He is hitting 9-for-13 for a .692 start the season and his nine hits lead the FSL while his .693 average is second best to John Andreoli of Daytona who is 3x4 (.750) in two games played. Collins’ .714 on base percentage is also second in the league while his .769 slugging percentage is third best.
STRONG ARMS ... A big reason for Lakeland’s 3-0 start is the quality of the starting pitching staff so far. Alex Burgos and Kevin Eichhorn each worked 6.0 innings in their respective starts while Brian Flynn went 6.2 frames on Saturday. Flynn did not allow a run in his stint while Eichhorn allowed one earned run and Burgos was touched for just two earned run giving the Lakeland starters a 0.92 ERA to start the season. The trio has combined for 12 strikeouts while walking four. Overall, Lakeland pitching has a 1.93 staff ERA.
HOT BATS ... In addition to Tyler Collins, other Flying Tigers have been swinging hot bats: Frank Castellanos had two doubles in Friday’s game at Tampa and added a pair of singles in Saturday’s game at home against the Yankees to make him 5x12 (.417) to start the year while Avisail Garcia also has five hits and is 5x17 (.385) on the year. Dixon Machado (.364) and Daniel Fields (.308) are also hitting over .300 in the early going. As a team, Lakeland is batting .321 so far.
AVERAGING OVER TEN ... Lakeland is 3-0 on the year, despite striking out 32 times over the first three games. Tampa pitchers struck out 12 Lakeland batters in both games one and three.
CLOSING IN ON 1700 ... Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert is in his second season with Lakeland and his 24th season as a minor league manager. He brings a 1,675-1,535 record into the Brevard County series.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Here’s a look at how some former Flying Tigers are doing in the early going at Erie (1-2): Rawley Bishop is hitting .444, good for sixth in the Midwest League while Rob Brantly has a home run and a .375 average. Corey Jones is 3x5. Two of Lakeland’s top hitters in 2011 are still looking for their stroke at AA as Jordan Lennerton is 2x11 with five strikeouts and Tony Plagman is 1x11 with four K’s. Jared Wesson won his first start allowing one run over 5.0 innings.
Up in Toledo (1-1), Audy Ciriaco is 1x8 with four strikeouts while Drew Smyly lasted just 1.2 innings in his first start, getting tagged for three runs on three hits. Adam Wilk tossed five shutout innings with six punchouts in 5.0 in getting his first win of the year.
For Detroit (2-0), Brennan Boesch is 0x9, Andy Dirks is 2x4 and Ryan Raburn is 1x8. Duane Below picked up a win with 2.1 innings of relief work in Saturday’s 10-0 blowout of Boston while Justin Verlander tossed 8.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven, but came out of the opener without a win as Detroit won it in the bottom of the ninth.
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