THE SERIES ... After a day off, Lakeland heads to Daytona for three games on April 25-27 with each game getting underway at 7:05 p.m. All three games may be heard live on the Daytona website at www.daytonacubs.com.
THE FLYING TIGERS (7-12, 6th Place, 7.0 GB) ... You may excuse Lakeland if it petitions the league to play Clearwater every series. Entering the recent Thresher series with a 4-12 mark, the Flying Tigers swept Clearwater in three games to improve to 7-12 on the year. Lakeland outscored the Threshers 22-8 and outhit them 38-30. In the series finale on Tuesday, Lakeland had 17 hits in a 12-3 win, including four doubles, two triples (both by Chad Wright) and a homer in recording season highs for runs scored and hits. Lakeland ranks sixth in the Florida State League with a .251 average and is now third with a 3.29 staff earned run average.
THE CUBS (8-11, T-4th Place, 6.0 GB) ... Daytona is looking to snap out of a funk that has seen the squad lose five of its last six games. During the Dunedin series, the Cubs lost 10-7, 10-8, and 11-8. Stephen Bruno is fourth in the league with a .355 average while Dustin Geiger is second with 18 RBI (one behind the co-leaders). John Andreoli is fourth with a .447 on-base percentage and is second in the FSL with 15 walks, one behind teammate Zeke DeVoss. Daytona is fourth in the league with a .262 team batting average and is last with a 5.27 staff ERA.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
4/25 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (1-2, 2.30 ERA) ... making his fourth start ... took the loss in last outing on 4/19 vs Dunedin ... gave up three runs – two earned – on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4.0 innings ... has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start ... tossed seven shutout innings on 4/14 in road win, holding Dunedin to a pair of hits ... all four of his earned runs allowed have come in the fourth inning.
4/26 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (0-1, 3.60 ERA) ... making his second start since moving into the rotation on 4/20 against Dunedin (replacing Tommy Collier who went on the DL) ... allowed one run on three hits (one of them a home run) with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings ... did not factor into the decision ... is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA as a starter and 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four relief appearances.
4/27 - RHP Drew VerHagen (0-2, 3.60 ERA) ... looking for his first win ... has not factored in the decision in last two outings ... gave up four runs –three earned – on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.2 innings in last start on 4/21 vs. Clearwater ... has a 0-1 record and a 1.64 ERA in two road starts ... five of his eight earned runs allowed have come in the fifth inning.
LAST YEAR ... Lakeland won 11 of the 18 meetings last season including seven of first ten. However, in Daytona, the Cubs held a 5-4 advantage.
INSIDE THE CUBS ... The Cubs’ coaching staff features a pair of former Major Leaguers in Storm Davis and Mariano Duncan. Davis pitched for 13 years in the majors while Duncan played for 12 seasons in the bigs. Both played on two World Series Championship teams ... pitcher Yao-Lin Wang hails from Tai-Tung, Taiwan ... shortstop Javier Baez was rated as the Cubs top prospect by MLB.com entering the 2013 season while outfielder Jorge Soler, who is from Havana, Cuba, was ranked third.
BING, BANG, BOOM ... The Lakeland offense has begun to crank up over the last few games, batting .357 the last four games with 51 hits, including 11 doubles. Of the 57 hits in the last five games, 15 have been doubles with four triples and a home run. Lakeland has batted .333 over the last ten games and has had four doubles in a game four times in that span. Chad Wright and Aaron Westlake have each gone 17x46 (.370) during the stretch. Eugenio Suarez (who is 8x14 with two doubles and a triple since moving into the lead-off spot four games ago) has gone 15x47 (.319) while Jeff McVaney and Dean Green (now on the DL) have each had 13 hits. Suarez, Westlake and Wright have combined to score 19 runs.
LAKELAND TRIVIA ... In 1997, this outfield duo each had over 150 hits for Lakeland - something no Lakeland player had accomplished since Joe Staton set the franchise record with 160 hits in 1970. Can you name this dynamic duo?
GREEN PLACED ON DL ... Dean Green, Lakeland’s leading hitter with a .333 average, was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury. Taking his spot on the Lakeland roster is Jesus Ustariz, who hit .282 for the GCL Tigers last season while leading the league’s first basemen in fielding percentage, total chances, putouts, and double plays. Green joins outfielder Steven Moya and pitchers Tommy Collier and Joe Rogers on the injured list.
VALVERDE TRANSFERRED TO DETROIT ... Former Detroit closer Jose Valverde has returned to the big club after a three-game stint in Lakeland. In three outings, Valverde allowed one hit, walked two and struck out four in 3.0 shutout innings.
PRODIGAL SON RETURNS ... The Flying Tigers added outfielder Mike Hernandez to the roster on April 24. Hernandez, who was named to the FSL All-Star team while playing in Lakeland in 2007, comes to the team from West Michigan, where he was batting .289 in 11 games. Hernandez twice hit for the cycle at West Michigan in 2006 and set a team record with seven RBI in one game. In 2007 in Lakeland, he finished second in the FSL with 87 RBI and fourth with 20 home runs. He was traded and released by Texas and then played one season in the Mets’ organization. He has 85 homers and 382 RBI in his minor league career.
SUAREZ RECEIVES HARDWARE ... Shortstop Eugenio Suarez received his 2012 Rawling Gold Glove prior to Tuesday’s home game in Lakeland. Suarez played all of 2012 at West Michigan and had a .971 fielding percentage while leading all league shortstops with 257 putouts. A Midwest League midseason All-Star, he was named the Whitecaps Player of the Year. Suarez is one of nine minor league players to receive a Gold Glove for 2012, presented by Rawlings.
FSL HONOR ... Kyle Ryan, who played at Auburndale High School, was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the period April 15-21. Ryan tossed eight shutout innings in his only starting, allowing one hit while striking out three. He is the first Flying Tigers pitcher to earn the FSL honor since Drew Smyly was so honored on June 13, 2011.
THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, who was inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame in 2012, is in his 25th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors with a 1,752-1,595 record entering the Dunedin series. Last season, he led Lakeland to the 2012 Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakeland Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.
RONDON GETS THE CALL ... Bruce Rondon, who led Lakeland with 15 saves last season despite being promoted to AA Erie in mid-June, was called up to the big club from Toledo on Tuesday. Rondon was thought to the leading candidate for Detroit’s closer before Spring Training, but began the season at AAA Toledo.
UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers head south to Charlotte for four games against the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate on April 28-30 and May 1. Lakeland will then return home for the second seven-game homestand of the year on May 2-4 against Daytona and May 5-8 against Jupiter.
TRIVIA ANSWER - Alejando Freire (154) and Gabe Kapler (153)
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