THE SERIES ... Lakeland hosts Brevard County for a three-game set on June 29-July 1 with the series getting underway Saturday, June 29, at 6 pm. The middle game of the series is set for Sunday, June 30, at 1 pm with the finale Monday, July 1, at 6:30 pm.
THE FLYING TIGERS (32-44; 2-6, 6th, 4.5 GB) ... The Flying Tigers are 2-10 their last 12 games after dropping two of three at Dunedin. With six strikeouts in last night’s game at Dunedin, Wilsen Palacios has taken over the FSL lead with 77 strikeouts. Kyle Ryan, who worked 6.0 innings in his last start, holds the top spot with 92.0 innings pitched while Palacios ranks fifth with 83.0 frames worked. Jason Krizan and Chad Wright remain two of the league’s toughest to strikeout with 10.17 and 9.03 plate appearances, respectively, per strikeout. Lakeland’s batting average of .243 has dropped to second lowest in the FSL and they have hit just 29 homers as a squad, second fewest only to Jupiter’s 26 dingers.
THE MANATEES (43-33; 6-3, 2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Brevard County has won 11 of its last 14 games entering this series and trails Daytona by 1.0 game in the second half standings of the North Division. Two of the three losses were by one run while the third was a 4-1 loss in a five-inning, rain-shortened game. Nick Ramirez is tied for second in the FSL with 16 home runs – just 13 fewer than Lakeland has as a team – but leads the league with 105 strikeouts. Brent Suter is sixth in the league with a 2.87 ERA to go with his 7-4 record and is fourth with just 1.09 hits and walks allowed per inning. Tommy Toledo is tied for second with 13 saves. It’s feast or famine for the Manatees as the club is tied for second in the FSL with 58 homers as a club, but is dead last with a .239 team batting average.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/29 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (3-5, 3.50) ... Ferrell held Daytona to two runs on three hits in his last start on June 24, but did not factor into the decision. He is 3-2 with a 2.02 ERA in his last six starts with 17 strikeouts and nine walks. Ferrell is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA in eight home appearances while going 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in seven road games. He is 0-2 with a 4.00 in three previous appearances versus the Manatees including one start on June 18, allowing three earned runs in 6.0 innings.
6/30 - RHP Hudson Randall (1-7, 6.02) ... Randall took the loss on June 25 against Daytona in his last start, allowing four runs on six hits in 3.2 innings pitched. He has now surrendered 12 earned runs on 17 hits his last two starts after tossing 18.0 innings without an earned run in his previous three starts. Randall, who gave up eight runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings in his previous start against Brevard County on June 19, is 0-4 with a 5.87 in five home starts and 1-3 with a 6.17 in four road games.
7/01 - RHP Josh Carr (0-2, 4.95) ... Carr was tagged with the loss in his last start on June 26 at Dunedin, giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits in 5.0 innings. This will be just his second home start of the season. He has a 0-0 record and a 6.00 ERA in just three previous home innings and is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in four previous road appearances, including three starts. Carr has not faced Brevard County this season.
SEASON SERIES ... Brevard County has won eight of the nine meetings between these two clubs, including the last five straight. The lone Lakeland win came on May 14. The Manatees have outscored the Flying Tigers by a 44-28 margin in the nine games, but Lakeland has outhit Brevard County, 75-50. Chad Wright is 13x37 (.351) with five RBI in the series for Lakeland while Cameron Garfield has three homers and 11 RBI for Brevard County.
ROSTER MOVES ... Catcher Luis Sanz was sent AA Erie on Thursday to take a roster spot vacated there when former Flying Tiger Zach Maggard was placed on the disabled list after being hit in the head with a bat. Taking Sanz’s spot on the Lakeland roster is former University of South Florida catcher Drew Longley, who joins Lakeland from the Gulf Coast League. Longley is making his second appearance on the Lakeland roster as he was with the club for one day on May 6.
LOW SCORING SERIES ... Fans that like to see the scoreboard light up with runs may be disappointed in this season as the two clubs rank 11th and 12th in the league in runs scored. Lakeland has crossed the plate 284 times, the fewest in the league, while Brevard County has scored just two more runs, 286. Stolen bases are also not big as the two clubs have each swiped 45 bases, tied for third fewest in the FSL. Combined, the two clubs are still 22 bases behind Brandenton which has a FSL-high 112 stolen bases.
FLYING HIGH ... Chad Wright has at least one base hit in nine of his last 11 games and is 17x44 (.386) since June 17 ... Steven Moya has hits in seven of his last eight games and is 14x33 (.424) since June 20 with four doubles, a triple, three homers, 11 RBI and seven runs scored ... Tyler Hanover saw his nine-game hit streak snapped on Friday. He was 12x37 (.324) during the streak with seven runs scored ... Francisco Martinez is 10x43 (.233) with hits in nine of last 11 games ... Alex Burgos has seven strikeouts his last 8.1 innings (3 APP) ... Matt Davenport has given up just three earned runs over 11 innings (4 APP) with 10 strikeouts ... Wilsen Palacios has averaged 6.0 strikeouts over his last nine starts and has allowed 14 earned runs in his last eight games (49.2 IP) for a 2.54 ERA ... Joe Ryan has a 2-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with 21 strikeouts and three walks in his last four starts.
GROUNDED ... Harold Castro is 3x18 (.167) his last five games with six strikeouts ... Corey Jones is 2x21 (.095) his last six games ... Jason Krizan is 2x17 (.118) his last six games ... Brandon Loy is hitless in his last 20 at bats over six games. He was 10x23 (.435) the previous six games ... Jeff McVaney has a hit in each his last two games, but is 3x22 (.136) the last seven games ... John Murrian also has hits in his last two games (3x6), but was 2x19 (.105) his previous five games ... Nick Avila has allowed two earned runs in each of his last three appearances (9.2 IP) with just one strikeout ... Brennan Smith has been tagged for 12 earned runs in his last 3.0 innings pitched ... Michael Torrealba allowed three earned runs in his last appearance matching his total allowed the previous six appearances.
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 1,777-1,627 record entering the Brevard County 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.
A TRIO OF LAKELAND ALUMS NAMED ALL-STARS ... Three former Flying Tigers have been named to the Eastern League All-Star team in catcher James McCann, second baseman Hernan Perez and pitcher Warwick Saupold.
LENNERTON PICKED FOR FUTURE GAME ... Former Lakeland first baseman Jordan Lennerton, a native of Langley, British Columbia, has been selected to represent the World Team in the 2013 All-Star Futures game. Nick Castellanos, who was the MVP in the 2012 Futures contest, is one of five finalists in the fan voting for the remaining roster spot on the Team USA roster.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland has Tuesday, July 2, off before heading to Tampa on Wednesday, July 3 for a 7 pm game. The Flying Tigers return to Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, July 4 for a 5 pm game and will also host the Yankees on Friday, July 5 at 7:11 pm.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (June 26-28)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland continues its six-game road trip with three games at Dunedin on June 26-28. All three games are set for 6:30 p.m. start times and all games may be heard on the Blue Jays’ website at www.dunedinbluejays.com.
THE FLYING TIGERS (31-42; 1-4, 5th, 3.5 GB) ... Lakeland is still looking to get back to the playing ways that saw the team win nine in a row from June 3-13. The team has now lost eight of its last nine games after being swept by Dunedin in three games on June 23-25. Pitching has been the problem of last as the starting rotation has surrendered 27 earned runs in the last 35.1 innings over eight starts for a 6.88 ERA. The bullpen has been tagged for 36 runs – 29 earned – in the last 34.0 innings over 10 games for a 7.68 earned run average. Wilsen Palacios is fifth in the Florida State League with 71 strikeouts and fifth with 8.62 strikeouts per nine innings. Kyle Ryan is second with 86.0 innings pitched, fourth among FSL starters with 10.57 baserunners allowed per nine innings and fifth a .235 opponent’s batting average. At .244, the Flying Tigers have the second team batting average in the league.
THE BLUE JAYS (37-29; 1-5, 6th, 4.0 game lead) ... Dunedin won the first half by winning its last four games to eclipse Brevard County by one-half game. The second half is a different story so far, as the Blue Jays have lost four straight since opening the second half with a 1-1 mark. One reason for the disparity may be the promotion of Andy Burns who was fifth in the FSL with a .327 batting average. Burns was tied for the league lead with 81 hits and third with 53 runs batted in. Jon Berti, who is still with the club, has stolen a league-high 31 bases – seven more than the second place player. Scott Copeland ranks second in the league with a 2.75 ERA and a 6-3 record and has a league-high 91.2 innings pitched. Jesse Hernandez is sixth with a 3.04 ERA while Blake McFarland is third with 12 saves. Dunedin’s staff ERA of 3.32 is second best in the league.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/26 - RHP Josh Carr (0-1, 5.40) ... Carr did not factor into the decision in his last start on June 20 at Clearwater after allowing three runs on eight hits on 4.0 innings. He is 0-1 with a 7.15 earned run average in three starts after 3.2 innings of scoreless relief in his Lakeland debut on May 25. Carr whiffed five in his debut with no walks, but has struck out just four and walked eight in his last 11.1 innings.
6/27 - LHP Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.45) ... Ryan has two no decisions in his last two starts while allowing six hits and striking out six in each game. In his last start against Clearwater at home on June 22, he allowed four earned runs over 5.0 innings. Ryan has a 3-4 road record with a 3.92 ERA. He has two previous starts against Dunedin. On April 13, he was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings for the loss, but came back in his next start, also against the Jays, on April 18 by tossing 8.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball, but did not get a win.
6/28 - Wilsen Palacios (3-5, 3.91) ... Palacios took the loss in his last start on June 23 at Clearwater after surrendering three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings with five strikeouts. He was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his four previous starts. Palacios is averaging 6.0 strikeouts per game over his last eight starts. He has two previous starts against the Blue Jays. He took the loss on April 12 after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings. He again took the hill against the Jays on May 28 getting a no-decision despite holding Dunedin to two runs on four hits over 5.0 innings.
SEASON SERIES ... Dunedin has won seven of the previous nine meetings including two of the three played at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium back on April 12-14 and five of the six played at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Blue Jays won the first two games by a combined 15-4 score while the remaining seven games were all decided by two runs or fewer.
RUNS HARD TO COME BY ... The Blue Jays have scored just nine runs in the last six games. The clubs was shut out once and held to a single tally in three other games.
TOUGH TO RING UP ... Jason Krizan is the third toughest to strike out in the FSL with one strikeouts per 10.55 plate appearances while Tyler Hanover is fifth with 8.91 plate appearances per nine innings.
KEEPIN’ IN THE PARK ... Fans of the long ball may want to skip this series as Lakeland has hit just 29 homers this season, second lowest total in the Florida State League while Dunedin has banged just 36 round trippers, third fewest in the league. The Flying Tigers have not homered in a game since June 13 when Francisco Martinez, Michael Hernandez and Steven Moya all went deep.
STREAKIN’ ... Tyler Hanover brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 9x29 (.310) with six runs scored.
EVEN STEVEN ... Steven Moya has carried a hot bat to the plate in the last five games, going 10x21 (.476) with three homers and seven runs batted in. He has also scored six runs in that span.
MULTIPLE CHADS ... Chad Wright has had multiple hits in five of his last eight games including getting three hits on June 24 at Daytona. He has gone 12x32 (.375) since June 17 with five runs scored. Wright is getting it done with the glove as well, leading all FSL outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with no errors in 140 total fielding chances.
SELECT OPPONENT TROUBLES ... Lakeland is a combined 6-27 against Brevard County (1-8), Dunedin (2-7), and Daytona (3-12), but is 25-15 against the rest of the Florida State League. The Flying Tigers are 5-3 against Clearwater and 6-4 versus Tampa in the North Division. In the South, Lakeland is 3-0 against both Charlotte and St. Lucie, 3-1 against Bradenton and have split four-game series against Fort Myers and Palm Beach. Only Jupiter, at 3-1, holds a winning record in games against Lakeland.
GOTTA GET THE HITS ... Lakeland is 21-9 when outhitting its opponents and 6-27 when being outhit. The Flying Tigers are 4-6 in those games in which they match their opponents in the hit column.
THIRSTY THURSDAYS ... The Flying Tigers have not drank from the win column much on Thursdays as the club is just 2-10 prior to the weekend.
LOCAL BOY REJOINS CLUB ... Joe Rogers, who played his prep career at Winter Haven High School, rejoins Lakeland after being on the disabled list from April 12 to June 20. Rogers made one relief appearance for the Gulf Coast League Tigers on June 21, tossing two innings and allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
HERNANDEZ TAKES OFF ... Michael Hernandez was promoted to AA Erie on Wednesday. The Flying Tigers third baseman was batting .224 in 43 games with Lakeland with nine doubles, three triple and was tied for the team lead with five homers. He also drove in 23 runs for Lakeland.
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 1,776-1,635 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.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland returns home on June 29-July 1 for a three-game series against the Brevard County Manatees.
THE FLYING TIGERS (31-42; 1-4, 5th, 3.5 GB) ... Lakeland is still looking to get back to the playing ways that saw the team win nine in a row from June 3-13. The team has now lost eight of its last nine games after being swept by Dunedin in three games on June 23-25. Pitching has been the problem of last as the starting rotation has surrendered 27 earned runs in the last 35.1 innings over eight starts for a 6.88 ERA. The bullpen has been tagged for 36 runs – 29 earned – in the last 34.0 innings over 10 games for a 7.68 earned run average. Wilsen Palacios is fifth in the Florida State League with 71 strikeouts and fifth with 8.62 strikeouts per nine innings. Kyle Ryan is second with 86.0 innings pitched, fourth among FSL starters with 10.57 baserunners allowed per nine innings and fifth a .235 opponent’s batting average. At .244, the Flying Tigers have the second team batting average in the league.
THE BLUE JAYS (37-29; 1-5, 6th, 4.0 game lead) ... Dunedin won the first half by winning its last four games to eclipse Brevard County by one-half game. The second half is a different story so far, as the Blue Jays have lost four straight since opening the second half with a 1-1 mark. One reason for the disparity may be the promotion of Andy Burns who was fifth in the FSL with a .327 batting average. Burns was tied for the league lead with 81 hits and third with 53 runs batted in. Jon Berti, who is still with the club, has stolen a league-high 31 bases – seven more than the second place player. Scott Copeland ranks second in the league with a 2.75 ERA and a 6-3 record and has a league-high 91.2 innings pitched. Jesse Hernandez is sixth with a 3.04 ERA while Blake McFarland is third with 12 saves. Dunedin’s staff ERA of 3.32 is second best in the league.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/26 - RHP Josh Carr (0-1, 5.40) ... Carr did not factor into the decision in his last start on June 20 at Clearwater after allowing three runs on eight hits on 4.0 innings. He is 0-1 with a 7.15 earned run average in three starts after 3.2 innings of scoreless relief in his Lakeland debut on May 25. Carr whiffed five in his debut with no walks, but has struck out just four and walked eight in his last 11.1 innings.
6/27 - LHP Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.45) ... Ryan has two no decisions in his last two starts while allowing six hits and striking out six in each game. In his last start against Clearwater at home on June 22, he allowed four earned runs over 5.0 innings. Ryan has a 3-4 road record with a 3.92 ERA. He has two previous starts against Dunedin. On April 13, he was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings for the loss, but came back in his next start, also against the Jays, on April 18 by tossing 8.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball, but did not get a win.
6/28 - Wilsen Palacios (3-5, 3.91) ... Palacios took the loss in his last start on June 23 at Clearwater after surrendering three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings with five strikeouts. He was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his four previous starts. Palacios is averaging 6.0 strikeouts per game over his last eight starts. He has two previous starts against the Blue Jays. He took the loss on April 12 after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings. He again took the hill against the Jays on May 28 getting a no-decision despite holding Dunedin to two runs on four hits over 5.0 innings.
SEASON SERIES ... Dunedin has won seven of the previous nine meetings including two of the three played at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium back on April 12-14 and five of the six played at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Blue Jays won the first two games by a combined 15-4 score while the remaining seven games were all decided by two runs or fewer.
RUNS HARD TO COME BY ... The Blue Jays have scored just nine runs in the last six games. The clubs was shut out once and held to a single tally in three other games.
TOUGH TO RING UP ... Jason Krizan is the third toughest to strike out in the FSL with one strikeouts per 10.55 plate appearances while Tyler Hanover is fifth with 8.91 plate appearances per nine innings.
KEEPIN’ IN THE PARK ... Fans of the long ball may want to skip this series as Lakeland has hit just 29 homers this season, second lowest total in the Florida State League while Dunedin has banged just 36 round trippers, third fewest in the league. The Flying Tigers have not homered in a game since June 13 when Francisco Martinez, Michael Hernandez and Steven Moya all went deep.
STREAKIN’ ... Tyler Hanover brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 9x29 (.310) with six runs scored.
EVEN STEVEN ... Steven Moya has carried a hot bat to the plate in the last five games, going 10x21 (.476) with three homers and seven runs batted in. He has also scored six runs in that span.
MULTIPLE CHADS ... Chad Wright has had multiple hits in five of his last eight games including getting three hits on June 24 at Daytona. He has gone 12x32 (.375) since June 17 with five runs scored. Wright is getting it done with the glove as well, leading all FSL outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with no errors in 140 total fielding chances.
SELECT OPPONENT TROUBLES ... Lakeland is a combined 6-27 against Brevard County (1-8), Dunedin (2-7), and Daytona (3-12), but is 25-15 against the rest of the Florida State League. The Flying Tigers are 5-3 against Clearwater and 6-4 versus Tampa in the North Division. In the South, Lakeland is 3-0 against both Charlotte and St. Lucie, 3-1 against Bradenton and have split four-game series against Fort Myers and Palm Beach. Only Jupiter, at 3-1, holds a winning record in games against Lakeland.
GOTTA GET THE HITS ... Lakeland is 21-9 when outhitting its opponents and 6-27 when being outhit. The Flying Tigers are 4-6 in those games in which they match their opponents in the hit column.
THIRSTY THURSDAYS ... The Flying Tigers have not drank from the win column much on Thursdays as the club is just 2-10 prior to the weekend.
LOCAL BOY REJOINS CLUB ... Joe Rogers, who played his prep career at Winter Haven High School, rejoins Lakeland after being on the disabled list from April 12 to June 20. Rogers made one relief appearance for the Gulf Coast League Tigers on June 21, tossing two innings and allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
HERNANDEZ TAKES OFF ... Michael Hernandez was promoted to AA Erie on Wednesday. The Flying Tigers third baseman was batting .224 in 43 games with Lakeland with nine doubles, three triple and was tied for the team lead with five homers. He also drove in 23 runs for Lakeland.
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 1,776-1,635 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.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland returns home on June 29-July 1 for a three-game series against the Brevard County Manatees.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Daytona (June 23-25)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland hits the road for six games beginning with three games at Daytona on June 23 (5:35) and June 24-25 (7:05). The series will be broadcast on the Cubs website at www.daytonacubs.com.
THE FLYING TIGERS (1-1, T-3rd 0.5 GB) ... Steven Moya clubbed a pair of homers as Lakeland outlasted Clearwater 13-11 in a wild game on Saturday. With the Threshers leading 3-0, Lakeland put up a seven-spot in the fourth for a 7-3 lead. Moya led off the fourth with a solo run as Lakeland’s lead ran to 9-4. Clearwater answered with their own seven-run frame in the sixth for an 11-9 lead. Moya’s second homer – a three-run shot – keyed a four-run seventh lifting Lakeland to the win. The Flying Tigers victory was aided by a Threshers pitching staff that walked 14 batters. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Lakeland which has the second lowest batting average of .247 in the FSL.
THE CUBS (2-1, T-1st, 0.5 game lead) ... Daytona took two of three from Dunedin and has won four of its last five games. John Andreoli is seventh in the FSL with a .320 batting average and ranks fourth with 21 stolen bases. Javier Baez leads the league with six triples; is second with 15 homers, 50 runs scored and 140 total bases; and ranks fourth with 36 extra-base hits. Dustin Geiger leads the FSL with 58 runs batted in while Zeke DeVoss has drawn a league-high 39 walks. Daytona has the second highest staff ERA with a 4.33 mark and tied for second with seven shutouts.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/23 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 3.82) ... Palacios did not factor into the decision is his last start, going 7.0 innings at Brevard County on June 17, holding the Manatees to one run on five hits with seven Ks and one walk. He is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his last four appearances (three starts) with 23 strikeouts and seven walks. Palacios was tagged with the loss on May 4 against the Cubs, giving up four runs in 6.0 innings.
6/24 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (3-5, 3.55) ... Ferrell took the loss in his last start on June 18 at Brevard County after allowing three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 6.0 innings. He is 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts and is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA in two previous starts against the Cubs this season.
6/25 - Hudson Randall (1-6, 5.70) ... Randall had his worst outing of the season in his last start on June 19 at Brevard County surrendering eight runs on 11 hits. Prior to that start, he had not allowed an earned run over 18.0 innings over his three previous starts. Randall took the loss in his only previous start against Daytona on May 18, giving up four runs on a season-high 11 hits.
SEASON SERIES ... The Cubs have Lakeland’s number in 2013 winning nine of the 12 games played, but the two clubs have split their six games played at Jackie Robinson Ballpark with Lakeland winning two of the last three contests.
A CLOSER FOR A CLOSER ... Lakeland said goodbye to Melvin Mercedes and his 11 saves on Saturday as the Flying Tigers closer earned a promotion to AA Erie. Taking his place in in the bullpen is Jose Valdez who joins Lakeland from West Michigan where he was second in the Midwest League with 16 saves. The 2012 GCL Tigers Pitcher of the Year wasted no time in earning his stripes with the Flying Tigers recording a 1-2-3 ninth on Saturday to earn the save.
HANDY HANOVER ... Tyler Hanover has hits in his last six games in which he is 8x25 (.320) with five runs scored. He is hitting .355 with runners on base with five doubles and 11 runs batted in, but just .190 with runners in scoring position with two outs. He has batted leadoff in 23 games and hit .250 in those games. When he was slotted in the seventh spot in the line-up, however, he was 14x39 with a .359 average. Over his 47 games played for Lakeland, he has played 24 games at second, 16 games at third, two at short and four in the outfield.
LOY IN THE MIDDLE ... Brandon Loy also had hits in his last six games and is 10x23 (.435) with four doubles and five runs scored. He hits .305 versus lefties and .188 vs. righthanders. Loy has played 39 games at short for the Flying Tigers and 23 games at second.
BACK OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD ... Jason Krizan is 7x18 (.389) his last five games and has a pair of doubles and five runs batted in his last three games. He has batted in the #6 spot in the line-up in 23 games and put up a .264 mark (19x72) those games. He has dropped down one spot to #7 in 12 games and has hit .424 (14x33) in those games.
RIGHT WITH WRIGHT ... Chad Wright has had four games in the last five with two base hits each and is 9x19 (.475) during that stretch with a double and four runs scored. He is hitting .296 off righies, but just .122 against lefthanders. Hitting lead-off in 36 games, he was .223 (31x139) with a .306 on-base percentage. Dropping down a spot to #2 in 21 games, he has hit .333 (38x84) with a .404 on-base percentage. He drew 14 walks as the lead-off hitter and 10 at the number two slot.
JAZZY JEFF ... Jeff McVaney has two hits in each of the last two games and has scored five runs the last three contests. He has played all three outfield positions this season with 110 at bats in both left and right fields. As a left fielder, he hits .236 with five doubles, 1 homer and 7 RBI. Moving to right field, he hit 100 points better (.336) with seven doubles, four triples, three homers and 20 RBI.
MORE OF MOYA ... With a solo shot and a three-run blast last night, Steven Moya became the first Flying Tiger to hit two homers in a game since James Robbins hit a pair on May 24, 2012. He is 5x9 the last two games with three runs scored and five RBI.
FINDING HIS GROOVE ... John Murrian is 10x30 in his last nine games for a .333 clip with four runs scored and five more driven in.
GROUNDED ... Harold Castro is 5x27 (.185) his last eight games ... Michael Hernandez is 9x58 (.155) since May 24 with 20 strikeouts ... Francisco Martinez is 6x35 (.171) in his last eight games and 1x11 his last two games ... Luis Sanz is 4x21 (.167) his last five games and has struck out eight times in his last six games.
WILL THE REAL BRENNAN SMITH PLEASE STAND UP? ... After working 5.0 scoreless innings in his first three outings, Brennan Smith has pitched just 2.0 in his last three appearances, allowing 12 earned runs, including five last night without recording an out.
WHITHER THE ARMS? ... After allowing just one earned run over a span of seven games, Flying Tigers starters have surrendered 25 earned runs in the last eight games for a 5.72 ERA. The bullpen had a streak of 17 games in which they allowed just a total of five earned runs, but have been tagged for 22 runs in the last five games for a 8.87 ERA.
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 1,776-1,632 record entering the Daytona 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.
UP NEXT ... Following the Daytona series, Lakeland travels to Dunedin for three games on June 26-28.
THE FLYING TIGERS (1-1, T-3rd 0.5 GB) ... Steven Moya clubbed a pair of homers as Lakeland outlasted Clearwater 13-11 in a wild game on Saturday. With the Threshers leading 3-0, Lakeland put up a seven-spot in the fourth for a 7-3 lead. Moya led off the fourth with a solo run as Lakeland’s lead ran to 9-4. Clearwater answered with their own seven-run frame in the sixth for an 11-9 lead. Moya’s second homer – a three-run shot – keyed a four-run seventh lifting Lakeland to the win. The Flying Tigers victory was aided by a Threshers pitching staff that walked 14 batters. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Lakeland which has the second lowest batting average of .247 in the FSL.
THE CUBS (2-1, T-1st, 0.5 game lead) ... Daytona took two of three from Dunedin and has won four of its last five games. John Andreoli is seventh in the FSL with a .320 batting average and ranks fourth with 21 stolen bases. Javier Baez leads the league with six triples; is second with 15 homers, 50 runs scored and 140 total bases; and ranks fourth with 36 extra-base hits. Dustin Geiger leads the FSL with 58 runs batted in while Zeke DeVoss has drawn a league-high 39 walks. Daytona has the second highest staff ERA with a 4.33 mark and tied for second with seven shutouts.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/23 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 3.82) ... Palacios did not factor into the decision is his last start, going 7.0 innings at Brevard County on June 17, holding the Manatees to one run on five hits with seven Ks and one walk. He is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his last four appearances (three starts) with 23 strikeouts and seven walks. Palacios was tagged with the loss on May 4 against the Cubs, giving up four runs in 6.0 innings.
6/24 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (3-5, 3.55) ... Ferrell took the loss in his last start on June 18 at Brevard County after allowing three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 6.0 innings. He is 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts and is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA in two previous starts against the Cubs this season.
6/25 - Hudson Randall (1-6, 5.70) ... Randall had his worst outing of the season in his last start on June 19 at Brevard County surrendering eight runs on 11 hits. Prior to that start, he had not allowed an earned run over 18.0 innings over his three previous starts. Randall took the loss in his only previous start against Daytona on May 18, giving up four runs on a season-high 11 hits.
SEASON SERIES ... The Cubs have Lakeland’s number in 2013 winning nine of the 12 games played, but the two clubs have split their six games played at Jackie Robinson Ballpark with Lakeland winning two of the last three contests.
A CLOSER FOR A CLOSER ... Lakeland said goodbye to Melvin Mercedes and his 11 saves on Saturday as the Flying Tigers closer earned a promotion to AA Erie. Taking his place in in the bullpen is Jose Valdez who joins Lakeland from West Michigan where he was second in the Midwest League with 16 saves. The 2012 GCL Tigers Pitcher of the Year wasted no time in earning his stripes with the Flying Tigers recording a 1-2-3 ninth on Saturday to earn the save.
HANDY HANOVER ... Tyler Hanover has hits in his last six games in which he is 8x25 (.320) with five runs scored. He is hitting .355 with runners on base with five doubles and 11 runs batted in, but just .190 with runners in scoring position with two outs. He has batted leadoff in 23 games and hit .250 in those games. When he was slotted in the seventh spot in the line-up, however, he was 14x39 with a .359 average. Over his 47 games played for Lakeland, he has played 24 games at second, 16 games at third, two at short and four in the outfield.
LOY IN THE MIDDLE ... Brandon Loy also had hits in his last six games and is 10x23 (.435) with four doubles and five runs scored. He hits .305 versus lefties and .188 vs. righthanders. Loy has played 39 games at short for the Flying Tigers and 23 games at second.
BACK OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD ... Jason Krizan is 7x18 (.389) his last five games and has a pair of doubles and five runs batted in his last three games. He has batted in the #6 spot in the line-up in 23 games and put up a .264 mark (19x72) those games. He has dropped down one spot to #7 in 12 games and has hit .424 (14x33) in those games.
RIGHT WITH WRIGHT ... Chad Wright has had four games in the last five with two base hits each and is 9x19 (.475) during that stretch with a double and four runs scored. He is hitting .296 off righies, but just .122 against lefthanders. Hitting lead-off in 36 games, he was .223 (31x139) with a .306 on-base percentage. Dropping down a spot to #2 in 21 games, he has hit .333 (38x84) with a .404 on-base percentage. He drew 14 walks as the lead-off hitter and 10 at the number two slot.
JAZZY JEFF ... Jeff McVaney has two hits in each of the last two games and has scored five runs the last three contests. He has played all three outfield positions this season with 110 at bats in both left and right fields. As a left fielder, he hits .236 with five doubles, 1 homer and 7 RBI. Moving to right field, he hit 100 points better (.336) with seven doubles, four triples, three homers and 20 RBI.
MORE OF MOYA ... With a solo shot and a three-run blast last night, Steven Moya became the first Flying Tiger to hit two homers in a game since James Robbins hit a pair on May 24, 2012. He is 5x9 the last two games with three runs scored and five RBI.
FINDING HIS GROOVE ... John Murrian is 10x30 in his last nine games for a .333 clip with four runs scored and five more driven in.
GROUNDED ... Harold Castro is 5x27 (.185) his last eight games ... Michael Hernandez is 9x58 (.155) since May 24 with 20 strikeouts ... Francisco Martinez is 6x35 (.171) in his last eight games and 1x11 his last two games ... Luis Sanz is 4x21 (.167) his last five games and has struck out eight times in his last six games.
WILL THE REAL BRENNAN SMITH PLEASE STAND UP? ... After working 5.0 scoreless innings in his first three outings, Brennan Smith has pitched just 2.0 in his last three appearances, allowing 12 earned runs, including five last night without recording an out.
WHITHER THE ARMS? ... After allowing just one earned run over a span of seven games, Flying Tigers starters have surrendered 25 earned runs in the last eight games for a 5.72 ERA. The bullpen had a streak of 17 games in which they allowed just a total of five earned runs, but have been tagged for 22 runs in the last five games for a 8.87 ERA.
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 1,776-1,632 record entering the Daytona 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.
UP NEXT ... Following the Daytona series, Lakeland travels to Dunedin for three games on June 26-28.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (June 20-22)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland opens the second half with a three-game set against the Clearwater Threshers. Game one of this series will take place Thursday, June 20 in Clearwater at 7 pm, before heading to Lakeland for game two on Friday, June 21 at 7:11 pm and then game three Saturday in Lakeland at 5 pm (note special start time).
THE FLYING TIGERS (30-38, 5th Place, 8.0 GB) ... Lakeland closed out the first half by being swept in a three-game series on the road at Brevard County. The club finished in fifth place, eight games behind the first-half winner, Dunedin. Melvin Mercedes is third in the Florida State League with 11 saves and leads with 21 games finished while Kyle Ryan is second with 81.0 innings pitched. Wilsen Palacios ranks fifth among league starters with 8.63 strikeouts per nine innings. Jason Krizan is third toughest to strike out in the FSL with one strikeout every 10.1 plate appearances while Tyler Hanover is fifth toughest to punch out with one K every 8.64 trips to the plate.
THE THRESHERS (34-30, T-5th Place, 0.5 GB) ... Clearwater completed the first half with a 35-33 record to finish in fourth place, three games out of first place. The Threshers have the top hitter in the league in Kelly Dugan who tops the FSL with a hefty .345 average. He has had 17 games with two or more hits including seven games with three hits and one with four base knocks. Dugan has also clubbed eight homers and driven in 29 runs. Maikel Franco leads the league with 16 homers, 23 doubles, 40 extra base hits, 152 total bases, and a .430 on-base percentage; second with 79 hits; and fourth with 52 RBI. He is also 10th in the FSL with a .299 average and brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 11x27 (.407). On the mound, Perci Garner is 5-1 and eighth with a 3.09 ERA while Hoby Milner is second with 72 strikeouts. Clearwater is second in the FSL with a .273 team batting average and 51 homers.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/20 - LHP Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.22) ... Ryan, who was the starting pitcher for the North in the FSL All-Star game, did not factor into the decision in his last regular start on June 12 against Bradenton, working 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on six hits with six punch outs and no walks. He is 3-1 with the one no decision in his last five starts with a 2.86 ERA, 20 strikeouts and five walks. Ryan is 1-1 against Clearwater with a 2.77 ERA with 11 strikeouts.
6/21 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 3.82) ... Palacios also did factor into the decision is his last start, going 7.0 innings at Brevard County on June 17, holding the Manatees to one run on five hits with seven Ks and one walk. He is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his last four appearances (three starts) with 23 strikeouts and seven walks. Palacios is 1-0 in two starts against the Threshers with a 5.73 ERA and 14 punch outs.
6/22 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (3-5, 3.55) ... Ferrell took the loss in his last start on June 18 at Brevard County, surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits with four Ks and zero walks over 6.0 innings. He is 3-2 his last five starts with a 1.82 ERA and 15 strikeouts and five walks. He has made one previous start against Clearwater, getting a no decision on May 11 allowing four runs on eight hits with five Ks and one walk.
SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland has won four of the six meetings so far in 2013. The Flying Tigers have posted a .316 team batting average over the six games while the Threshers have hit at .290 pace. Two games were in the series were decided by one run, including an 8-7, 10 inning win by Lakeland on May 9. The Flying Tigers matched a season-high for runs scored and winning margin in a 12-3 victory on April 23 while establishing a season-best with 17 hits in the game.
VerHAGEN EARNS A PROMOTION ... Drew VerHagen was promoted to AA Erie on Wednesday. The 6’6” righty was 5-3 for Lakeland and ranked eighth in the Florida State League with a 2.81 earned run average. Having went 0-3 in his first 14 appearances in two seasons as a pro, he had gone 5-0 with two no-decisions in his last seven starts with a 1.70 ERA.
HANDY HANOVER ... Tyler Hanover has hits in his last four games in which he is 6x18 (.333) with three runs scored. Over his 45 games played for Lakeland, he has played 22 games at second, 16 games at third, two at short and four in the outfield.
LOY IN THE MIDDLE ... Brandon Loy also had hits in his last four games and is 6x16 (.375) with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. He has played 37 games at short for the Flying Tigers and 23 games at second.
MIGHTY MARTINEZ ... Francisco Martinez has gotten at least one hit in ten of his 12 games played for Lakeland so far and brings a .292 average into this series.
RIGHT WITH WRIGHT ... Chad Wright was 5x12 (.417) in the Brevard County series with a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
FINDING HIS GROOVE ... John Murrian is 8x22 in his last seven games for a .364 clip with three runs scored and three more driven in.
SLIGH SLADE ... Slade Smith has allowed just one earned run (three total) in his last 12.2 innings over six appearances with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
BE LIKE MIKE ... Michael Torrealba has surrendered one run (that coming in his last outing) in his last five appearances out of the bullpen spanning 5.0 innings with four strikeouts.
WHITHER THE ARMS ... After allowing just one earned run over a span of seven games, Flying Tigers starters have surrendered 18 earned runs in the last six games, including eight in last night’s contest. The bullpen had a streak of 17 games in which they allowed just total of five earned runs, but have been tagged for 12 runs in the last four games.
WRONG DIVISION ... Lakeland finished the first half with a 15-29 record against North Division opponents while posting a 14-8 record against the South Division.
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 1,775-1,631 record entering the second half. 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.
FIRST HALF CHAMPIONS ... Dunedin wrapped up the first half Wednesday afternoon with an 8-4 win over Tampa and is guaranteed a spot in the Florida State League playoffs. In the South Division, Fort Myers clinched a playoff spot way back on June 8.
2014 FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... The Florida State League has awarded the 2014 All-Star Game to Bradenton with the game tentatively scheduled for June 14. Historic McKechnie Field, which will be the site of the 53rd annual game, is home to the Bradenton Marauders, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The field, which has been in operation for 90 seasons, recently underwent a $10.5-million renovation.
UP NEXT ... Following a short, two-game homestand, Lakeland hits the road for six games, playing June 23-25 in Daytona and June 26-28 in Dunedin.
THE FLYING TIGERS (30-38, 5th Place, 8.0 GB) ... Lakeland closed out the first half by being swept in a three-game series on the road at Brevard County. The club finished in fifth place, eight games behind the first-half winner, Dunedin. Melvin Mercedes is third in the Florida State League with 11 saves and leads with 21 games finished while Kyle Ryan is second with 81.0 innings pitched. Wilsen Palacios ranks fifth among league starters with 8.63 strikeouts per nine innings. Jason Krizan is third toughest to strike out in the FSL with one strikeout every 10.1 plate appearances while Tyler Hanover is fifth toughest to punch out with one K every 8.64 trips to the plate.
THE THRESHERS (34-30, T-5th Place, 0.5 GB) ... Clearwater completed the first half with a 35-33 record to finish in fourth place, three games out of first place. The Threshers have the top hitter in the league in Kelly Dugan who tops the FSL with a hefty .345 average. He has had 17 games with two or more hits including seven games with three hits and one with four base knocks. Dugan has also clubbed eight homers and driven in 29 runs. Maikel Franco leads the league with 16 homers, 23 doubles, 40 extra base hits, 152 total bases, and a .430 on-base percentage; second with 79 hits; and fourth with 52 RBI. He is also 10th in the FSL with a .299 average and brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 11x27 (.407). On the mound, Perci Garner is 5-1 and eighth with a 3.09 ERA while Hoby Milner is second with 72 strikeouts. Clearwater is second in the FSL with a .273 team batting average and 51 homers.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/20 - LHP Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.22) ... Ryan, who was the starting pitcher for the North in the FSL All-Star game, did not factor into the decision in his last regular start on June 12 against Bradenton, working 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on six hits with six punch outs and no walks. He is 3-1 with the one no decision in his last five starts with a 2.86 ERA, 20 strikeouts and five walks. Ryan is 1-1 against Clearwater with a 2.77 ERA with 11 strikeouts.
6/21 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 3.82) ... Palacios also did factor into the decision is his last start, going 7.0 innings at Brevard County on June 17, holding the Manatees to one run on five hits with seven Ks and one walk. He is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his last four appearances (three starts) with 23 strikeouts and seven walks. Palacios is 1-0 in two starts against the Threshers with a 5.73 ERA and 14 punch outs.
6/22 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (3-5, 3.55) ... Ferrell took the loss in his last start on June 18 at Brevard County, surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits with four Ks and zero walks over 6.0 innings. He is 3-2 his last five starts with a 1.82 ERA and 15 strikeouts and five walks. He has made one previous start against Clearwater, getting a no decision on May 11 allowing four runs on eight hits with five Ks and one walk.
SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland has won four of the six meetings so far in 2013. The Flying Tigers have posted a .316 team batting average over the six games while the Threshers have hit at .290 pace. Two games were in the series were decided by one run, including an 8-7, 10 inning win by Lakeland on May 9. The Flying Tigers matched a season-high for runs scored and winning margin in a 12-3 victory on April 23 while establishing a season-best with 17 hits in the game.
VerHAGEN EARNS A PROMOTION ... Drew VerHagen was promoted to AA Erie on Wednesday. The 6’6” righty was 5-3 for Lakeland and ranked eighth in the Florida State League with a 2.81 earned run average. Having went 0-3 in his first 14 appearances in two seasons as a pro, he had gone 5-0 with two no-decisions in his last seven starts with a 1.70 ERA.
HANDY HANOVER ... Tyler Hanover has hits in his last four games in which he is 6x18 (.333) with three runs scored. Over his 45 games played for Lakeland, he has played 22 games at second, 16 games at third, two at short and four in the outfield.
LOY IN THE MIDDLE ... Brandon Loy also had hits in his last four games and is 6x16 (.375) with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. He has played 37 games at short for the Flying Tigers and 23 games at second.
MIGHTY MARTINEZ ... Francisco Martinez has gotten at least one hit in ten of his 12 games played for Lakeland so far and brings a .292 average into this series.
RIGHT WITH WRIGHT ... Chad Wright was 5x12 (.417) in the Brevard County series with a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
FINDING HIS GROOVE ... John Murrian is 8x22 in his last seven games for a .364 clip with three runs scored and three more driven in.
SLIGH SLADE ... Slade Smith has allowed just one earned run (three total) in his last 12.2 innings over six appearances with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
BE LIKE MIKE ... Michael Torrealba has surrendered one run (that coming in his last outing) in his last five appearances out of the bullpen spanning 5.0 innings with four strikeouts.
WHITHER THE ARMS ... After allowing just one earned run over a span of seven games, Flying Tigers starters have surrendered 18 earned runs in the last six games, including eight in last night’s contest. The bullpen had a streak of 17 games in which they allowed just total of five earned runs, but have been tagged for 12 runs in the last four games.
WRONG DIVISION ... Lakeland finished the first half with a 15-29 record against North Division opponents while posting a 14-8 record against the South Division.
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 1,775-1,631 record entering the second half. 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.
FIRST HALF CHAMPIONS ... Dunedin wrapped up the first half Wednesday afternoon with an 8-4 win over Tampa and is guaranteed a spot in the Florida State League playoffs. In the South Division, Fort Myers clinched a playoff spot way back on June 8.
2014 FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... The Florida State League has awarded the 2014 All-Star Game to Bradenton with the game tentatively scheduled for June 14. Historic McKechnie Field, which will be the site of the 53rd annual game, is home to the Bradenton Marauders, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The field, which has been in operation for 90 seasons, recently underwent a $10.5-million renovation.
UP NEXT ... Following a short, two-game homestand, Lakeland hits the road for six games, playing June 23-25 in Daytona and June 26-28 in Dunedin.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (June 17-19)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland returns from the All-Star Break with a three-game road trip to Brevard County on June 17-19. All three games will be played at 6:35 pm in Viera. The two clubs are facing each other for the first time since April 15-17.
THE FLYING TIGERS (30-35, 4th Place, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland had its nine-game win streak snapped on Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader, falling 9-5 to Bradenton. The streak enabled the Flying Tigers to climb out of the cellar of the North Division for the first time since May 16. Drew VerHagen ranks ninth in the Florida State League with a 2.81 ERA to go with his 5-3 record, while allowing opponents to hit .207 against him – second best average in the league. Melvin Mercedes has saved 11 games this season which is third most in the FSL while Kyle Ryan ranks second with 81.0 innings pitched – one behind the leader, Scott Copeland of Dunedin. Brandon Loy remains in the top five with 30 walks drawn.
THE MANATEES (34-30, T-5th Place, 0.5 GB) ... Brevard County is locked into a battle for the first half crown as the Manatees trail Dunedin by one-half game with three games remaining. Daytona and Clearwater are both 1.0 game back of the Blue Jays. Brevard has the lowest team batting average (.233) of any league team and has scored the fewest runs (228) of any squad. It’s feast or famine with the Manatees as the team is tied for the second most homers (48) of any league team. Brooks Hall has a 2.78 ERA which is eighth best in the league. Brevard County had one of the top closers in the league in Seth Harvey who totalled 10 saves before heading to the disabled list. Tommy Toledo stepped up and has matched the total with 10 saves of his own and has two wins and nine saves in his last 11 save opportunities. Nick Ramirez is third in the FSL with 14 homers, but has struck out a league-high 90 times.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/17 - Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 4.10) ... Palacios picked up the win in his last start on June 9 in the first game of a doubleheader, working 6.1 innings and holding Tampa to one run on seven hits while striking out eight and walking one. The victory was his first after two no decisions and he has posted a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts while allowing just the one earned run over his last 11.1 innings. Palacios is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his one previous start against the Manatees on April 17.
6/18 - Jeff Ferrell (3-4, 3.44) ... Ferrell gave up one unearned run in 5.0 innings in his last start in the second game of a doubleheader on June 9 against Tampa, limiting the Yankees to one hit with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. He has won his last two starts, surrendering just the one unearned run over 11.0 innings and is 3-1 with a 1.14 ERA in his last four outings. Ferrell is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two relief appearances vs. Brevard County.
6/19 - Hudson Randall (1-5, 4.58) ... Randall was off to a great start in his last start on June 10 against Bradenton, retiring the first nine batters in order, including a pair of punch-outs, before rain forced a suspension of the game. He has not allowed a run and given up just four hits over 11.0 innings in his last two starts. Randall is 1-1 record with a 0.00 ERA in his last 18.0 frames and three starts, giving up three unearned runs in the loss. Randall has not faced Brevard County previously.
SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland will be trying to get the best of Brevard County as the Manatees have won five of the six previous meetings, including the last two. Brevard County has been held to just a .186 team batting average in the series, but its starting pitchers have posted two shutouts and a 2.14 ERA in the six games. Cameron Garfield has provided the power, clubbing three homers for eight RBI versus Lakeland. Jeff McVaney and Chad Wright have each gone 8x25 (.320) in the series as Lakeland has a .227 mark as a team and a 3.32 staff ERA.
FIRST ROUNDER ... Jed Bradley was the Brewers’ top pick (15th overall) in the 2011 draft out of Georgia Tech.
GLAD TO GET OUT OF TOWN ... Harold Castro has found the road to his liking in 2013, going 13x33 (.394) with a pair of doubles, a triple and nine runs batted in over nine road games while going .185 in nine home games with just a pair of runs driven in. Brandon Loy is hitting 63 points better in road games and has scored five more runs away from home. Francisco Martinez has five hits in three road games with six hits in six home games. Jeff McVaney hits .258 at home and .254 in away games, but has hit one more homer and drive in five more runs on the road. Chad Wright has a .253 road average and hits .230 at home.
DOESN’T MATTER TO THEM ... Tyler Hanover has identical .289 averages at home and away while Jason Krizan has hit .293 at Joker Marchant Stadium and .293 on the road.
JUNE SURGE ... Michael Hernadez has clubbed three homers in nine games in June after hitting just one homer in 26 games in May.
ROSTER MOVES ... Danny Worth ended his rehab work in Lakeland after just four games and was sent back to Toledo on Friday. He was 3x17 with three RBI and three strikeouts for the Flying Tigers. Taking the vacated roster spot is former Flying Tiger Corey Jones who played at both Erie and Toledo this season. He began the season at second base at Erie before being called up to the Mud Hens to play third for three weeks. He returned to AA Erie where he had been since June 9.
THE GATOR BOYS ... Lakeland’s Hudson Randall and Brevard County’s Tommy Toledo and Ben McMahan were teammates at the University of Florida in 2010 and 2011.
THE STREAK ... The Flying Tigers saw their nine-game win streak come to a halt in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with Bradenton. The streak was the longest since the 2005 squad put together a 10-game streak from June 30-July 11. Lakeland outscored its opponents 32-14 during the streak while hitting .240 in the nine games. Hitters collected 12 doubles, a triple and six homers while stealing 11 bases during the streak. The Flying Tigers pitching staff posted a pair of shutouts in the steak while holding four other opponents to just one run for a 1.56 earned run average.
FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... The South Division trounced the North 8-1 in the Florida State League All-Star Game played Saturday in Dunedin. Bradenton’s Alen Hanson clubbed a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning to earn the “Star of Stars” honor as the game’s MVP. Nick Ramirez, of the Brevard County Manatees, won the home run derby. As for Lakeland’s trio of All-Stars, Kyle Ryan started on the hill for the North Division and struck out two in a 1-2-3 stint in his only inning of work. Melvin Mercedes closed out the ninth for the North, retiring both batters he faced. Jeff McVaney, took the field in left in the second inning, playing the rest of the game, but had an off night at the plate, going 0-for-4.
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 1,775-1,618 record entering the All-Star Break. 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.
UP NEXT ... After the Brevard County series, Lakeland plays one game at Clearwater on June 21, before returning to Joker Marchant Stadium for two games against the Threshers on June 21-22.
THE FLYING TIGERS (30-35, 4th Place, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland had its nine-game win streak snapped on Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader, falling 9-5 to Bradenton. The streak enabled the Flying Tigers to climb out of the cellar of the North Division for the first time since May 16. Drew VerHagen ranks ninth in the Florida State League with a 2.81 ERA to go with his 5-3 record, while allowing opponents to hit .207 against him – second best average in the league. Melvin Mercedes has saved 11 games this season which is third most in the FSL while Kyle Ryan ranks second with 81.0 innings pitched – one behind the leader, Scott Copeland of Dunedin. Brandon Loy remains in the top five with 30 walks drawn.
THE MANATEES (34-30, T-5th Place, 0.5 GB) ... Brevard County is locked into a battle for the first half crown as the Manatees trail Dunedin by one-half game with three games remaining. Daytona and Clearwater are both 1.0 game back of the Blue Jays. Brevard has the lowest team batting average (.233) of any league team and has scored the fewest runs (228) of any squad. It’s feast or famine with the Manatees as the team is tied for the second most homers (48) of any league team. Brooks Hall has a 2.78 ERA which is eighth best in the league. Brevard County had one of the top closers in the league in Seth Harvey who totalled 10 saves before heading to the disabled list. Tommy Toledo stepped up and has matched the total with 10 saves of his own and has two wins and nine saves in his last 11 save opportunities. Nick Ramirez is third in the FSL with 14 homers, but has struck out a league-high 90 times.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/17 - Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 4.10) ... Palacios picked up the win in his last start on June 9 in the first game of a doubleheader, working 6.1 innings and holding Tampa to one run on seven hits while striking out eight and walking one. The victory was his first after two no decisions and he has posted a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts while allowing just the one earned run over his last 11.1 innings. Palacios is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his one previous start against the Manatees on April 17.
6/18 - Jeff Ferrell (3-4, 3.44) ... Ferrell gave up one unearned run in 5.0 innings in his last start in the second game of a doubleheader on June 9 against Tampa, limiting the Yankees to one hit with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. He has won his last two starts, surrendering just the one unearned run over 11.0 innings and is 3-1 with a 1.14 ERA in his last four outings. Ferrell is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two relief appearances vs. Brevard County.
6/19 - Hudson Randall (1-5, 4.58) ... Randall was off to a great start in his last start on June 10 against Bradenton, retiring the first nine batters in order, including a pair of punch-outs, before rain forced a suspension of the game. He has not allowed a run and given up just four hits over 11.0 innings in his last two starts. Randall is 1-1 record with a 0.00 ERA in his last 18.0 frames and three starts, giving up three unearned runs in the loss. Randall has not faced Brevard County previously.
SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland will be trying to get the best of Brevard County as the Manatees have won five of the six previous meetings, including the last two. Brevard County has been held to just a .186 team batting average in the series, but its starting pitchers have posted two shutouts and a 2.14 ERA in the six games. Cameron Garfield has provided the power, clubbing three homers for eight RBI versus Lakeland. Jeff McVaney and Chad Wright have each gone 8x25 (.320) in the series as Lakeland has a .227 mark as a team and a 3.32 staff ERA.
FIRST ROUNDER ... Jed Bradley was the Brewers’ top pick (15th overall) in the 2011 draft out of Georgia Tech.
GLAD TO GET OUT OF TOWN ... Harold Castro has found the road to his liking in 2013, going 13x33 (.394) with a pair of doubles, a triple and nine runs batted in over nine road games while going .185 in nine home games with just a pair of runs driven in. Brandon Loy is hitting 63 points better in road games and has scored five more runs away from home. Francisco Martinez has five hits in three road games with six hits in six home games. Jeff McVaney hits .258 at home and .254 in away games, but has hit one more homer and drive in five more runs on the road. Chad Wright has a .253 road average and hits .230 at home.
DOESN’T MATTER TO THEM ... Tyler Hanover has identical .289 averages at home and away while Jason Krizan has hit .293 at Joker Marchant Stadium and .293 on the road.
JUNE SURGE ... Michael Hernadez has clubbed three homers in nine games in June after hitting just one homer in 26 games in May.
ROSTER MOVES ... Danny Worth ended his rehab work in Lakeland after just four games and was sent back to Toledo on Friday. He was 3x17 with three RBI and three strikeouts for the Flying Tigers. Taking the vacated roster spot is former Flying Tiger Corey Jones who played at both Erie and Toledo this season. He began the season at second base at Erie before being called up to the Mud Hens to play third for three weeks. He returned to AA Erie where he had been since June 9.
THE GATOR BOYS ... Lakeland’s Hudson Randall and Brevard County’s Tommy Toledo and Ben McMahan were teammates at the University of Florida in 2010 and 2011.
THE STREAK ... The Flying Tigers saw their nine-game win streak come to a halt in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with Bradenton. The streak was the longest since the 2005 squad put together a 10-game streak from June 30-July 11. Lakeland outscored its opponents 32-14 during the streak while hitting .240 in the nine games. Hitters collected 12 doubles, a triple and six homers while stealing 11 bases during the streak. The Flying Tigers pitching staff posted a pair of shutouts in the steak while holding four other opponents to just one run for a 1.56 earned run average.
FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... The South Division trounced the North 8-1 in the Florida State League All-Star Game played Saturday in Dunedin. Bradenton’s Alen Hanson clubbed a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning to earn the “Star of Stars” honor as the game’s MVP. Nick Ramirez, of the Brevard County Manatees, won the home run derby. As for Lakeland’s trio of All-Stars, Kyle Ryan started on the hill for the North Division and struck out two in a 1-2-3 stint in his only inning of work. Melvin Mercedes closed out the ninth for the North, retiring both batters he faced. Jeff McVaney, took the field in left in the second inning, playing the rest of the game, but had an off night at the plate, going 0-for-4.
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 1,775-1,618 record entering the All-Star Break. 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.
UP NEXT ... After the Brevard County series, Lakeland plays one game at Clearwater on June 21, before returning to Joker Marchant Stadium for two games against the Threshers on June 21-22.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Bradenton (June 10-13)
THE SERIES ... All four games of this series are scheduled for 6:30 pm starts at Joker Marchant Stadium.
THE FLYING TIGERS (27-34, 5th Place North, 7.0 GB) ... Lakeland brings a season-high six-game win streak into this series after three-game sweeps of St. Lucie and Tampa. The streak puts Lakeland in fifth place in North, the highest the team has been since May 16. The Flying Tigers have had 20 games with three or fewer runs scored since May 2 and is 12-6 in the last 18 games. Melvin Mercedes is now second in the league with 11 saves while Kyle Ryan is second with 76.0 innings pitched and Drew VerHagen is second with a .212 opponents’ batting average. Jason Krizan is third in the FSL with a .402 on-base percentage while Brandon Loy is tied for third with 29 walks.
THE MARAUDERS (25-36, T-5th Place South, 16.5 GB) ... Bradenton took two of three from South Division winner Fort Myers and has won four of their last six with the two losses being by one run. Dan Gamache is 12x29 (.414) his last seven games with eight runs scored while Eric Avila brings a five-game hit streak into this series in which he is 7x16 (.438) with four doubles and six runs batted in. Gregory Polanco is eighth in the FSL with a .313 batting average and second with 23 stolen bases. Pitcher Nick Kingham leads the FSL with 71 strikeouts and is third with a .214 opponents’ batting average. The Marauders have the third highest ERA in the league with a 4.27 mark.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/11 - Hudson Randall (1-5, 4.98) ... Randall threw four-hit ball over 8.0 shutout innings in his last start with four strikeouts in a win at St. Lucie on June 4. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 15.0 innings and two starts with seven strikeouts, three walks and six hits allowed.
6/12 - Drew VerHagen (4-3, 2.93) ... VerHagen allowed two unearned runs in his last start on June 5 with four strikeouts and three hits allowed in 7.0 innings. He has won his last three starts and four of his last five with one no decision. VerHagen is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA since May 8.
6/13 - Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.20) ... Ryan tossed a three-hitter while blanking Tampa over 8.0 innings with four strikeouts on June 7. It was his second stint of 8.0 shutout innings this season as he also accomplished the feat on April 4 at Dunedin.
6/14 - Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 4.10) ... Palacios allowed seven hits on June 9 against Tampa, but struck out eight and held the Yankees to one run for the win. He has now allowed just three earned runs in his last three starts (16.1 innings) for a 1.65 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks.
LAST SEASON ... The two clubs split their eight-game season series in 2012 with Lakeland winning three of the last four which were all played at Joker Marchant Stadium. Two of those four Lakeland wins were shutouts while two games were won by the Flying Tigers in 10 innings.
SON OF A TIGER ... Bradenton’s Robby Rowland, who is slated to pitch game four of the series, is the son of Rich Rowland, who played six seasons in the majors, including four seasons with Detroit.
WIN STREAKS ... The six wins in a row for the Flying Tigers matches the longest winning streak since the 2012 team closed out the first half with six straight wins. The 2010 also had a six-game win streak. The longest string of consecutive wins in recent years is owned by the 2005 team which won 10 games in a row from June 30 to July 11.
SOLID STARTERS ... A big reason for the six-game win streak has been the performance of the starting pitchers. Coach Mike Maroth’s staff has allowed just one earned run (four total) over 39.1 innings in the last six starts for a 0.23 ERA. The corps has struck out 27 batters and walked eight in those six games while allowing 22 hits.
BULLISH PEN ... The bullpen has been equally as effective, allowing just four runs in the last 32.2 innings over 14 outings for a 1.10 ERA. The have punched out 29 batters and walked four since May 25.
KRIZAN ROLLING ... The move to first base hasn’t affected the hitting of Jason Krizan who brings a six-game hit streak into the Bradenton series. Since June 3, he is 8x20 (.400) with two doubles and two runs batted in.
KEEP ‘EM IN COACH ... Lakeland is a perfect 5-0 since Fransisco Martinez joined the team on June 4. The third baseman has hits in each of his five games with the Flying Tigers and is 8x20 (.400) with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and two stolen bases.
STEADY SANZ ... Luis Sanz has hits in seven of his last eight games in which he has gone 9x26 (.346) to raise his batting average 71 points to .198 on the season.
ALL HAIL CASTRO ... Second baseman Harold Castro has hits in his last four games (4x10, .400) with two RBI in each of his last two games. He has hits in 12 of his 16 games played so far.
TYLER-MITE ... Infielder Tyler Hanover has been kept off the bases in his last two games, but is still 6x18 (.333) over his last five games.
GETTING BACK IN THE GROOVE ... John Murrian is 3x9 (.333) in the last three games with a double and a home runs and two runs scored.
GROUNDED ... Mike Hernandez is 1x9 (.111) his last three games after driving in four runs with a homer and single at St. Lucie on June 4 ... Pat Leyland is 0x9 his last three games and 3x31 (.097) since May 17 ... Brandon Loy is also 3x31 (.097) since May 30 ... Steven Moya is hitless in his last 18 at bats and 3x37 (.081) since May 30 ... Chad Wright is 3x19 (.158) his last five games.
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 1,772-1,617 record entering the Bradenton 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.
UP NEXT ... Following the Bradenton series, Lakeland takes the weekend off for the Florida State League All-Star game on June 15. The Flying Tigers return from the break by travelling to Brevard County for three-games on June 17-19.
TIGER DRAFT BITES ... One name in the 2013 Detroit draft looks very familiar as the Tigers picked Ben Verlander in the 14th round. He is the brother of Cy Young winner Justin Verlander who played for Lakeland in 2005 ... The Tigers’ 38th round pick, Harrison Wenson, attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, the same prep school as former Flying Tiger, Daniel Fields ... Detroit also tabbed Johnnie Kirkland from Lakeland’s Southeastern University in the 25th round ... The Tigers picked Torii Hunter, Jr. in the 36th round. The son of Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter, Junior has signed to play football for the University of Notre Dame.
LENNERTON TEARING UP TOLEDO ... Former Flying Tiger Jordan Lennerton is hitting .339 with 11 homers and 34 RBI at AAA Toledo.
THE FLYING TIGERS (27-34, 5th Place North, 7.0 GB) ... Lakeland brings a season-high six-game win streak into this series after three-game sweeps of St. Lucie and Tampa. The streak puts Lakeland in fifth place in North, the highest the team has been since May 16. The Flying Tigers have had 20 games with three or fewer runs scored since May 2 and is 12-6 in the last 18 games. Melvin Mercedes is now second in the league with 11 saves while Kyle Ryan is second with 76.0 innings pitched and Drew VerHagen is second with a .212 opponents’ batting average. Jason Krizan is third in the FSL with a .402 on-base percentage while Brandon Loy is tied for third with 29 walks.
THE MARAUDERS (25-36, T-5th Place South, 16.5 GB) ... Bradenton took two of three from South Division winner Fort Myers and has won four of their last six with the two losses being by one run. Dan Gamache is 12x29 (.414) his last seven games with eight runs scored while Eric Avila brings a five-game hit streak into this series in which he is 7x16 (.438) with four doubles and six runs batted in. Gregory Polanco is eighth in the FSL with a .313 batting average and second with 23 stolen bases. Pitcher Nick Kingham leads the FSL with 71 strikeouts and is third with a .214 opponents’ batting average. The Marauders have the third highest ERA in the league with a 4.27 mark.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/11 - Hudson Randall (1-5, 4.98) ... Randall threw four-hit ball over 8.0 shutout innings in his last start with four strikeouts in a win at St. Lucie on June 4. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 15.0 innings and two starts with seven strikeouts, three walks and six hits allowed.
6/12 - Drew VerHagen (4-3, 2.93) ... VerHagen allowed two unearned runs in his last start on June 5 with four strikeouts and three hits allowed in 7.0 innings. He has won his last three starts and four of his last five with one no decision. VerHagen is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA since May 8.
6/13 - Kyle Ryan (6-5, 3.20) ... Ryan tossed a three-hitter while blanking Tampa over 8.0 innings with four strikeouts on June 7. It was his second stint of 8.0 shutout innings this season as he also accomplished the feat on April 4 at Dunedin.
6/14 - Wilsen Palacios (3-4, 4.10) ... Palacios allowed seven hits on June 9 against Tampa, but struck out eight and held the Yankees to one run for the win. He has now allowed just three earned runs in his last three starts (16.1 innings) for a 1.65 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks.
LAST SEASON ... The two clubs split their eight-game season series in 2012 with Lakeland winning three of the last four which were all played at Joker Marchant Stadium. Two of those four Lakeland wins were shutouts while two games were won by the Flying Tigers in 10 innings.
SON OF A TIGER ... Bradenton’s Robby Rowland, who is slated to pitch game four of the series, is the son of Rich Rowland, who played six seasons in the majors, including four seasons with Detroit.
WIN STREAKS ... The six wins in a row for the Flying Tigers matches the longest winning streak since the 2012 team closed out the first half with six straight wins. The 2010 also had a six-game win streak. The longest string of consecutive wins in recent years is owned by the 2005 team which won 10 games in a row from June 30 to July 11.
SOLID STARTERS ... A big reason for the six-game win streak has been the performance of the starting pitchers. Coach Mike Maroth’s staff has allowed just one earned run (four total) over 39.1 innings in the last six starts for a 0.23 ERA. The corps has struck out 27 batters and walked eight in those six games while allowing 22 hits.
BULLISH PEN ... The bullpen has been equally as effective, allowing just four runs in the last 32.2 innings over 14 outings for a 1.10 ERA. The have punched out 29 batters and walked four since May 25.
KRIZAN ROLLING ... The move to first base hasn’t affected the hitting of Jason Krizan who brings a six-game hit streak into the Bradenton series. Since June 3, he is 8x20 (.400) with two doubles and two runs batted in.
KEEP ‘EM IN COACH ... Lakeland is a perfect 5-0 since Fransisco Martinez joined the team on June 4. The third baseman has hits in each of his five games with the Flying Tigers and is 8x20 (.400) with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and two stolen bases.
STEADY SANZ ... Luis Sanz has hits in seven of his last eight games in which he has gone 9x26 (.346) to raise his batting average 71 points to .198 on the season.
ALL HAIL CASTRO ... Second baseman Harold Castro has hits in his last four games (4x10, .400) with two RBI in each of his last two games. He has hits in 12 of his 16 games played so far.
TYLER-MITE ... Infielder Tyler Hanover has been kept off the bases in his last two games, but is still 6x18 (.333) over his last five games.
GETTING BACK IN THE GROOVE ... John Murrian is 3x9 (.333) in the last three games with a double and a home runs and two runs scored.
GROUNDED ... Mike Hernandez is 1x9 (.111) his last three games after driving in four runs with a homer and single at St. Lucie on June 4 ... Pat Leyland is 0x9 his last three games and 3x31 (.097) since May 17 ... Brandon Loy is also 3x31 (.097) since May 30 ... Steven Moya is hitless in his last 18 at bats and 3x37 (.081) since May 30 ... Chad Wright is 3x19 (.158) his last five games.
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 1,772-1,617 record entering the Bradenton 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.
UP NEXT ... Following the Bradenton series, Lakeland takes the weekend off for the Florida State League All-Star game on June 15. The Flying Tigers return from the break by travelling to Brevard County for three-games on June 17-19.
TIGER DRAFT BITES ... One name in the 2013 Detroit draft looks very familiar as the Tigers picked Ben Verlander in the 14th round. He is the brother of Cy Young winner Justin Verlander who played for Lakeland in 2005 ... The Tigers’ 38th round pick, Harrison Wenson, attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, the same prep school as former Flying Tiger, Daniel Fields ... Detroit also tabbed Johnnie Kirkland from Lakeland’s Southeastern University in the 25th round ... The Tigers picked Torii Hunter, Jr. in the 36th round. The son of Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter, Junior has signed to play football for the University of Notre Dame.
LENNERTON TEARING UP TOLEDO ... Former Flying Tiger Jordan Lennerton is hitting .339 with 11 homers and 34 RBI at AAA Toledo.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Mission Notes vs. Tampa (June 7-9)
THE SERIES ... Lakeland opened the series with a 2-0 win last night in Tampa behind 8.0 shutout innings by Kyle Ryan. The series continues with a pair of home games Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 1 pm.
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-34, 6th Place, 8.5 GB) ... Lakeland brings a four-game winning streak into this series after Friday’s shutout win in Tampa. The Flying Tigers have gone 10-6 in their last 16 games, but remain mired in last place in the North Division. Lakeland’s .244 team batting average is second lowest in the league while the 216 runs scored is tied for second fewest in the FSL.
THE YANKEES (36-33, 5th Place South, 7.5 GB) ... Tampa is looking to snap a three-game losing streak. At this point, Tampa may be happy just to get on the scoreboard as the Yankees have been shutout in back-to-back games and have not scored in their last 23 innings. Shane Greene is second in the Florida State League with 68 strikeouts and tied for first with 72.0 innings pitched while Corey Black is fourth with 63 punch outs. Robert Refsnyder is second with a .403 on-base percentage. Catcher Ben Gamel has thrown out a league-best 24 would-be base stealers.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/08 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (2-4, 4.40) ... Palacios worked 5.0 innings in his last start on June 1 at Tampa, holding the Yankees to two unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his last three outings and has 28 strikeouts over his last five games. Palacios has made one relief appearance and one start versus Tampa and has a 0-0 record and a 2.00 earned run average.
6/09 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (2-4, 3.80) ... Ferrell tossed 6.0 shutout innings on June 3 at St. Lucie with five strikeouts and four hits allowed. He is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA over his last three starts with nine strikeouts. In his only previous appearance against the Yankees, he allowed a pair of runs on three hits in 2.0 innings on April 5.
SEASON SERIES ... The two clubs have split the eight games in the series so far with Lakeland winning the last two and four of the last six.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS - TAMPA STYLE ... Carmen Angelini has hits in five of his last six games in which he is 9x22 with five runs batted in. He is batting .337 since May 16 ... Gary Sanchez has had two or more hits in a game seven times in his last 13 games.
FOUR NAMED TO FSL ALL-STAR TEAM ... Starting pitcher Kyle Ryan, and relievers Melvin Mercedes and Will Clinard have been named to the Florida State League All-Star team (Clinard was promoted to AA Erie prior to the All-Star team announcement). In addition, outfielder Jeff McVaney was added to the squad as a replacement. As a result of the Flying Tigers winning the 2012 FSL Championship, manager Dave Huppert will manage the North All-Stars and will be assisted by his staff of coaches Larry Herndon and Mike Maroth. Ryan is 6-5 with a 3.20 ERA while Mercedes is 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 10 saves including his last six straight appearances. McVaney is batting .255 with five homers and 27 RBI. Clinard was 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA before his promotion.
TAMPA ALL-STARS ... The Yankees will be represented by catcher Gary Sanchez (.282, 9 HR, 41 RBI) and pitcher Shane Greene (4-6, 3.63 ERA).
HAVE A SERIES, TYLER ... Tyler Hanover was 6x12 in the three games at St. Lucie with two runs scored as Lakeland swept the three games played. He is hitting an impressive .348 when facing lefties.
NOW HE’S ROLLIN’ ... Drew VerHagen did not record his first professional win until his seventh start of the 2013 season. Since then, he has won four of his last five starts, including the last three straight. He is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA since May 9 and now ranks 10th with a 2.93 ERA and second with a .212 opponents batting average.
SHUTTING ‘EM DOWN ... Kyan Ryan tossed 8.0 shutout innings at Tampa last night on three hits while Hudson Randall threw 8.0 shutout innings on June 4 and has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings. Randall began the season by allowing 19 runs in his first four starts. Lakeland’s starting pitchers have allowed just two total runs and have not allowed an earned run in the last 28.0 innings over the last four starts. The corps has struck out 17 in those quartet of games and walked just five while allowing 14 hits.
LAKELAND IN FSL RANKS ... Jason Krizan is the third toughest batter to strikeout if the FSL with 9.68 at bats per strikeout ... Jeff McVaney is tied with three others for second with five triples. He leads the league with 235 at bats and is tied for second with 59 games played ... Brandon Loy has 29 walks which is third most in the FSL ... Melvin Mercedes is tied for third with 10 saves ... Kyle Ryan is tied for the league-lead with 76.0 innings pitched ... Chad Wright leads all FSL outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage handling 112 chances without committing an error.
OTHERS ON THE HIT PARADE ... Jeff McVaney was 4x12 at St. Lucie with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two more driven in ... Mike Hernandez hit a three-run homer and drove in another run in the middle game of the Mets series ... Jason Krizan was also 4x12 in the series.
DOIN’ THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Lakeland welcomed back two players recently while two others were sent back to extended spring training. Returning from the disabled list is catcher John Murrian who had been on the DL since May 6. Also back with the squad is third baseman Francisco Martinez who was the player to be named later in the Tigers big trade last season with Seattle for Doug Fister. Martinez is making his third stint with Lakeland after having played for the Flying Tigers in 2009 and 2010. To make room on the roster infielders Jordan Dean and Jesus Ustariz went sent to the Connecticut roster.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB ... Francisco Martinez has hits in each of the three games he has played since joining Lakeland. On Friday at Tampa, he doubled, homered and stole a base with two runs scored. More importantly, Lakeland is a perfect 3-0 with Martinez in the line-up. His stolen base on Friday was the Flying Tigers first in the last six games.
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 1,770-1,617 record entering the June 8 game. 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.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland will be at home for four games against the Bradenton Marauders on June 10-13 with all four games scheduled for 6:30 pm.
TS ANDREA 5, FSL 1 ... Thanks to torrential rains and strong winds from Tropical Storm Andrea, five games of the Florida State League schedule for Thursday, June 6, were rained out. Only Tampa was able to host a game and was shutout by Palm Beach, 4-0. Two of the dates were slated for doubleheaders.
FORMER FLYING TIGER MAKES MWL ALL-STAR TEAM ... Jeff Holm, who played in six games for Lakeland in 2012, has been named as a starter on the Midwest League All-Star Team. Holm is hitting .293 with five homers and 34 at West Michigan.
THE FLYING TIGERS (25-34, 6th Place, 8.5 GB) ... Lakeland brings a four-game winning streak into this series after Friday’s shutout win in Tampa. The Flying Tigers have gone 10-6 in their last 16 games, but remain mired in last place in the North Division. Lakeland’s .244 team batting average is second lowest in the league while the 216 runs scored is tied for second fewest in the FSL.
THE YANKEES (36-33, 5th Place South, 7.5 GB) ... Tampa is looking to snap a three-game losing streak. At this point, Tampa may be happy just to get on the scoreboard as the Yankees have been shutout in back-to-back games and have not scored in their last 23 innings. Shane Greene is second in the Florida State League with 68 strikeouts and tied for first with 72.0 innings pitched while Corey Black is fourth with 63 punch outs. Robert Refsnyder is second with a .403 on-base percentage. Catcher Ben Gamel has thrown out a league-best 24 would-be base stealers.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/08 - RHP Wilsen Palacios (2-4, 4.40) ... Palacios worked 5.0 innings in his last start on June 1 at Tampa, holding the Yankees to two unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his last three outings and has 28 strikeouts over his last five games. Palacios has made one relief appearance and one start versus Tampa and has a 0-0 record and a 2.00 earned run average.
6/09 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (2-4, 3.80) ... Ferrell tossed 6.0 shutout innings on June 3 at St. Lucie with five strikeouts and four hits allowed. He is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA over his last three starts with nine strikeouts. In his only previous appearance against the Yankees, he allowed a pair of runs on three hits in 2.0 innings on April 5.
SEASON SERIES ... The two clubs have split the eight games in the series so far with Lakeland winning the last two and four of the last six.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS - TAMPA STYLE ... Carmen Angelini has hits in five of his last six games in which he is 9x22 with five runs batted in. He is batting .337 since May 16 ... Gary Sanchez has had two or more hits in a game seven times in his last 13 games.
FOUR NAMED TO FSL ALL-STAR TEAM ... Starting pitcher Kyle Ryan, and relievers Melvin Mercedes and Will Clinard have been named to the Florida State League All-Star team (Clinard was promoted to AA Erie prior to the All-Star team announcement). In addition, outfielder Jeff McVaney was added to the squad as a replacement. As a result of the Flying Tigers winning the 2012 FSL Championship, manager Dave Huppert will manage the North All-Stars and will be assisted by his staff of coaches Larry Herndon and Mike Maroth. Ryan is 6-5 with a 3.20 ERA while Mercedes is 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 10 saves including his last six straight appearances. McVaney is batting .255 with five homers and 27 RBI. Clinard was 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA before his promotion.
TAMPA ALL-STARS ... The Yankees will be represented by catcher Gary Sanchez (.282, 9 HR, 41 RBI) and pitcher Shane Greene (4-6, 3.63 ERA).
HAVE A SERIES, TYLER ... Tyler Hanover was 6x12 in the three games at St. Lucie with two runs scored as Lakeland swept the three games played. He is hitting an impressive .348 when facing lefties.
NOW HE’S ROLLIN’ ... Drew VerHagen did not record his first professional win until his seventh start of the 2013 season. Since then, he has won four of his last five starts, including the last three straight. He is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA since May 9 and now ranks 10th with a 2.93 ERA and second with a .212 opponents batting average.
SHUTTING ‘EM DOWN ... Kyan Ryan tossed 8.0 shutout innings at Tampa last night on three hits while Hudson Randall threw 8.0 shutout innings on June 4 and has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings. Randall began the season by allowing 19 runs in his first four starts. Lakeland’s starting pitchers have allowed just two total runs and have not allowed an earned run in the last 28.0 innings over the last four starts. The corps has struck out 17 in those quartet of games and walked just five while allowing 14 hits.
LAKELAND IN FSL RANKS ... Jason Krizan is the third toughest batter to strikeout if the FSL with 9.68 at bats per strikeout ... Jeff McVaney is tied with three others for second with five triples. He leads the league with 235 at bats and is tied for second with 59 games played ... Brandon Loy has 29 walks which is third most in the FSL ... Melvin Mercedes is tied for third with 10 saves ... Kyle Ryan is tied for the league-lead with 76.0 innings pitched ... Chad Wright leads all FSL outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage handling 112 chances without committing an error.
OTHERS ON THE HIT PARADE ... Jeff McVaney was 4x12 at St. Lucie with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two more driven in ... Mike Hernandez hit a three-run homer and drove in another run in the middle game of the Mets series ... Jason Krizan was also 4x12 in the series.
DOIN’ THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Lakeland welcomed back two players recently while two others were sent back to extended spring training. Returning from the disabled list is catcher John Murrian who had been on the DL since May 6. Also back with the squad is third baseman Francisco Martinez who was the player to be named later in the Tigers big trade last season with Seattle for Doug Fister. Martinez is making his third stint with Lakeland after having played for the Flying Tigers in 2009 and 2010. To make room on the roster infielders Jordan Dean and Jesus Ustariz went sent to the Connecticut roster.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB ... Francisco Martinez has hits in each of the three games he has played since joining Lakeland. On Friday at Tampa, he doubled, homered and stole a base with two runs scored. More importantly, Lakeland is a perfect 3-0 with Martinez in the line-up. His stolen base on Friday was the Flying Tigers first in the last six games.
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 1,770-1,617 record entering the June 8 game. 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.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland will be at home for four games against the Bradenton Marauders on June 10-13 with all four games scheduled for 6:30 pm.
TS ANDREA 5, FSL 1 ... Thanks to torrential rains and strong winds from Tropical Storm Andrea, five games of the Florida State League schedule for Thursday, June 6, were rained out. Only Tampa was able to host a game and was shutout by Palm Beach, 4-0. Two of the dates were slated for doubleheaders.
FORMER FLYING TIGER MAKES MWL ALL-STAR TEAM ... Jeff Holm, who played in six games for Lakeland in 2012, has been named as a starter on the Midwest League All-Star Team. Holm is hitting .293 with five homers and 34 at West Michigan.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Missions Notes vs. St. Lucie (June 3-6)
THE SERIES ... All four games in this series will be played at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie with 6:35 pm start times. The games can be heard on the Mets website at www.stluciemets.com.
THE FLYING TIGERS (21-34, 6th Place North, 9.5 GB) ... After opening the Yankees series with a 2-1 win at home on Friday, the Flying Tigers took to the road for two games at Tampa on Saturday and Sunday, falling 5-2 and 4-1. The club has now lost four of the the last five contests and has scored two or fewer runs in each of those five games. The Flying Tigers are 11-14 on the road this season and are 6-12 overall since May 16. Melvin Mercedes leads all FSL relievers with a 8.05 baserunners allowed per nine innings. Jason Krizan is fourth in the Florida State League with a .392 on-base percentage and is the third toughest batter to strike out with 11.13 plate appearances per strikeout. Brandon Loy is third with 28 walks and Drew VerHagen is fifth with a .221 opponents batting average.
THE METS (30-24, 2nd Place South, 9.5 GB) ... St. Lucie split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Sunday, losing game one 4-7 and winning 5-3 in game two and are now 8-13 since May 10. Travis Taijeron, who is eighth in the Florida State League with a .303 batting average, brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 11x22 (.500) with five runs scored and nine runs batted in. He is 20x45 (.444) in his last 13 games and ranks second with 20 doubles and a .562 slugging percentage. Taijeron is also tied for third with 29 extra base hits. Charley Thurber has an eight-game hit streak in which he is 9x28 (.321). Dustin Lawley is tied for third in the FSL with 11 homers and tied for fourth with 40 RBI. He is second with 31 extra base hits and fifth with 107 total bases. Noah Syndergaard ranks 10th with a 2.73 ERA
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/03 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (1-4, 4.35 ERA) ... Ferrell allowed three runs on a season-high nine hits in his last start on May 29 against Dunedin. He has recorded at least a pair of strikeouts in each of his last seven starts. Ferrell is 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in two starts and two relief appearances on the road and was 1-2 in May with a 3.71 ERA in five starts.
6/04 - RHP Hudson Randall (0-5, 6.49 ERA) ... Randall carried a no-hitter through 6.0 innings in his last start on May 30 against Dunedin, facing the minimum 18 batters before allowing a lead-off single and three unearned runs in the seventh inning. He finished that game allowing just two hits after surrendering a combined 21 hits in his previous two starts.
6/05 - RHP Drew VerHagen (3-3, 3.31 ERA) ... VerHagen picked up the win in his last start on May 31 against Tampa after giving up one run on three hits in 5.2 innings. He has now got a win in his last three decisions over four starts. VerHagen, who is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four previous road appearances, has a 3-0 record and a 2.15 ERA in his last five stats.
6/06 - LHP Kyle Ryan (5-4, 3.32) ... Ryan has won each of his last two starts and and has gotten a decision in nine of his ten starts. In his last start on May 26 at Daytona, he allowed two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings. Ryan has recorded 18 strikeouts over his last five starts and has a 2.83 ERA in eight starts since May 18.
LAST YEAR ... St. Lucie won six of the eight meetings between the two clubs last season, taking three of four at both Tradition Field and Joker Marchant Stadium. The Mets outscored Lakeland 48-28 in the series and hit five homers in the eight games.
INSIDE THE METS ROSTER ... Pitcher Hamilton Bennett became the 20th player in NAIA history to throw a perfect game on May 1, 2010, pitching for Tennessee Wesleyan College ... infielder Robbie Shields played collegiately at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
MLB REHABBERS ... St. Lucie pitchers Scott Achison and Jeurys Familia are both on Major League rehab assignments.
MLB.COM PROSPECTS ... The St. Lucie pitching staff is loaded with top Mets prospect as ranked by MLB.com entering the 2013 season: Noah Syndergaard (#3); Jeurys Familia (#5); Luis Mateo (#9); Domingo Tapia (#11); Hansel Robles (#13). In addition, infielder Matt Reynolds was ranked No. 18.
MIKE LIKES YANKS ... Michael Hernandez had one hit in each of the three Tampa games, doubling and scoring in game one, homering in game two, and doubling in a run in game three. He had entered the Yankees series 0x17. On a side note, Hernandez once played for the St. Lucie Mets during the 2008 season.
FLYING TIGERS DEFENSE ... Lakeland has risen to third in the Florida State League with a .977 fielding percentage. The Flying Tigers have committed just four errors in their last nine games with half coming in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader at Tampa.
BULLISH PEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has continued to impress, allowing just five earned runs in the last 36.1 innings over 13 games for a 1.24 ERA dating back to May 21. Relievers have recorded 38 strikeouts and walked just five batters during that span.
OFFENSE SLUMPING ... Lakeland has now scored just eight runs in the last five games and has hit just .196 in this five games. Going back 10 games, the Flying Tigers have hit .210 with an average of 2.9 runs scored per game.
CLINARD CALLED UP ... Will Clinard was promoted to AA Erie on June 1 with Matt Davenport rejoining the club from extended spring training. Clinard was 1-2 with 2 saves and a 1.59 ERA in 15 appearances for the Flying Tigers and had allowed one run in his last 10 outings.
NOT THE THIEVIN’ KIND ... St. Lucie has stolen a league-low 24 bases while Lakeland has swiped the second fewest bases with 28.
POWER OUTAGE ... Michael Hernandez homered for Lakeland on June 1 at Tampa for Lakeland’s first round-tripper since May 21, Overall, Lakeland hit just 19 home runs as a team – fewest in the Florida State League. In comparison, St. Lucie’s Dustin Lawley has hit 11 HRs himself.
BATTING ORDER SHUFFLE ... Eight different players have batted in the No. 2 spot in the Flying Tigers batting order while eight hitters have carried their bats to the No. 8 spot in the line-up.
CRACK IN THE STAGE FRIGHT? ... Heading into the last home game at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland was 1-8 while playing in front of crowds of 1,000 or more. With 1,105 fans in attendance on May 2, many from Mulberry Dixie Youth Baseball and the Royal Rangers, the Flying Tigers held on for a 2-1 win over Tampa.
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 1,766-1,617 record entering the St. Lucie 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.
UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers set their sights on the Tampa Yankees once again, flip-flopping last weekend’s series with a road game on Friday, June 7 and then hosting the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9.
THE FLYING TIGERS (21-34, 6th Place North, 9.5 GB) ... After opening the Yankees series with a 2-1 win at home on Friday, the Flying Tigers took to the road for two games at Tampa on Saturday and Sunday, falling 5-2 and 4-1. The club has now lost four of the the last five contests and has scored two or fewer runs in each of those five games. The Flying Tigers are 11-14 on the road this season and are 6-12 overall since May 16. Melvin Mercedes leads all FSL relievers with a 8.05 baserunners allowed per nine innings. Jason Krizan is fourth in the Florida State League with a .392 on-base percentage and is the third toughest batter to strike out with 11.13 plate appearances per strikeout. Brandon Loy is third with 28 walks and Drew VerHagen is fifth with a .221 opponents batting average.
THE METS (30-24, 2nd Place South, 9.5 GB) ... St. Lucie split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Sunday, losing game one 4-7 and winning 5-3 in game two and are now 8-13 since May 10. Travis Taijeron, who is eighth in the Florida State League with a .303 batting average, brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 11x22 (.500) with five runs scored and nine runs batted in. He is 20x45 (.444) in his last 13 games and ranks second with 20 doubles and a .562 slugging percentage. Taijeron is also tied for third with 29 extra base hits. Charley Thurber has an eight-game hit streak in which he is 9x28 (.321). Dustin Lawley is tied for third in the FSL with 11 homers and tied for fourth with 40 RBI. He is second with 31 extra base hits and fifth with 107 total bases. Noah Syndergaard ranks 10th with a 2.73 ERA
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
6/03 - RHP Jeff Ferrell (1-4, 4.35 ERA) ... Ferrell allowed three runs on a season-high nine hits in his last start on May 29 against Dunedin. He has recorded at least a pair of strikeouts in each of his last seven starts. Ferrell is 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in two starts and two relief appearances on the road and was 1-2 in May with a 3.71 ERA in five starts.
6/04 - RHP Hudson Randall (0-5, 6.49 ERA) ... Randall carried a no-hitter through 6.0 innings in his last start on May 30 against Dunedin, facing the minimum 18 batters before allowing a lead-off single and three unearned runs in the seventh inning. He finished that game allowing just two hits after surrendering a combined 21 hits in his previous two starts.
6/05 - RHP Drew VerHagen (3-3, 3.31 ERA) ... VerHagen picked up the win in his last start on May 31 against Tampa after giving up one run on three hits in 5.2 innings. He has now got a win in his last three decisions over four starts. VerHagen, who is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four previous road appearances, has a 3-0 record and a 2.15 ERA in his last five stats.
6/06 - LHP Kyle Ryan (5-4, 3.32) ... Ryan has won each of his last two starts and and has gotten a decision in nine of his ten starts. In his last start on May 26 at Daytona, he allowed two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings. Ryan has recorded 18 strikeouts over his last five starts and has a 2.83 ERA in eight starts since May 18.
LAST YEAR ... St. Lucie won six of the eight meetings between the two clubs last season, taking three of four at both Tradition Field and Joker Marchant Stadium. The Mets outscored Lakeland 48-28 in the series and hit five homers in the eight games.
INSIDE THE METS ROSTER ... Pitcher Hamilton Bennett became the 20th player in NAIA history to throw a perfect game on May 1, 2010, pitching for Tennessee Wesleyan College ... infielder Robbie Shields played collegiately at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
MLB REHABBERS ... St. Lucie pitchers Scott Achison and Jeurys Familia are both on Major League rehab assignments.
MLB.COM PROSPECTS ... The St. Lucie pitching staff is loaded with top Mets prospect as ranked by MLB.com entering the 2013 season: Noah Syndergaard (#3); Jeurys Familia (#5); Luis Mateo (#9); Domingo Tapia (#11); Hansel Robles (#13). In addition, infielder Matt Reynolds was ranked No. 18.
MIKE LIKES YANKS ... Michael Hernandez had one hit in each of the three Tampa games, doubling and scoring in game one, homering in game two, and doubling in a run in game three. He had entered the Yankees series 0x17. On a side note, Hernandez once played for the St. Lucie Mets during the 2008 season.
FLYING TIGERS DEFENSE ... Lakeland has risen to third in the Florida State League with a .977 fielding percentage. The Flying Tigers have committed just four errors in their last nine games with half coming in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader at Tampa.
BULLISH PEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has continued to impress, allowing just five earned runs in the last 36.1 innings over 13 games for a 1.24 ERA dating back to May 21. Relievers have recorded 38 strikeouts and walked just five batters during that span.
OFFENSE SLUMPING ... Lakeland has now scored just eight runs in the last five games and has hit just .196 in this five games. Going back 10 games, the Flying Tigers have hit .210 with an average of 2.9 runs scored per game.
CLINARD CALLED UP ... Will Clinard was promoted to AA Erie on June 1 with Matt Davenport rejoining the club from extended spring training. Clinard was 1-2 with 2 saves and a 1.59 ERA in 15 appearances for the Flying Tigers and had allowed one run in his last 10 outings.
NOT THE THIEVIN’ KIND ... St. Lucie has stolen a league-low 24 bases while Lakeland has swiped the second fewest bases with 28.
POWER OUTAGE ... Michael Hernandez homered for Lakeland on June 1 at Tampa for Lakeland’s first round-tripper since May 21, Overall, Lakeland hit just 19 home runs as a team – fewest in the Florida State League. In comparison, St. Lucie’s Dustin Lawley has hit 11 HRs himself.
BATTING ORDER SHUFFLE ... Eight different players have batted in the No. 2 spot in the Flying Tigers batting order while eight hitters have carried their bats to the No. 8 spot in the line-up.
CRACK IN THE STAGE FRIGHT? ... Heading into the last home game at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland was 1-8 while playing in front of crowds of 1,000 or more. With 1,105 fans in attendance on May 2, many from Mulberry Dixie Youth Baseball and the Royal Rangers, the Flying Tigers held on for a 2-1 win over Tampa.
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 1,766-1,617 record entering the St. Lucie 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.
UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers set their sights on the Tampa Yankees once again, flip-flopping last weekend’s series with a road game on Friday, June 7 and then hosting the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9.
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