Mission Notes vs. Palm Beach (July 28-31)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland takes a brief respite from playing at home to take a four-game road trip to tangle with Palm Beach July 28-31 with all four games set for 6:35 pm start times. The Flying Tigers won the first three games of the four-game set played May 31-June 3 in Lakeland. Curt Powell had six hits in the earlier series to lead Lakeland while James Robbins and Chad Wright each had five hits. Two of Robbins’ hits were solo home runs.

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-26, 6th, 14.0 GB; 51-51 overall) ... Lakeland pulled out a 5-3 win on Sunday to gain a split of its four-game series with Bradenton. The Flying Tigers have a 4-5 record over the last nine games, but are 6-22 since June 26. Despite the win yesterday, Lakeland dropped to 14.0 games back as Daytona swept a doubleheader from St. Lucie. Kevin Eichhorn, currently on the Disabled List, ranks seventh in the Florida State League with a 2.40 ERA while Edgar De La Rosa is close behind in eighth with a 2.70 ERA and fifth with a .220 opponents batting average. James Robbins’ two homers in the Bradenton series puts him in sole possession of second place in the FSL with 14 homers. Lakeland’s team batting average of .247 is second lowest in the FSL.

THE CARDINALS (21-12, 1st, 0.5 game lead; 60-45 overall) ... Palm Beach managed a split of its four-game set with Brevard County, winning the two middle games. The Cardinals have a slim half-game lead over Fort Myers (Lakeland’s next opponent), but have gone 3-6 since winning seven in a row from July 11-18. Palm Beach’s attack was dealt a blow when Breyvic Valera, the FSL’s second best hitter with a .333 average was promoted to AA Springfield in late June and Charlie Tilson, who ranked seventh with a .309 mark and tied for third with 114 base hits, joined him on July 22. Gerwuins Velazco hit a grand slam for Palm Beach in the second inning of a 5-4 win over Brevard County in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Manatees. The Cardinals are second in the league with a .269 team batting average and also second in runs scored and home runs.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/28 - RHP Tanner Bailey (2-4, 2.43 ERA) ... Bailey rejoins Lakeland after spending June 15-July 22 with the Connecticut team in the New York-Penn League. There, Bailey posted a 1-2 record and a 1.88 in seven starts. In his last start on July 22 against Tri-City he gave up three runs on five hits in 4.0 innings. He started his 2014 campaign in Lakeland, going 1-2 with a 3.43 ERA in five appearances, including two starts.

7/29 - LHP Locke St. John (0-2, 7.11 ERA) ... St. John allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings in a no-decision start on July 24 against Bradenton. After walking five a start ago, he did not issue a free pass against the Marauders and struck out three batters for the fourth game in as many starts.

7/30 - RHP Tommy Collier (1-1, 8.00 ERA) ... Collier took the loss in his last outing on July 25 against Bradenton giving four earned runs for a second consecutive start. He was tagged for seven hits and struck out three in his 3.0 innings of work. 

7/31 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-8, 4.63 ERA) ... Lopez lost his last start on July 26, falling to Bradenton after surrendering five runs (four earned) on nine hits in 6.0 innings. He is now 1-4 his last five starts. Lopez took the hill against Palm Beach on May 31 and left without a decision after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits.

TOP TWO GLOVE SQUADS ... Lakeland continues to hold on to its number one ranking in the Florida State League with a .979 fielding percentage while Palm Beach is number two with a .977 mark. The Flying Tigers have been charged with a league-low 81 errors while the Cardinals have committed 93 miscues. Lakeland’s Connor Harrell remains the FSL’s top outfielder with a .996 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 231 total chances. The Flying Tigers’ first baseman James Robbins leads FSL players at that position in games, total chances, putouts and assists, while outfielder Jeff McVaney and catcher Austin Green have played in the most games of any league player at their respective positions.

NOT MUCH ACTION ON THE BASES ... These two clubs rank 11th and 12th in the Florida State League in terms of stolen bases. Palm Beach is 11th with 48 thefts while Lakeland has swiped 45 bases, fewest of any FSL club.

LOTSA BASE KNOCKS (THE OTHER WAY) ... Lakeland pitchers have given up an average of 10.5 hits over the last 10 games with six games of 10 or more hits allowed.

CRUIZIN’ CASTRO ... Harold Castro has base hits in each of his last five games, going 9x18 (.500) during that stretch. On Saturday, he cranked out three hits against Bradenton, marking the fifth three-hit game he has had this season. 

TRIPLIN’ TYLER ... Tyler Gibson made his first hit as a Flying Tiger a big one, wrapping a run-scoring triple to spark a two-run fifth inning as Lakeland came from behind to defeat Bradenton 5-3 on Sunday.

BIG MAC ... Jeff McVaney has hits in 12 of his last 14 games, going 18-for-50 during since July 14 for a .360 clip. He has four doubles and seven runs batted in during that stretch.

ROCKIN’ ROBBINS ... James Robbins slugged a home run in each of the first two games of the Bradenton series and now stands second in the Florida State League with 14 round-trippers, the most for a Flying Tiger since Wade Gaynor finished the 2012 campaign with 14 dingers.

ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... On July 25, RHP Brennan Smith was promoted to AA Erie with RHP Whit Mayberry joining the club from the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Smith was 2-4 with seven saves and a 2.48 ERA in 22 appearances for Lakeland. Mayberry was Detroit’s 21st pick in the 2014 draft out of the University of Virginia where he was 18-3 with a 2.95 ERA in five seasons with the Cavaliers. He is the fifth member of the ’14 draft class to play for Lakeland. The next day, outfielder Tyler Gibson was added to the roster from the GCL club with fellow outfielder Ismael Salgado sent back across the runway to the Gulf Coast Tigers. On Monday, the revolving door known as the Lakeland roster spun again as a pair of righthanders were swapped for a pair of lefties. RHP Tyler Clark was activated from the Disabled List and fellow rightie Tanner Bailey was added from the Connecticut club. Leaving the team were LHP Logan Ehlers, who was placed on the DL, and LHP Tyler Ford, who was sent back to the Gulf Coast League.

NEED FOUR FOR 4,000 ... Lakeland enters the Bradenton series with 3,996 all-time wins, needing four more victories to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,996-4,232 record since 1963.

UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers return for another eight-game homestand with Fort Myers August 1-4 and Dunedin Aug. 5-8. Lakeland will close out the season with just eight games in seven home dates over the final three weeks.

MOYA AMONG MINORS’ TOP HR HITTERS ... Former Flying Tiger Steven Moya has clubbed 26 homers this season, a number that ranks sixth in all of minor league baseball. Frisco’s Joey Gallo (Texas) tops all minor leaguers with 36 long balls while Iowa’s Kris Bryant, a former Daytona Cub, is second with 33 homer. Former Tampa Yankee, Peter O’Brien, now with Trenton, is third with 31 dingers.

LAKELAND INTERN NETS SCHOLARSHIP ... Congratulation to Flying Tigers intern Mary Lanzino on being named one of twelve winners of a $1,500 educational scholarship awarded by the FSL and the Miami Marlins. Mary, who serves as an on-field promotions announcer, will be recognized at a Marlins’ pre-game ceremony on August 3.

Mission Notes vs. Bradenton (July 24-27)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland captured three of the four games in the first series meeting on May 12-15 at Bradenton. The Flying Tigers took the opener by a 4-3 score in 10 innings and then shut out the Marauders 3-0 in game two. Bradenton came back to win game three 7-6 in 10 innings in the first game of a doubleheader. Lakeland capped the series with a 4-3, eight-inning win in game two of the twin-bill. Connor Harrell led Lakeland in that series with six hits while Curt Powell added five base knocks, including a pair of doubles. Josh Bell, now at AA Altoona, led the Marauders with nine hits, including three doubles and a homer for six runs batted in. 

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-24, 6th, 12.0 GB; 49-49 overall) ... After taking the opening game against Jupiter, 10-5, Lakeland dropped the final three games of the series by a combined 15-4 score. The Flying Tigers have now lost nine of their last 11 games and are 4-20 since June 26. Nine of those 20 losses were by one run. Lakeland’s 49-49 overall record drops them to .500 for the first time since starting the season 3-3 on April 9. The Flying Tigers were 18 games over .500 on June 16, but have gone 7-25 since. James Robbins is third in the Florida State League with 12 homers while Jeff McVaney is fifth with 54 runs batted in. 

THE MARAUDERS (20-11, 3rd, 2.0 GB; 55-45 overall) ... Bradenton won three of four games against Dunedin with shutout victories in each of the last two outings. The Marauders are 11-4 since July 8. Tyler Glasnow ranks second in the Florida State League with a 1.64 ERA and is fourth with 97 strikeouts. He leads the league with a .178 opponents batting average and is fifth with a 1.11 WHIP. Glasnow lost his first three starts, but is 7-1 with a 1.10 ERA in his last 12 outings since. Chad Kuhl is the FSL’s only 10-game winner, sporting a 10-5 record and a 3.34 ERA. The Marauders have scored the third fewest runs and have hit the fewest home runs of any Florida State League team. However, with the back-to-back blankings, Bradenton now has a league-leading 15 staff shutouts.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/24 - LHP Locke St. John (0-2, 7.71 ERA) ... St. John was tagged with the loss in his last start on July 18 after giving up five runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and five walks. He has allowed three runs or more in each of his three starts and has struck out three batters in each game. St. John was wrapping up his junior year at the University of South Alabama when the Flying Tigers last played Bradenton.

7/25 - RHP Tommy Collier (1-0, 6.00 ERA) ... Collier gave up four runs on six hits in 6.0 innings against Charlotte with seven strikeouts and one walk in his first start for Lakeland in 2014. He had won his last two starts at AA Erie, allowing just a pair of runs on six hits and eight walks with six strikeouts in 12.0 combined innings. Collier was 4-7 overall with a 5.88 ERA in 17 starts for the SeaWolves.

7/26 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-7, 4.55 ERA) ... Lopez picked up the win on July 20 against Jupiter, snapping a three-game losing streak. In each of his last two starts, he has allowed three runs on eight hits with one strikeout. Over his last eight starts, he has a 3-4 record and a 3.27 ERA (16 ER/44 IP). Lopez faced Bradenton on May 15, giving up three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks in 5.0 innings.

7/27 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (5-8, 2.68 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who ranks ninth in the FSL with a 2.68 ERA, lost his last start on July 22 versus Jupiter, allowing three runs on six hits over 4.0 innings. He has now lost four of his last five decisions, but has allowed just eight earned runs in his last seven starts for a 3-4 record and a 2.30 ERA. De La Rosa, who is also third in the FSL with a .217 opponents average, has not faced Bradenton this season.

OPPOSITE ENDS OF THIEVERY ... The Marauders lead the FSL with 97 stolen bases, however no one on the current roster has more than 14 stolen bases. On the other side, Lakeland has swiped the fewest bases of any league team (43), led by Jeff McVaney’s 13 stolen bases. The Flying Tigers have stolen just 10 bases this half with three of those coming in the July 8 game against Brevard. 

THREE GAMES, THREE TEAMS ... Alex Burgos recently experienced a whirlwind tour of the Detroit organization appearing in games in Erie, Toledo and Lakeland in succession. On July 7, Burgos worked a game in Lakeland and four days later on July 11, earned a promotion to AA Erie. There he pitched on July 12, working 1.0 inning and recording two strikeouts with one walk and one hit batsman. A week later, on July 19, the 5’11” lefty, walked the only batter he faced in an brief appearance at AAA Toledo. Three days after pitching in the International League, Burgos came full circle, returning to Lakeland to pitch 3.1 innings against Jupiter.

A GREEN STREAK ... Austin Green brings a six-game hit streak into this series, going 8-for-21 for a .381 average and five runs batted in. He has hits in 13 of his last 15 games and is batting .353 during that stretch with four homers and 12 runs knocked in. 

MATCHING STREAK ... Jeff McVaney also brings a six-game streak into this series, going 9-for-22 (.409) with six runs scored. He has hits in nine of his last 10 games, posting a .400 mark (14-for-35) during that streak.

LAKELAND SPONSOR MAY BE BUSY THIS MORNING ... One of Lakeland’s corporate sponsors is Watson Clinic, a nearby medical facility. Today, the Watson Clinic waiting room my be full of Flying Tigers as two pitchers left Wednesday’s game with apparent injuries. Starter Charlie Gillies who is working his way back from starting the season on the West Michigan disabled list, left the game four pitches into the third inning. The 6’2” righty came off the mound shaking his arm as though trying to work out a kink. His successor, Logan Ehlers pitched 2.2 innings before pulling up when running to cover first base on a ball hit to the right side.

ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... LHP Ryan Longstreth was placed on the Temporary Inactive List on July 21 and reinstated on July 24 ... RHP Daryl Norris was added from the GCL on July 21 and sent back on July 23 ... RHP Tyler Clark was placed on the Disabled List on July 22 with OF Ismael Salgado added from the GCL ... In a flurry of activity on July 23, RHP Charlie Gillies was placed on the DL while Nate Fury was transferred to the GCL club. RHP Scott Sitz was added from Connecticut and LHP Tyler Ford joined Lakeland from the GCL Tigers. Buy a scorecard, folks.

FORMER FLYING TIGER TRADED ... On Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers sent former Flying Tiger hurler Jake Thompson and pitcher Corey Knebel to the Texas Rangers in exchange for closer Joakim Soria. Thompson was Detroit’s top pick in 2012 and was an FSL All-Star this season with Lakeland, going 6-4 with a 3.14 ERA before earning a promotion July 15 to AA Erie. With the SeaWolves, he was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts. For Thompson, who won the 2014 SiriusXM Futures All-Star Game, it will be a homecoming as he hails from Dallas, Texas.

TURLEY WINS AA DEBUT ... Former Flying Tiger Josh Turley picked up the win in his Erie debut on July 19, holding the Akron RubberDucks to a pair of runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 6.0 innings.

TRAVIS EARNS LEAGUE HONOR ... Former Flying Tiger Devon Travis was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending July 20. Travis batted .435 in six games, going 10-for-23 with a two homers and a pair of doubles for five runs batted in. 

CLOSING IN ON 4000 ... Lakeland enters the Bradenton series with 3,994 all-time wins, needing seven more victories to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,994-4,230 record since 1963.

UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers hit the road for four games at Palm Beach May 28-31, before returning for another eight-game homestand with Fort Myers August 1-4 and Dunedin Aug. 5-8. Lakeland will close out the season with just eight home games over the final three weeks.

Mission Notes vs. Jupiter (July 20-23)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland swept Jupiter in four games on the road May 27-30 winning the first two games by one run and game three by two runs, before hammering the Hammerheads 12-2 in the finale. Chad Wright led Lakeland in the series with eight hits while five other Flying Tigers each had five base knocks. This four-game home series gets underway Sunday at 1:00 pm. Game two is Monday at 6:30 pm with game three Tuesday at 10:30 am as the Flying Tigers welcome area summer campers in a Parks and Recreation Day. The series finale is Wednesday at 6:30 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (6-21, 6th, 11.0 GB; 48-46 overall) ... Lakeland snapped a six-game losing streak with a 9-4 win at Charlotte on Saturday. Lance Durham homered and singled to drive in four runs to lead the Lakeland attack as eight of the nine Flying Tigers in the line-up all got base hits. Lakeland had ten base hits in the game for the first time in the nine games. In that stretch, the Flying Tigers hit just .207 with 27 base hits—11 doubles, 1 triple and 6 homers. Lakeland has the second lowest team batting average (.245) in the Florida State League while the staff ERA of 3.32 has dropped to sixth in the league. The Flying Tigers’ defense remains atop the FSL standings with a .980 fielding percentage and a league-low 72 errors.

THE HAMMERHEADS (5-22, 6th, 15.5 GB; 32-64 overall) ... Jupiter lost 12-7 at Dunedin Saturday despite out-hitting the Blue Jays 14-13. The loss was the Hammerheads’ third in a row and gives them a 10-39 record since May 23. Viosergy Rosa, who has played in more games (95) than any other FSL player this season, is second in the league with 63 runs batted in. Jupiter’s team batting average of .260 is tied for fifth best in the league while the staff ERA of 4.45 is second highest in the FSL. The Hammerheads have been charged with the second most errors in the league. However, Colin Moran tops all league third baseman with a .971 fielding percentage.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/20 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (4-7, 4.60 ERA) ... Lopez has dropped his last three starts giving up a combined 13 runs—12 earned—on 21 hits with nine strikeouts and six walks. In his last start in the first game of a doubleheader at St. Lucie on July 14, he tossed 6.0 innings in a complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits. Over his last seven starts, he has a 2-4 record and a 3.16 ERA. Lopez has not faced Jupiter.

7/21 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (5-2, 2.40 ERA) ... Eichhorn, who is sixth in the league with a 2.40 ERA, has not pitched since July 8 when he gave up one run on five hits in 5.0 innings in taking the win against Brevard County. He has allowed just three runs in his last 10.2 innings over his last two starts and has 11 starts in which he has held opponents to two or fewer runs. Eichhorn beat Jupiter on May 28 after giving up one run on four hits over 7.0 innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

7/22 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (5-7, 2.52 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who ranks eighth in the FSL with a 2.52 ERA, lost his last start on July 17 at Charlotte, allowing three runs on seven hits over 7.0 innings. He has now lost three of his last four decisions. De La Rosa, who is also second in the FSL with a .211 opponents average, had given up just two earned runs in 31.1 innings prior to the July 17 outing. In a previous outing against Jupiter on May 29, he picked up the win by holding the Hammerheads to one unearned run on five hits in 7.0 innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

7/23 - LHP Locke St. John (0-2, 7.71 ERA) ... St. John was tagged with the loss in his last start on July 18 after giving up five runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and five walks. He has allowed three runs or more in each of his three starts and has struck out three batters in each game. St. John was wrapping up his junior year at the University of South Alabama when the Flying Tigers last played Jupiter.

DRUMMIN’ ALONG ... Calvin Drummond has allowed just three runs in last his last 16.1 innings over 12 appearances. He has struck out 23 in those 16.1 innings, but has also walked 10 batters.

AWESOME AUSTIN ... Austin Green has had hits in 12 of last 14 games (15x44) for a .341 clip.

MOVIN’ MAC ... Jeff McVaney is 7x21 (.333) his last six games.

ROCKIN’ ROBBINS ... James Robbins has hits in 11 of last 13 games (14x46) for a .304 mark, but has knocked in just five runs in the 13 contests. He is one of three players tied for second in the Florida State League with 12 home runs.

NON-JOLLY JULY ... Lakeland has managed a 3-13 record in July and just a .204 batting average in the month after going 10-13 in June with a .248 mark. The Flying Tigers are 13-26 since going 19-10 in May.

MOYA NAMED ASG MVP ... Former Flying Tiger Steven Moya was named the Eastern League All-Star Game MVP. Moya, playing for Erie and the West Division, belted a grand slam in the fifth inning to lift his squad to a 5-2 win over the East. He finished the first half of the season leading the Eastern League with 22 homers and was second with 75 RBI.

PAIR OF FORMER FLYING TIGERS MAKE MLB DEBUTS ... Former Flying Tigers Drew VerHagen and Curt Casali made their Major League debuts on Friday. VerHagen, who pitched during the 2012 and 2013 seasons for Lakeland, started for Detroit Friday and struck out four in 5.0 innings, but gave up three runs on five hits in getting the loss. Casali, who played for the Flying Tigers in 2012, started behind the plate for the Tampa Bay Rays and wasted no time in getting his first big league hit, singling in his first at bat.

BIG FINISH ... Daytona and Fort Myers battled for 17 innings on Friday night before Rock Shoulders hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Cubs a 11-7 win over the Miracle. The two pitching staffs combined for 39 strikeouts, one shy of the Florida State League of 40 set in a 29-inning game between Miami (Orioles) and St. Petersburg (Cardinals) on June 14, 1966. (On a side note, the manager of the St. Petersburg club in that game was Sparky Anderson, who would go on to win World Series titles with Cincinnati and Detroit.)

FSL QUICK HITS ... The grand slam by Daytona’s Rock Shoulders on Friday was his second of the season and the 23rd bases-loaded homer in the FSL this season. Adam Brett Walker has had three of Ft. Myer’s league-high seven grand slams. Lakeland’s James Robbins and Lance Durham have each hit one grand slam this season ... Brevard County’s Victor Roache is the only player in the FSL to hit three homers in one game this season, going yard thrice on May 4 ... The Manatee’s Tyrone Taylor and the Cubs’ Albert Almora have each hit for the cycle this year ... Lakeland’s Curt Powell is one of three players in the FSL to have five hits in a game twice this season. Daytona’s Almora and Tampa’s Jake Cave are the others ... There hasn’t been a no-hitter in the FSL since Daytona’s Matt Lossen kept Dunedin hitless in a 9-inning win on July 8, 2013. The Miracle’s Jose Berrios came the closest this season, throwing a one-hitter over seven innings on June 1 against Tampa. 

CLOSING IN ON 4000 ... Lakeland enters the Jupiter series with 3,993 all-time wins, needing seven more victories to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,993-4,227 record since 1963.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland concludes an eight-game home stand by hosting Bradenton for four games May 24-27. The Flying Tigers then hit the road for four games at Palm Beach May 28-31, before returning for yet another eight-game homestand with Fort Myers August 1-4 and then Dunedin hitting town Aug. 5-8. Lakeland will close out the season with just eight home games over the final three weeks.

Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (July 16-19)

THE SERIES ... The last time these two clubs met, it took 19 innings and over five hours to decide the winner with Charlotte emerging with the 5-3 win. The Flying Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the sixth in that game with the Stone Crabs coming to tie it in the eighth. That’s the way it remained until Charlotte plated two runs in the top of the 19th. The two teams combined for 30 hits in 143 at bats while eleven pitchers on the two teams combined for 34 strikeouts. Charlotte took the series opener 8-0 while Lakeland won games two and three by scores of 9-4 and 6-4 as the two squads split the four games. Curt Powell and Jared Reaves both had seven hits in the series for Lakeland while Connor Harrell added six knocks. Leonardo Reginatto led Charlotte with six hits while Justin O’Connor and Andrew Toles each had five. The second half has not been kind to these two teams as they have combined for a 12-35 record. 

THE FLYING TIGERS (5-18, 6th, 10.0 GB; 47-43 overall) ... Lakeland won the opening game of its last series with a 9-3 victory at St Lucie, but the Mets came back to take the last three games including a doubleheader sweep, 3-2 and 6-1, on Monday. The Flying Tigers are 2-14 dating back to June 26. James Robbins is one of three players tied for second in the Florida State League with 12 home runs. The Flying Tigers are batting just .208 in the month of July with 98 strikeouts in 379 at bats. Lakeland’s staff ERA of 3.23 has dropped to fifth while the team batting average of .247 is second lowest in the FSL. 

THE STONE CRABS (7-17, 5th, 11.0 GB; 38-53 overall) ... Charlotte won game one of its series against Brevard County 6-2 and then lost the next two 2-1 and 7-5 with the finale begin rained out. The Stone Crabs are 4-4 their last eight games and 8-23 since June 7. Leonardo Reginatto is 10th in the Florida State League with a .303 average while Patrick Leonard is of three players tied for second in the league with 12 homers and ranks second with a .489 slugging percentage. He has also scored 59 runs, which is second most in the FSL and is third with 153 total bases. Thomas Cole ranks third with 19 stolen bases while Justin O’Connor is second with 27 doubles and tied with Leonard for second with 35 extra base hits. The Stone Crabs 4.22 ERA is fourth highest in the league while the team batting average of .258 ranks sixth in the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/15 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (5-2, 2.40 ERA) ... Eichhorn gave up one run on five hits in 5.0 innings in taking the win against Brevard County on July 8. He has allowed just three runs in his last 10.2 innings over his last two starts and has 11 starts in which he has held opponents to two or fewer runs. Eichhorn worked 6.2 innings in his only previous start against Charlotte on May 23. He struck out five and walked two in that game while holding the Stone Crabs to two runs on three hits.

7/16 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (5-6, 2.39 ERA) ... De La Rosa got the win in his last start on July 11 at St. Lucie after holding the Mets to one unearned run on four hits. He has now allowed just three runs—two earned—in his last 31.1 innings and five starts for a 0.57 ERA. He has 12 starts in which he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs. De La Rosa, who leads the FSL with a .205 opponents batting average, has not faced Charlotte this season.

7/17 - LHP Locke St. John (0-1, 6.75 ERA) ... St. John is making his third start of the season. He has surrendered nine runs—seven earned—in his first two outings with six strikeouts and five walks and nine hits allowed. In his last start, he worked 5.0 innings at St. Lucie on July 12 and gave up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. He has not faced Charlotte this season.

7/18 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (4-7, 4.60 ERA) ... Lopez has dropped his last three starts giving up a combined 13 runs—12 earned—on 21 hits with nine strikeouts and six walks. In his last start in the first game of a doubleheader at St. Lucie on July 14, he tossed 6.0 innings in a complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits. Over his last seven starts, he has a 2-4 record and a 3.16 ERA. In his one previous start against Charlotte on May 20, he surrendered a season-high eight runs-—only three of which were earned—on a season-high 10 hits allowed in taking the loss.

HURLERS PROMOTED ... On Tuesday, Detroit promoted pitchers Jake Thompson and Josh Turley to AA Erie. Thompson was 6-4 with a 3.14 ERA while Turley was 7-1 with a 1.85 ERA. Turley leads the Florida State League with a 0.96 WHIP and ranks second with a 1.85 ERA and a .205 opponents batting average while ranking fifth with 81 strikeouts. Tommy Collier, who played for Lakeland last season, rejoins the Flying Tigers from AA Erie where he was 4-7 with a 5.88 ERA in 17 starts.  

ONCE, TWICE, THRICE ... Austin Green entered the recent St. Lucie series with four homers on the year. He left with seven as the All-Star catcher homered in each of the first three games of the series. Green had hit just two homers last season in 24 games at Connecticut and 11 games at West Michigan. Green has hits in seven of his last nine games, going 10-for-30 during that stretch for a .333 clip. 

GOING YARD ... Lakeland homered in five straight games from July 8-14, collecting seven homers. In addition, the Flying Tigers have had at least one double in eight straight games for 11 two-baggers. 

STEADY HAROLD ... Harold Castro has hits in six of the last seven games he has played and is 6-for-23 during that stretch. 

ROLL A SIX ... Jared Reaves brings a six-game hit streak into this series and is 7-for-19 during those half dozen games with a .368 mark.

JAMMIN’ JAMES ... James Robbins has collected at least one hit in eight of his last nine game and is 11-for-34 for a .324 average with six runs. 

DIRKS RECALLED ... on Wednesday, Detroit recalled Andy Dirks, who was in Lakeland on a MLB rehab assignment. The outfielder batted .313 in six games with the Flying Tigers going 5-for-16 with four runs scored.

DRAFT CLASS STAFF ... All three of Lakeland’s pitchers in the 5-4 extra-inning loss on July 12 were products of this year’s draft by Detroit. Locke St. John, the Tiger’s pick in the 32nd round, started the game and allowed three runs on four hits over 5.0 innings. Trent Szkutnik, who was Detroit’s pick in the 20th round, made his Lakeland debut and gave up one run on 2.0 hits in 2.0 innings. Nate Fury, a 36th round pick by the Tigers, worked the final 2.1 innings and, despite striking out three, took the loss when his wild pitch in the 10th allowed the winning run to score.

RARE START ... With Jake Thompson having played in the SiriusXM Futures All-Star Game on Sunday, reliever Logan Ehlers made his first start of the season in game two of Monday’s doubleheader. He gave up two unearned runs in 2.1 innings as five Flying Tigers pitched shared time on the mound. It was just the second start in two seasons for Ehlers and the fifth of his three-year career.

PROSPECTS SQUARE OFF IN FUTURES GAME ... Detroit prospects Jake Thompson of Lakeland and Steven Moya of Erie, faced each other in the SiriusXM Futures All-Star Game on Sunday. Moya started for the World Team while Thompson came on in relief to face Moya in the top of the sixth inning. Thompson got the best of his organizational teammate, striking out Moya on a called third strike to end the inning. Thompson would come back to open the seventh and strike out a second batter before being leaving the game as the pitcher of record and getting the win. Moya struck out twice and walked in four at bats while playing the entire game in left field.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland will take July 15 off and then play a four-game series at Charlotte on July 16-19. Once returning to Joker Marchant Stadium on July 20, Lakeland will play 16 of 20 games at home with two eight game home stands extending into August sandwiched around a four-game road trip. 

Mission Notes vs. St. Lucie (July 11-14)

THE SERIES ... St. Lucie took three of the four games played in the two teams’ first series on May 16-19. After winning the first two games, 6-4 and 6-3, the Mets fell to the Flying Tigers 3-2 in game three before capturing the finale 5-4 in 11 innings. Chad Wright went 6-for-17 in the series to lead Lakeland while Jeff McVaney and Curt Powell each had five hits and James Robbins clubbed two homers. Dilson Herrera led all hitters with a 10-for-19 effort including three doubles for St. Lucie.

THE FLYING TIGERS (4-15, 6th, 8.0 GB; 46-40 overall) ... Lakeland enters this series having lost 11 of its last 12 games. In their 11 losses, the Flying Tigers scored a total of 29 runs and batted .209, with 84 strikeouts. In their one victory on July 8, Lakeland downed Brevard County 9-2 collecting 10 hits in 32 at bats, including two doubles, a triple, and two homers. The Flying Tigers pitching staff remains fourth best in the league with a 3.20 ERA while the team batting average of .248 is third lowest.

THE METS (12-6, 2nd, 1.0 GB; 52-35 overall) ... St. Lucie comes into this series having lost three straight after being swept at Bradenton, but can still claim the second best record in the Florida State League. Prior to the three-game skid, the Mets had won eight straight. St. Lucie boasts the FSL’s top hitter in Jairo Perez who sits atop the league with a .358 average and a .564 slugging percentage The Mets have been hit hard by promotions, losing three of the league’s top hitters in T.J. Rivera (2nd, .341), Brandon Nimmo (5th, .322), and Dilson Herrera (8th, .307), who are now at AA Binghamton. St. Lucie leads the FSL with a .279 team batting average and is second in runs scored and third in home runs. The pitching staff has combined for a 3.94 ERA which is eighth in the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/11 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (4-6, 2.59 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who is ninth in the FSL with a 2.59 ERA, spent his last turn in the rotation on the disabled list with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, the same injury that sidelined him May 9-19. In his last action, he had a no-hitter thru 3.1 innings going on July 3 at Tampa before exiting with the blister. He has allowed just two runs on eight hits with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in his last 24.1 innings over four starts. In a previous start against St. Lucie on May 19, he gave up three runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings with one strikeout and two walks and left without a decision.

7/12 - RHP Locke St. John (0-1, 8.31 ERA) ... St. John had a rude welcoming to the Florida State League, giving up three runs on two homers in his first inning of work en route to allowing six runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings on July 7. A 32nd round pick by Detroit in this year’s draft, St. John struck out three and walked two in his Lakeland debut.

7/13 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (5-2, 2.40 ERA) ... Eichhorn, who is fifth in the FSL with a 2.40 ERA, got the win in his last start on July 8 against Brevard County after holding the Manatees to one run on five hits with three punch outs and two free passes in 5.0 innings. He has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 14 starts this season and gave up just three runs in two other starts. On May 18, he held St. Lucie to a pair of runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks over 6.1 innings, but did factor into the decision. Eichhorn is 4-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 10 road games (including nine starts) this season.

7/14 - LHP Josh Turley (7-1, 1.85) ... After seven wins in his first seven decisions, Turley finally lost on July 9 when he allowed three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks in 7.0 innings versus Brevard County. His outing dropped Turley to second in the FSL with a 1.85 earned run average. His five K’s moved him into fourth place in the league with 81 strikeouts, just two ahead of teammate Jake Thompson. Turley’s 0.96 WHIP and .205 opponents average are still tops on the FSL. In his previous start against St. Lucie, he held the Mets to two runs on seven hits and struck out seven in 7.0 innings in a no-decision.

DIRKS PROGRESS ... Andy Dirks, who is with Lakeland on a rehab assignment, has singled in each of his two games played with the Flying Tigers and is 2-for-4 in the two games. In both games, he has played left field, leaving each contest after the fifth inning.

STREAK SNAPPED ... Lakeland broke a 10-game losing streak with a 9-2 win over Brevard County on July 8. The nine runs was matched the team’s combined total in the previous five games. The win also marked the debut of Kevin Bradshaw as Lakeland’s acting manager. Bradshaw, who previously managed Lakeland in 2001 and 2007, is filling in for Dave Huppert, who is on a medical leave.

ERROR STREAK ALSO SNAPPED ... The Flying Tigers, who enter this series as the Florida State League’s top fielding team with a .980 average, have not helped their cause of late, committing at least one error in eight straight games before going mistake-free on July 10. The worst exhibition came on July 8 when Lakeland was charged with a season-high four errors.

TKO AT 6 MIN ... Lakeland’s game versus Brevard County on Thursday was suspended after just one batter. After a 6:30 pm first pitch, the Manatees’ Nathan Orf singled to left to lead off the game. With a steady rain falling and a 3-2 count on batter Orlando Arcia, the teams were called off the field at 6:36 pm. A valiant effort by the Lakeland tarp crew fell short as the wet field made it impossible to fully cover the field. After the obligatory 30-minute wait time, the game was suspended. Since the two clubs do not play again in Lakeland, the contest will be continued on August 26 at Space Coast Stadium and played to nine innings with the Flying Tigers as the “home” team. A second seven-inning game will be played with the Manatees as the home team.

BURGOS EARNS TRIP TO ERIE ... Reliever Alex Burgos was promoted to AA Erie on Friday. Burgos was 1-1 with one save and a 4.46 ERA in 16 appearances for the Flying Tigers. In 34.1 innings, Burgos struck out 39 batters and walked 15.

NEW FACE ... For the first time since June 19, the Lakeland roster is at the maximum 25 players as right handed pitcher Edgar De La Rosa was activated off the disabled list on Friday and lefty Trent Szkutnik was added from the Gulf Coast League Tigers. De La Rosa missed one turn in the rotation while on the 7-day DL with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. Szkutnik, a 20th round pick by Detroit in this year’s draft out of the University of Michigan, was 0-0 with a 3.48 ERA in four relief appearances in the GCL. He struck out seven in 10.1 innings. While a junior, Szkutnik was 1-6 with a 3.38 ERA, recording 47 strikeouts in 80.0 innings. For his career at Michigan, he was 7-15 with a 4.93 ERA and struck out 162 in 195.1 innings. As a prep player, Szkutnik went 31-6 with three no-hitters and a perfect game. He is third member of Detroit’s 2014 Draft Class to play for Lakeland, joining pitchers Locke St. John (32nd round) and Nate Fury (36th round).

START THE COUNTDOWN ... Lakeland enters the St. Lucie series with 3,991 all-time wins, needing 10 more to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,991-4,221 record since 1963.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON .... St. Lucie’s L.J. Mazzilli is the son of former New York Met, Lee Mazzilli, who also played for the Rangers, Pirates and Blue Jays from 1976-89, and managed the Baltimore Orioles in 2004 and 2005.

UP NEXT ... Following the Mets series, the Flying Tigers will have a day off and then play at Charlotte on July 16-19. Once returning to Joker Marchant Stadium on July 20, Lakeland will play 16 of 20 games at home with two eight game home stands extending into August sandwiched around a four-game road trip. As a reminder, the July 22 game has been moved to a 10:30 am start. 

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (July 8-10)

THE SERIES ... Brevard County has won seven of the ten previous meetings between the two clubs this season, including a series sweep on May 14-16, and has outscored Lakeland, 46-26. James Robbins is hitting .333 in the series, going 11-for-33 in nine games with a pair of homers and four runs batted in. Overall, the Flying Tigers are hitting .197 in the series with a 4.12 ERA while the Manatees, behind 12 hits by Orlando Arcia and 10 knocks by Victor Roache, are hitting .267 with a 2.12 staff ERA.

THE FLYING TIGERS (3-16, 6th, 8.5 GB; 45-39 overall) ... Lakeland is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak that has dropped its second half record to 3-14. The Flying Tigers last tasted victory on June 25 against Brevard County and have been outscored 2-to-1 during the losing streak (55 runs to 28). Josh Turley tops the Florida State League in winning percentage (1.000 at 7-0) and with a 1.69 ERA while Kevin Eichhorn is sixth with a 2.44 mark. Edgar De La Rosa, presently on the disabled list, ranks 10th with a 2.59 ERA while Jake Thompson is fourth with 79 strikeouts. James Robbins is fourth in the league with 11 home runs and Jeff McVaney is tied for fourth with 50 runs batted in. Lakeland pitchers hold on to the fourth spot in the league with a 3.21 staff ERA while the team batting average of .248 is third lowest in the league.

THE MANATEES (10-5, 2nd, 0.5 GB; 46-35 overall) ... Brevard County dropped its last two games to Clearwater by a combined 10-3 score after having three games rained out on July 3-5. Prior to those two defeats, the Manatee had won six straight and nine of ten. Tyler Wagner is second in the FSL with a 1.91 ERA to go with his 7-4 record while Hobbs Johnson is tied for the league lead with nine wins. Nathan Orf is tenth with a .305 batting average and second with a .415 on-base percentage. Michael Reed is second with 21 stolen bases and 27 walks and is third with a .408 on-base percentage. Tyrone Taylor leads the FSL with 29 doubles and 36 extra base hits and is fifth with 52 runs scored. With all these pitchers ranking in the FSL stats, it is no surprise that Brevard County has the lowest staff ERA (2.77) in the Florida State League. The Manatees have the fourth best team batting average (.260) in the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/08 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (4-2, 2.44 ERA) ... Eichhorn is looking for his first win since May 28. Eichhorn is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in six previous home appearances, including four starts. He is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in three appearances, including one start, against Brevard County. In the one start, he was tagged for five runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings in a loss on June 24. Eichhorn ranks sixth in the Florida State League with a 2.44 earned run average.

7/09 - LHP Josh Turley (7-0, 1.69 ERA) ... Turley tossed two-hit ball over 8.0 shutout innings and struck out eight in his last start on July 4 against Tampa, but did not get a win as the Flying Tigers fell 1-0 in 12 innings. He has allowed just one run in 21.0 innings and struck out 18 over his last three outings. Since May 27, Turley is 4-0 with an 0.86 ERA in six starts with 33 strikeouts and now sits atop the FSL standings with a 1.69 ERA. He is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in three previous appearances, including one start, against Brevard County. In the one start, he gave up eight hits, but limited the Manatees to one run for a win on June 25.

7/10 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (4-6, 4.60 ERA) ... Lopez has lost his last two starts, giving up a total of 10 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits in the two outings—both against Daytona. In five of his last six contests, he has allowed one or no earned runs and struck out 32 batters in the last six games combined. Lopez is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA in two previous starts against the Manatees, with nine strikeouts and three walks in 9.2 innings with 10 hits allowed.

TURLEY HONORED BY FSL ... Josh Turley has been named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 6. In his one start on July 4, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and recorded eight strikeouts in 8.0 innings while allowing two hits and walking three. Turley’s season ERA of 1.69 is seventh best in the minor leagues. His 1.69 WHIP is 11th best in the minors and his .199 opponents average is 10th.

NOT THE ONLY ONE ... In addition to Josh Turley, two other pitchers with Lakeland ties earned various league honors. Adam Wilk, who pitched for Lakeland in 2010, was honored in the International League after going 1-1 with a 1.20 ERA in two starts. Wilk struck out 12 in the two games and pitched one complete game for Indianapolis. Tommy Collier, a member of the 2013 Flying Tigers, picked up Pitcher of Week honors for the Eastern League, after tossing a one-hit, seven-inning shutout for Erie. 

FUTURE STARS ... Best of luck to Lakeland pitcher Jake Thompson and former Flying Tiger outfielder Steven Moya as they compete in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures game on Sunday, July 13 in Minnesota. Thompson is 6-4 for Lakeland with a 3.14 ERA in 16 starts. Through July 7, Moya was leading the Eastern League with 21 homers and ranked third with 65 runs batted in.

OFFENSE SPUTTERING ... During its 10-game losing streak, Lakeland is batting .206 as a team while the staff ERA is 4.83 during the last ten contests. The Flying Tigers are averaging 2.8 runs per game during the streak while giving up 5.5 runs per contests. The one bright spot offensively during the stretch is Connor Harrell who has gone 14-for-39 for a .359 clip with three games in which he had three hits in each.

SERIES BATS ... Austin Green is 5-for-11 his last three games while James Robbins went 4-for-11 during the Daytona series.

FROM THE PEN ... Although Lakeland fans haven’t seen much of him as he has appeared in just three home games, Ryan Longstreth has been getting the job done, allowing just two runs in his last eight outings and 7.2 innings.

LOSING CLOSE ... The Flying Tigers’ 4-3 loss in eight innings to Daytona in game one of Monday’s doubleheader was Lakeland’s ninth one-run loss this half. Three losses have come in extra innings.

DE LA ROSA PLACED ON DL ... Edgar De La Rosa was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 4. He was on the DL from May 10-19 with a blister on the middle finger on his throwing hand. He left the game July 3 in Tampa in the fourth inning with what is believed to be a similar malady.

DIRKS ON REHAB ... Detroit Tiger outfielder Andy Dirks has joined Lakeland on a MLB rehab assignment. Dirks, who played for the Flying Tigers in 2009, is working his way back from March 2014 back surgery.

SECOND DRAFTEE JOINS CLUB ... Locke St. John, a 32nd round pick by Detroit in the 2014 draft out of the University of South Alabama, was added to the Lakeland roster on Monday. St. John got a rude welcome to the Florida State League as he started game two of Monday’s doubleheader and took the loss in a 6-1 game, having given up six runs (four earned) on five hits, including a pair of first-inning home runs.

START THE COUNTDOWN ... Lakeland enters the Brevard County series with 3,990 all-time wins, needing 10 more to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,990-4,220 record since 1963.

UP NEXT ... Following the Manatees series, the Flying Tigers will play at St. Lucie on July 11-14 and at Charlotte on July 16-19. Once returning to Joker Marchant Stadium on July 20, Lakeland will play 16 of the next 20 games at home with two eight game home stands extending into August sandwiched around a four-game road trip. As a reminder, the July 22 game has been moved to a 10:30 am start. 

AN ORGANIZATIONAL LOOK-SEE ... Detroit (48-37, 1st place) ... Toledo (44-48, 4th place, 6.5 GB) ... Erie (39-49, 4th place, 13.0 GB) ... Lakeland (3-14, 6th place, 8.5 GB; 45-39 overall) ... West Michigan (11-6, 2nd, 1.0 GB; 52-35 overall) ... Connecticut (11-14, 3rd, 5.0 GB) ... GCL Tigers (8-6, 1st place)

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (July 5-7)

THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers welcome the Daytona Cubs to Joker Marchant Stadium for three games on Saturday, July 5 at 6:00 pm, Sunday, July 6 at 1:00 pm, and Monday, July 7 ay 6:30 pm. Lakeland holds a slim 5-4 advantage in the series, with all five wins coming in the first six games. The Cubs swept the Flying Tigers on June 27-28 in Daytona, with each contest being decided by one run, including a 9-8, 11-inning, decision on June 29. Connor Harrell and Curt Powell each have 13 hits in the series while Lance Durham and Jeff McVaney each have 11 knocks. Austin Green and James Robbins have both hit two homers while Durham and Robbins each have seven runs batted in. Josh Turley is 2-0 against the Cubs with a 0.69 ERA.

THE FLYING TIGERS (3-11, 6th, 7.5 GB; 45-36 overall) ... Lakeland will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak dating back to June 26 that has resulted in a 3-11 record in the second half. The Flying Tigers are 10th in the FSL with a .248 team batting average and have struck out the third most times of any league team. Lakeland batters have been plunked by a pitch 42 times this season—second most in the FSL. Lakeland pitchers are fourth with a 3.21 staff ERA.

THE CUBS (8-5, 3rd, 2.0 GB; 34-47 overall) ... Daytona dropped the first two games of its series to Brevard County on July 1-2 and then had games on July 3-4 rained out. The Cubs are 9-5 since June 18. Marco Hernandez leads Daytona with a .287 average and is 11x26 (.423) his last six games. Gioskar Amaya and Bijan Rademacher are right behind with .282 and .280 averages, respectively. Dan Vogelbach provides the punch and leads the squad with 19 doubles, eight homers and 41 runs batted in. Albert Almora is 9x17 his last four games and has hits in 12 of his last 14 games. He is 21x56 for a .375 average since June 17. Starling Peralta leads the Cubs with five wins and is tied with 60 strikeouts with 18 of his 20 appearances coming out of the bullpen. Daytona has the second lowest team batting average (.245) of any league team while the staff ERA of 4.33 is second highest. Cubs pitchers are tied with Clearwater in allowing the most homers in the league. 

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

7/04 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (4-5, 4.80 ERA) ... Lopez gave up a season-high-tying six runs in taking the loss at Daytona on June 28. In that game, he surrendered eight hits in 4.0 innings, marking only the second time in 11 starts dating back to May 4 that he failed to go at least five frames. He had been touched for seven runs in his previous six starts. Lopez has made three previous starts against Daytona, giving up 13 runs on 18 hits in 13.2 innings with six strikeouts and five walks, leaving him with a 0-1 record and a 8.56 ERA versus the Cubs.

7/05 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (4-2, 2.44 ERA) ... In his only other start against the Cubs on June 29, Eichhorn gave up two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. In his previous game on June 24 against Brevard County, he allowed five runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings and took the loss. He is looking for his first win since May 28. Eichhorn is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in six previous home appearances, including four starts.

7/06 - RHP Jake Thompson (6-4, 3.08 ERA) ... Thompson has been tagged for four runs in each of his last two starts, losing both, on a combined 17 hits in 9.1 innings. He struck out six in his last start on July 1 against Tampa. He has not recorded a win since June 4. Thompson is 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA in seven previous home starts. This is his first appearance against the Cubs.

TURN ON THE BAT SIGNAL ... Lakeland has been missing its offense the last three games, culminating in the July 4 fizzle that saw the squad limiting to a pair of Connor Harrell singles over the 12 innings. The Flying Tigers are a combined 15x96 for a .156 average the last trio of contests with just five runs scored. Three times in the last 11 games, the squad has been shut out and is averaging 3.4 runs per game in the second half. Lakeland has not reached double figures in runs scored since a 10-3 win over Fort Myers on June 4. 

HE’S GOT HIS BAT ... Connor Harrell was the only Lakeland batter to get a base hit in the 12-inning loss to Tampa. The Lakeland center fielder brings a six-game hit streak into this series in which he is 11x25 for a .440 clip. He has five runs scored in that stretch with four doubles.

HE’S BACK AND OUTTA HERE ... After missing three games due to health issues, Lakeland manager Dave Huppert returned to the dugout on July 3 in Tampa. In his second game back on July 4 at home, he didn’t get to see the ending as the fourth-year Flying Tigers skipper was ejected after arguing a call that ended the bottom of the 11th inning. It was Huppert’s first ejection in 2014 and his first since July 26, 2012.

SNAP A STREAK ... The Flying Tigers enter the Daytona series looking to break out of a season-worst seven-game losing streak—the longest streak since the 2010 squad dropped seven games from June 24-July 3 that season. The last time Lakeland dropped eight consecutive games came in 2007 when the team closed out the second half that season with a 4-21 record. What has been extra tough for Lakeland fans is that five of the seven losses have been by one run and a sixth by two runs. In this half, Lakeland has dropped eight games by one run. Two of the last four losses were extra inning affairs.

RECENT FOURTH OF JULY CROWDS ... Lakeland drew 5,062 fans to Friday night’s Independence Day game—the largest July 4th crowd since 2011 when 5,349 fans witnessed a 10-8 Lakeland win over Tampa. Friday’s crowd was the second largest of the 2014 season for the Flying Tigers, topped on by a Bright House Network crowd of 5,106 on May 15.

NOW LEADING ... Thanks to 8.0 innings of shutout ball in last night’s game, Josh Turley (7-0) has moved atop the Florida State League standings with a 1.69 earned run average. With eight strikeouts on Independence Day, Turley is now tied for fourth with 76 strikeouts. He also leads the FSL with a 0.94 WHIP and a .199 opponents batting average.

ALSO UP THERE ... Kevin Eichhorn (4-2) is fifth in the league with a 2.44 mark while Edgar De La Rosa (4-6) is ninth with a 2.59 ERA.

STINGY STARTERS ... In the last two games, Lakeland starting pitchers have not been scored upon in 11.1 innings. Starters have combined to strike out 20 batters in the last four games with five walks.

WITHER THE PEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has been a sore spot for pitching coach Mike Maroth of late. In the last four games (and 18.2 innings), the Flying Tiger relievers have combined to give up 22 runs (19 earned) for a 9.16 earned run average. The corps has recorded 23 strikeouts in those four games, but have also walked 17 batters. 

JAY-JAYS ... James Robbins is fourth in the Florida State League with 11 home runs while Jeff McVaney is fifth with 49 runs batted in. 

START THE COUNTDOWN ... Lakeland enters the Daytona series with 3,990 all-time wins, needing 10 more to reach 4,000 victories. Lakeland has a 3,990-4,216 record since 1963.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland continues with its long homestand by hosting the Brevard County for three games on July 8-10. Following the Manatees series, the Flying Tigers will play at St. Lucie on July 11-14 and at Charlotte on July 16-19. Once returning to Joker Marchant Stadium on July 20, Lakeland will play 16 of the next 20 games at home with two eight game home stands extending into August sandwiched around a four-game road trip. As a reminder, the July 22 game has been moved to a 10:30 am start. The Flying Tigers will close out the 2014 season with just seven home dates in the final three weeks.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (July 1-4)

NOTE: On June 28, the Lakeland Flying Tigers issued the following statement regarding manager Dave Huppert: “Lakeland manager Dave Huppert will be away from the team indefinitely for health reasons. We wish Dave a full and speedy recovery and look forward to having him back leading the Flying Tigers. Detroit Tigers Minor League Field Coordinator Bill Dancy will serve as manager for the immediate future.”

INTERIM MANAGER BILL DANCY ... Bill Dancy joined the Detroit organization last season as the minor league field instructor. A 1974 graduate of Lakeland’s Florida Southern College, he was a second round pick of Philadelphia and spent six seasons in the minors before joining the Phillies organization as a coach in 1979. He spent a total of 28 years with the Phillies including two seasons as third base coach for the major league club before coaching in the Cubs organization for three seasons. Twice he  coached in the Florida State League managing Clearwater in 1992-93 and 1998-99. A two-time league coach of the year, Dancy has won three league titles. The 2014 season is his 41st year in pro baseball.

THE SERIES ... Lakeland opens the fourth month of the season with four games against Tampa, playing the first two at home July 1 and 2 at 6:30 pm and game three at Tampa July 3 at 7 pm. The series finale takes place on our nation’s birthday at 5 pm back in Lakeland. These two teams have already faced played each other 14 times so far in 2014 with the Flying Tigers coming away with nine wins, going 4-2 in Lakeland and 5-3 in Tampa. Chad Wright leads Lakeland with 16 hits in the series while Jeff McVaney has 14 hits and a team-high 14 RBI. Connor Harrell is also in double figures in runs batted in against the Yankees with 10. Lakeland has outscored Tampa 59-41 in the series.

THE FLYING TIGERS (3-8, 45-33; T-5th, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland will be looking to break a four-game losing streak after dropping a three-game set at Daytona over the weekend. It was only the second time this season that the Flying Tigers have been swept in a series (Brevard County did so on April 14-16) and leaves the team with a 4-9 record since the All-Star Break. Sunday’s game at Daytona was a roller coaster ride that saw the team battle back from a 5-2 deficit to tie the game in the ninth and send the contest into extra innings. Austin Green hit a three-run homer in the top of the 11th, but the Cubs battled back with four runs in the bottom of the frame for the win. Josh Turley is second in the Florida State League with a 1.86 ERA to go with his perfect 7-0 record. Turley leads the league with a 0.97 WHIP and a .208 opponents average. Kevin Eichhorn (4-2) is seventh in the FSL with a 2.44 ERA while Edgar De La Rosa (4-6) is tenth with a 2.69 mark and tied for third with a .214 opponents average.

THE YANKEES (7-4, 40-41; 3rd, 1.0 GB) ... Tampa is coming off a sweep of first-half champion Dunedin. The Yankees capped the three-game streak with a 3-2 win in 10 innings Sunday as Yeicock Calderon singled home Aaron Judge with two outs in the bottom of the 10th. The victory was Tampa’s sixth in its last seven games. Jake Cave is ninth in the Florida State League with a .309 batting average and leads the league with an even 100 base hits. Cave is also fifth in the FSL with 129 total bases while Dante Bichette, Jr. is tied for third with 27 walks. Rafael De Paula is third in the FSL with 82 strikeouts. Jose Rosario joined the Yankees on June 7 and has hits in his last eight games (12-for-34, .353) and in 13 of his last 14 contests. Luis Severino was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week after tossing 6.0 no-hit innings against Clearwater on June 25. Severino mowed down six Threshers and walked one in picking up the win in his second start for the Yankees. He lost to the Flying Tigers in his first outing despite recording eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

MIGHT SEE C.C. ... New York pitcher C.C. Sabathia is with the Tampa team on a Major League rehab assignment, working his way back from a right knee injury that has had him sidelined since May 10. Sabathia made his first start Saturday and is expected to make 2-3 more starts before returning to New York.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

7/01 - LHP Josh Turley (7-0, 1.86 ERA) ... Turley gave up a season-high eight hits in his last start on June 25 at Brevard County, but took the win, holding the Manatees to one run. He has allowed just four runs in 34.0 innings over his last five starts, posting a 4-0 record and a 1.06 ERA with 25 strikeouts. This will be Turley’s four appearance and second start against Tampa this season and he is 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in those games with five runs allowed on 12 hits with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 14.1 innings. Turley is the first Lakeland pitcher to win his first seven decisions since P.J. Finegan ran off seven straight wins as a reliever in 2006. 

7/02 - RHP Jake Thompson (6-3, 2.75 ERA) ... Thompson surrendered four runs on a season-high nine hits in losing to Brevard County in his last start on June 26. He has allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 20 hits in his last three starts and is 0-2 with a 8.25 ERA in that trio of games with 12 strikeouts and four walks. This will be Thompson’s fourth start against the Yankees in 2014 and he is 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in the series, giving up just two runs, with 17 strikeouts, six walks and with nine hits. He is 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA in six home starts. 

7/03 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (4-6, 2.69 ERA) ... De La Rosa lost a pitcher’s duel with Brevard County’s Nathan Dorris on June 27, losing 1-0 as both hurlers went 7.0 innings. De La Rosa gave up one run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks, while Dorris held Lakeland to four hits with eight strikeouts. De La Rosa has given up two runs on eight hits with 18 strikeouts and six walks in his last three starts working 7.0 in each outing. He is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in two previous starts against Tampa, giving up four runs (two earned) on eight hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk in 10.0 innings.

7/04 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (4-5, 4.80 ERA) ... Lopez gave up a season-high-tying six runs in taking the loss at Daytona on June 28. In that game, he surrendered eight hits in 4.0 innings, marking only the second time in 11 starts dating back to May 4 that he failed to go at least five frames. He had been touched for seven runs in his previous six starts. Lopez has faced Tampa only once before, taking the loss on May 9 after allowing three runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings with four strikeouts and no walks.

JAMES WITH THE JACK ... James Robbins has found his power as of late, knocking four home runs in his last seven games. The surge has moved him into a tie for third in the Florida State League with 11 dingers.

WHICH TEAM? ... In their last four losses, Lakeland has had a little Jekyll and Hyde act at the plate. In the first two losses, the team scored two runs on nine hits and the pitching staff gave up five runs. In the last two defeats, the Flying Tigers collected 25 hits and scored 15 runs, but the mound men surrendered 17 runs on 24 hits.

TRE’ CONNOR ... Connor Harrell has had three hits in each of his last two games, including three doubles, and has now had three hits in a game a team-leading nine times this season. Harrell has bumped up his average each month. After getting off to slow start with a .209 mark in April, he hit .284 in May and .310 over the month of June.

ROLLING ALONG ... Jeff McVaney has hits in nine of his last ten games, including five games with two hits. He has scored six runs in those ten games and collected nine runs batted in. On the year, McVaney has had 21 multi-hit games, including four contests with three hits in game. He is also the only Lakeland player in double figures in games in which he has driven two or more runs. McVaney has had 11 games with two runs knocked in and a season-high four RBI on April 26 at Tampa.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland will play nine home games in the next 10 days as the Flying Tigers welcome Brevard County to Joker Marchant Stadium for a three-game series July 8-10 with all games scheduled for 6:30 pm.