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.
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