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.
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