THE SERIES ... Lakeland puts the lid on the 2014 season with a three-game homestand against Clearwater. Opening game is set for 7:11 pm Friday with the sandwich game Saturday at 6 pm. The season finale is Sunday at 11 am. This series has been a tale of two paths. The Flying Tigers won the first seven games before the Threshers roared (swam?) back to take six of the last seven.
THE FLYING TIGERS (20-47, 6th, 20.0 GB; 62-72 overall) ... Lakeland snapped a seven-game losing steak last night with a 4-1 win at Brevard County. The Flying Tigers are 3-12 since Aug. 14 and 6-18 since Aug. 4. Lakeland will be looking to avoid its worst second half showing of 20.5 games out of first place which came in 2000 and 2009. The Flying Tigers will have to sweep this series to avoid have the fewest wins in a half for any Lakeland club. The sweep would put then one game ahead of the 2004 club that finished 22-42 and holds the dubious distinction of having the fewest W’s. The 2014 club has already lost the most game in a half for any Lakeland squad, eclipsing the mark previously held by the 2003 and 2007 teams which each lost 46 games.
THE THRESHERS (29-38, 5th, 11.0 GB; 46-89 overall) ... Clearwater dropped two of three to Tampa and is now 4-7 since Aug. 19. Art Charles is second in the Florida State League with 19 homers, six back of the league-leader, Adam Brett Walker of Fort Myers who has 25. Charles has hit five homers and driven in 11 runs his last 10 games and is also tied for the team lead with 48 extra base hits. Roman Quinn is third in the league with 30 stolen bases while Herlis Rodriguez is 8x15 his last four games.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
8/29 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (7-9, 3.22 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who ranks sixth in the FSL with a 3.22 ERA, gave up a pair of runs on three hits with four strikeouts and zero walks over 4.0 innings in his last start on Aug. 23 versus Daytona. In his two starts before the Cubs game, he had allowed a combined 10 runs on 16 hits in 9.0 innings. De La Rosa has 23 strikeouts and 14 walks his last seven starts. He is 1-1 with a 0.41 earned run average in three previous starts against the Threshers with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 22.0 innings in which he has allowed just one run and five hits.
8/30 - RHP Logan Ehlers (4-3, 4.66 ERA) ... Ehlers got roughed up in his last outing on Aug. 24 against Daytona, allowing six runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings. It was just his fourth start of the season. As starter, he is 1-3 with a 4.67 ERA after posting a 3-0 mark and a 4.63 ERA In 21 relief appearances. Ehlers has made one relief appearance against Clearwater this season, giving up a run on two hits with two walks and a strikeout in 2.1 innings.
8/31 - RHP Tommy Collier (3-2, 3.89 ERA) ... Collier allowed just one run on six hits in his last start on Aug. 26 at Brevard County. He struck out six and walked three in 6.1 innings in that start and now has 23 strikeouts and 10 walks over his last four starts. Collier has not faced Clearwater in 2014, but was 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA in three starts against the Threshers in 2013.
ROBBINS IN FSL THIRD ... With 17 homers entering this series, James Robbins is tied for third most in the Florida State League. His 17 round-trippers is the most for a Flying Tiger since Tony Plagman clubbed 18 dingers in 2011. The Lakeland single season record is 29 by Ryan Streiby in 2008.
McVANEY FIFTH IN FSL ... Jeff McVaney has driven in 71 runs this season, placing him fifth in the Florida State League. The 71 RBI is the most for a Flying Tiger since Tony Plagman knocked in 97 runs in 2011. McVaney is also tied for third with 45 extra base hits 203 total bases. With a triple at Tampa Thursday, he now has moved into a tie for fourth place with 12 three-baggers for his career. With his next game played, McVaney will move into the Lakeland top ten with 130 games played this season, tying several others.
I’M (NOT) WALKING ... Lakeland has drawn just two bases on balls in the last three games. Meanwhile, the Flying Tigers have struck out 26 times.
BAT MOBILE IN THE GARAGE ... These two squads are ranked last in the Florida State League in terms of team batting average. Clearwater has the lowest mark in the league at .233 while Lakeland is second lowest with a .249 mark. The Threshers have scored the fewest runs in the league while Lakeland has crossed the plate the fourth fewest times. Only Tampa has struck out more times than these two teams with Clearwater having whiffed 1,057 times and Lakeland 1,054 times. This is the ninth time since 2000 that a Lakeland squad has struck out 1000 or more times.
ALL OR NOTHING ... When one of these hitters does make contact, it’s a pretty good bet it may leave the park. Behind Art Charles’ 19 homers, the Threshers have hit the most home runs (88) in the league while the Flying Tigers are tied with Dunedin for fifth most homers at 77 round-trippers. Lakeland’s 77 homers is the most for a Flying Tigers team since the 2011 club hit 84 dingers and is the ninth highest total in franchise history.
MEAN GREEN MACHINE ... Austin Green has hits in nine of his last ten games and has gone 16x40 (.400) during that stretch with nine runs scored, three homers, and 11 runs batted in. He hit his 15th homer of the season in last night’s win at Tampa, moving him into a tie for 10th place on the Lakeland single season list with Ryan Roberson (2007), Cody Ross (1998), Kurt Airoso (1998) and Juan Encarnacion (1996).
SHOT AT GLOVE MARK ... Heading into this final three-game series, Lakeland’s defense has been charged with just 107 errors which, if the season ended today, would be a franchise record, besting the mark of 109 set in 2012. Connor Harrell continues to hold down the top spot among league outfielders with a .997 fielding average and Lakeland remains the top defensive team in the league with a .979 fielding percentage and are now tied with Brevard County for the fewest errors (107) in the league.
NESBITT NAMED FSL ALL-STAR ... Angel Nesbitt, who was called up to AA Erie way back on June 19, is Lakeland’s lone representative on the 2014 Florida State League postseason All-Star team. Nesbitt still ranks second in the FSL with 14 saves and was 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA at the time of his promotion.
ANOTHER LAKELANDER TO HIT THE SHOW ... Detroit plans to use former Flying Tiger Kyle Ryan in a spot start on the mound in the night half of Saturday’s day/night doubleheader against the White Sox. Ryan, out of nearby Auburndale High School, was 12-7 with a 3.17 in 24 starts for Lakeland last season. He was 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts at AAA Toledo and Saturday would have been his next slot in the Mud Hen rotation.
HEADED TO THE AFL ... For four former Flying Tigers, their season will not end this month as the quartet, along with three others and Toledo manager, Larry Parrish, will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. Heading out west will be Daniel Fields (2010-12 in Lakeland), Steven Moya (2013), Devon Travis (2013) and Drew VerHagen (2012-13), along with Zac Reininger, Joe Mantiply and Chad Smith.
SPEAKING OF ALUMS ... Steven Moya was named the Eastern League MVP for 2014 while second baseman Devon Travis was named to EL All-Star team. Moya is fourth in the minor leagues with 34 home runs and also has 32 doubles. He is hitting .270 with 102 runs batted in for Erie. Travis is hitting .296 on the year with 20 doubles, six triples, 10 homers and 50 runs batted in.
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