THE SERIES ... These two clubs split their earlier series June 4-7 in Fort Myers with Lakeland taking games one and three by scores of 10-3 and 4-3 in 11 innings, respectively. Fort Myers captured games two and four by identical 4-3 scores. Curt Powell led Lakeland with nine hits in 19 at bats for a .474 mark while Jeff McVaney collected eight hits, including a home run, in 16 at bats. Chad Wright had six hits in the series while Connor Harrell added five base knocks. Adam Brett Walker II led the Miracle with six hits, including a double and a pair of homers for six runs batted in. Tyler Jones saved both wins for Fort Myers.
THE FLYING TIGERS (11-28, 6th, 14.0 GB; 53-53 overall) ... Lakeland is coming off a split of a four-game series at Palm Beach, winning the middle two games. The Flying Tigers have managed just 2.6 runs per game over the last 11 contests while allowing 4.8 runs per outing. James Robbins is second in the Florida State League with 14 home runs. With five homers in the middle two games of the Palm Beach series, Lakeland now has three players with 10 or more homers in Robbins (14) with Austin Green and Connor Harrell hitting ten each. This marks the first time since 2011 when Tony Plagman (18), Jordan Lennerton (14) and Avisail Garcia (11) accomplished that feat for Lakeland.
THE MIRACLE (24-14, T-2nd, 1.5 GB; 65-43 overall) ... After crushing Clearwater 14-0 in the opening game of their recent series, Fort Myers dropped the final three games. Despite losing six of their last eight games, the Miracle own the best overall record in the Florida State League at 65-43. A 12-1 run from July 10-23 helped propel the team to its lofty standing. Byron Buxton, who was the FSL Player of the Week for July 14-21, has been on a tear of late, going 20-for-57 (.351) with three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers along 12 runs scored and 11 runs batted in since July 13. Max Kepler brings an eight-game hit streak into this series and is 11-for-27 during the stretch for a .407 mark. Adam Brett Walker II leads the Florida State League with 21 homers and 75 runs batted in. Niko Goodrum has swiped 24 stolen bases which ranks third in the league while Travis Harrison is tied for third with 27 doubles. The Miracle have scored the most runs of any team in the league.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
8/01 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (6-8, 2.70 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who ranks eighth in the FSL with a 2.70 ERA, picked up the win on July 27 in his last start, allowing two runs on six hits versus Bradenton. He struck out five and walked two in that game. In his last three starts, De La Rosa has allowed eight earned runs in 16.0 innings for a 4.50 ERA. In his five starts prior to the last three, he had given up two runs in 31.1 innings. De La Rosa is 3-4 with a 3.25 ERA in ten home starts and 3-4 with a 2.14 ERA in 10 road starts.
8/02 - RHP Tanner Bailey (1-3, 4.32 ERA) ... Bailey is started on July 28 at Palm Beach in his first action since rejoining Lakeland after seven starts at Connecticut. He surrendering six runs (four earned) on 10 hits to the Cardinals. Bailey has last his last three starts, giving up 13 runs (10 earned) in 15.0 innings for a 6.00 earned run average.
8/03 - LHP Locke St. John (1-2, 5.76 ERA) ... St. John got his first win as a Flying Tiger in his last start on July 29 at Palm Beach, allowing one run on three hits over 6.0 innings. That start marked season lows in runs and hits allowed and was the longest of his five starts for Lakeland. St. John has recorded exactly three strikeouts in each of his starts.
8/04 - RHP Tommy Collier (2-1, 4.80 ERA) ... Collier recorded the win in his last start on July 30 at Palm Beach, limiting the Cardinals to one unearned run on four hits in 6.0 innings. The 6.0 frames matched his season longest outing.
UNKNOWN TO THE MIRACLE ... None of the four probable starters for Lakeland in this series have faced Fort Myers previously. Only Edgar De La Rosa was with Lakeland for the first series meeting, but he did not pitch in the four games. The Miracle may not have that much in terms of scouting reports as Tanner Bailey, Locke St. John and Tommy Collier, have a combined 14 appearances, including 12 starts, for the Flying Tigers. Bailey was just re-added to the Lakeland roster on July 28 after a stint with Connecticut in the New York-Penn League. St. John, up from the Gulf Coast League Tigers, joined the Flying Tigers on July 7 while Collier was brought down from AA Erie on July 16.
AWESOME AUSTIN ... Austin Green has seven hits in his last three games (7-for-12, .583), including a pair of home runs, three runs batted in and four runs scored.
NUMBER NINE, NUMBER NINE ... Harold Castro brings a nine-game hit streak into the Fort Myers series. In his last nine games, the Flying Tigers infielder is 13-for-35 for a .371 batting average.
MAINLY, McVANEY ... Jeff McVaney has hits in 14 of his last 17 games, going 21-for-61 (.344) with 11 runs scored. He has four doubles, a homer and eight runs batted in the 17 games since July 14.
THAT’S MY SPOT ... James Robbins has started at first base for Lakeland in 97 of the team’s 106 games played with Jeff Holm starting seven games and Curt Powell manning the first sack for a pair of games. Jeff McVaney has 102 starts in the outfield while Connor Harrell has started an even 100 games in the outfield.
ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... Just two recent moves for Lakeland as LHP Trent Szkutnik was sent to West Michigan and LHP Logan Ehlers was welcomed back after a brief stay on the Disabled List. Szkutnik appeared in four games for the Flying Tigers, posting a 1.00 ERA in 9.0 innings with four hits allowed, eight strikeouts, and five walks. The one run he allowed was a home run in his first outing. Ehlers was 3-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 20 appearances before leaving his last game on July 31 after 2.2 innings of relief work.
LOTSA HURLERS ... Lakeland has had 31 different pitchers on its roster in 2014 which is one shy of the franchise record of 32 hurlers used during the 2010 season.
SLOW OUT OF THE GATE ... The Flying Tigers have been outscored 62-47 in the first inning and 75-51 in the third frame. Overall, Lakeland is 30-13 when scoring first and 24-16 when the opponent gets on the scoreboard first.
NEED TWO FOR 4,000 ... Lakeland enters the Fort Myers series with 3,998 all-time wins, needing two more victories to reach 4,000. Lakeland has a 3,998-4,234 record since 1963.
UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers continue their eight-game homestand with four games against Dunedin Aug. 5-8. Lakeland will then close out the season with just eight games in seven home dates over the final three weeks. The Aug. 14 game is a doubleheader with Tampa.
LAKELAND ALUM JOINS RAYS ... Former Flying Tiger Drew Smyly was traded by Detroit to Tampa Bay as part of the David Price deal on Thursday. Smyly, who was 7-3 with a 2.58 ERA for Lakeland in 2011, posted a 6-9 mark with a 3.93 earned run average for the big club this season. Price joins fellow Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander, who pitched for Lakeland in 2005, and Max Scherzer in the Detroit rotation.
ALUMNI REPORT ... Here’s a look at how some members of the 2013 Flying Tigers squad are currently faring at AA Erie: Dean Green is hitting .308 with five homers and 33 RBI; Jason Krizan has a .282 average with four homers and 40 ribbies; Devon Travis is hitting a crisp .299 with seven diggers and 32 runs knocked in; Aaron Westlake is batting .239 but has clubbed 10 home runs and driven in 38 runs.
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