RAINED OUT ... Lakeland’s game at Daytona Monday night was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader in Lakeland on Friday, Aug. 22. Game one of the twin bill will get underway at 5 pm.
THE SERIES ... In this short, two-day series, Lakeland will play at Tampa on Wednesday, Aug. 13 and then return home to Joker Marchant Stadium for a doubleheader on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 5 pm. Game two of the double dip is a make-up game from July 2. The Yankees swept the Flying Tigers in a three-game series July 1-4, but Lakeland holds a slim 9-8 lead in the series winning nine of the first 13 meetings. The Flying Tigers are hitting just .223 in the 17 games with Chad Wright leading the way with 18 hits. Jeff McVaney is next with 15 hits while Curt Powell has 13 hits in the series. Tyler Hanover and Connor Harrell each have a dozen hits, but Harrell has two doubles, two triples and three homers for 11 runs batted in. Peter O’Brien and Jake Cave, both no longer with Tampa, led the Yankees with four homers and 21 hits, respectively.
THE FLYING TIGERS (16-33, 6th, 13.0 GB; 58-58 overall) ... Lakeland has had double figures in hits in five of their last six games for a .277 average (61x220) but is 2-5 its last seven games. The offense has scored five or fewer runs in 18 of the last 21 games. The last time the Flying Tigers reached double figures in runs scored was in a 10-5 win over Jupiter on July 20. The Flying Tigers position players have pretty much been set for most of the season with eight players logging 80 or more games
THE YANKEES (26-24, 2nd, 3.5 GB; 59-61 overall) ... Tampa split a doubleheader at Dunedin on Monday, dropping the opener 3-1 and then taking the night cap 5-2. The Yankees have won four of their last five games, but are 6-8 since July 28. The Tampa offense has scored five or fewer runs in 12 of their last 14 games. Jose Rosario joined the club in early-June and is hitting .343 in 36 games since while Eric Jagielo is tied for second in the FSL with 14 homers. The Yankee roster has had quite a turnover as only two current position players have appeared in 80 or more games. Eight players have 50 or less games played.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:
8/13 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (7-8, 2.68 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who is seventh in the FSL with a 2.68 ERA, has won his last two decisions, including a victory on August 6 against Dunedin. In that game, he held the Blue Jays to two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 6.0 innings. He is 3-4 with a 2.14 ERA in 10 previous road starts. De La Rosa also ranks third in the FSL with a .216 opponents average.
8/14 - RHP Tanner Bailey (2-4, 3.75) ... Bailey lost his last start after allowing three runs on four hits over 6.0 innings to Dunedin on Aug. 7. In his previous start on Aug. 2, he had tossed a one-hit shutout over Fort Myers in a game called in the bottom of the fifth due to rain. Bailey has been up and down in his six starts this season, allowing a total of three runs in 15.1 innings in starts 1, 3 and 5 while giving up 12 runs in 15.0 innings in starts 2, 4 and 6. He made his only appearance against Tampa in his first start as a Flying Tiger on May 10, giving up two runs on three hits in 4.1 innings with a strikeout and four walks in a no-decision.
8/14 - LHP Locke St. John (2-3, 5.40) ... St. John took the lost in his last start on Aug. 8 against Dunedin, allowing season-highs with five runs and 10 hits. That outing was also his shortest of the season, lasting just 4.0 innings. In his last two starts, St. John has given 18 hits and struck out just one batter after recording three punch outs in each of his first five starts. In back-to-back starts on July 29 and Aug. 3, he pitched 6.0 innings in both and had been touched for just run. St. John has not faced Tampa.
HE WAS JUST 17 ... Harold Castro brings a 17-game hit streak into this series going 27x69 with a .391 average during the stretch which began on July 23. The 17-game streak is the longest for any Flying Tiger this season and is the longest for any Lakeland player since Nick Castellanos, now the starting third baseman for Detroit, put together an 18-game streak from April 29 to May 17, 2012. Castro has faced Tampa in just one game this season and went 1x3 in that game on July 1.
10-SPOT ... Connor Harrell carries an 10-game hit streak into tonight’s game. He is 13x37 for a .361 average with four runs scored and five runs batted in. Harrell has one double, one triple and two home runs during the streak which began on Aug. 1.
HANDY HANOVER ... Tyler Hanover has hits in nine of his last 11 games and is 14x35 (.400) in that stretch dating back to July 27. During a four-game span from Aug. 2-6, Hanover had two hits in each of his four games.
ALIVE AT FIVE ... Jared Reaves has a five-game hit streak since Aug. 6, going 9x22 (.409) with three runs scored and two runs batted in.
BURLY BURGOS ... Alex Burgos has allowed just three earned runs—six overall—in 16.2 innings over his last six appearances, with all three earned runs coming in his outing on Aug. 5 against Dunedin
MAYBERRY E.R.A. ... Whit Mayberry has given up just two runs on five hits this season in 10.0 innings over five appearances for 1.80 ERA.
SITZ STREAK ALIVE ... Although he took the loss in his last outing on Aug. 10 at Daytona, Scott Sitz entered the game in the 11th inning with the score tied, so his streak of five saves in five opportunities is still intact. In that loss, Sitz uncharacteristically walked three batters in allowing one run in the bottom of the 13th as the Daytona got the win. Sitz had not walked a batter in his previous 7.0 innings over six outings.
ZIPS FOR SMITH ... Brennan Smith has not allowed a run in his last 8.2 innings and seven outings.
BEST “D” VS. NOT SO MUCH ... Lakeland remains holding on to the top spot in the Florida State League standings with a .979 fielding percentage. The Flying Tigers have committed 93 errors on the season—the fewest of any team in the league. On other side of the diamond, Tampa ranks 10th in the FSL with a .972 fielding mark. Lakeland’s Connor Harrell tops all league outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage and has committed just one miscue in 273 changes. The Yankees have been charged with 123 errors—third most in the Florida State League. Yankee second baseman Angelo Gumbs leads his position with a .984 fielding percentage with just six errors in 379 fielding chances while teammate Cito Culver leads FSL third sackers with a .970 mark and has been charged with 16 errors in 526 chances.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland will hit the road for a seven-game road trip with three games at Clearwater Aug. 15-17 and then four games at Dunedin Aug. 18-21.
ANOTHER FLYING TIGER IN THE SHOW ... A recent rash of injuries and to the Detroit pitching staff (as well as a 19-inning marathon) has opened the door for another former Flying Tiger to make it to the show. Kevin Whelan, who pitched for Lakeland in 2006, joined Detroit on August 11. Whelan was a 4th round pick by Detroit in 2005 and was traded to the Yankees after the 2006 season as part of the Gary Sheffield deal. He made his Major League debut for New York on June 10, 2011 and appeared in two games. After brief stint in the Cincinnati organization, he was signed as a free agent by Detroit in February of this year. He was 2-1 with 20 saves and a 1.85 ERA in 25 appearances for Toronto before the call up.
SHARK WEEK WINNER ... While the Discovery Channel celebrates “Shark Week”, the Florida State League brought home a winner in MiLB.com’s Mascot Mania contests as Phinley, the shark-themed mascot of the Clearwater Threshers took home top honors in the fan vote contest. Phinley won out over 12 other mascots, including Chopper (Gwinnett), Chico (El Paso), Kazoo (Pensacola), Bolt (Winston-Salem); Mr. Shucks (Cedar Rapids); and Gnate the Gnat (Savannah).
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