Monday, April 28, 2014

Mission Notes vs Daytona (April 28-30)

THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers host the defending Florida State League champions Cubs for two games on Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 pm and then stage their annual Education Day game at 10:30 am on Wednesday in the series finale. Last season, Daytona easily captured the season series, winning 13 of the 18 meetings.

THE FLYING TIGERS (13-10, T-2nd, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland comes into this season after having split their last eight games and having not won, or lost, more than one game in a row during that stretch. Jake Thompson is fifth in the Florida State League with a 1.20 earned run average and fifth with 28 strikeouts. Lakeland has improved its batting average to .230, but still ranks tenth in the FSL. The staff ERA of 3.39 is fifth best. The Flying Tigers maintain the FSL’s best fielding percentage at .981 with a league-low 17 errors. Lakeland catchers have combined to throw out 10 of 25 would-be base stealers for a .400 mark, second best in the league.

THE CUBS (9-14, 5th, 9.0 GB) ... Talk about a turnaround. Daytona began the season with a 2-13 record, but has since won seven of their last eight, including four straight. In their four-game sweep of Brevard County, the Cubs outscored the Manatees 17-7. Bijan Rademacher is fifth in the Florida State League with a .348 average while Tim Saunders is third with eight stolen bases. Felix Pena is eighth with a 1.55 ERA and pitched the only complete game in the league this season. Daytona is fourth in the league with a .264 team batting average and sixth with a 3.67 staff ERA. Daytona’s catchers have thrown out just two base runners while opponents have swiped 19 bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/28 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (1-2, 7.00 ERA)
... Lopez surrendered six runs on nine hits over 3.0 innings on April 23 – his shortest outing of the season – and has now allowed 11 earned runs on 13 hits in 8.0 innings in his last two starts. He has struck out 11, but also walked 11.
    4/29 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (0-3, 2.42 ERA) ... De La Rosa is still looking for his first win after five starts this season. After dropping his first three outings and posting a 3.75 ERA, he has a 1.29 ERA his last two starts – both resulting in a no decision.
    4/30 - LHP Josh Turley (0-0, 2.60 ERA) ... Turley makes his second start of the year after making his rotation debut on April 25 at home against Tampa. In that game, he rebounded from giving up three runs in the first to hold the Yankees scoreless over the next four, finishing with seven strikeouts.

DAYTONA PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/28 - LHP Rob Zastryzny (1-1, 6.38 ERA)
... Zastryzny gave up four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings in taking the loss in his last start on April 23 at Clearwater. It was the third start he has allowed four runs and his fourth he has surrendered six or more hits. He did strike out five in that game for his third start with five or more Ks. Zastryzny is from Edmonton, Alberta, but played collegiately at the University of Missouri.
    4/29 - RHP Yao-Lin Wang (0-3, 7.94 ERA) ... Like his Lakeland counterpart is this game, Wang is looking for his first win of the season after three losses. In his last start on April 24 at Brevard County, he allowed three runs on three hits with four walks in 4.0 innings. His ERA took a big hit on April 19, allowing five earned runs in just 1.1 innings of work against Tampa. Wang is from Tai-Tung, Taiwan.
    4/30 - RHP Felix Pena (1-3, 1.55 ERA) ... Pena left his last start after giving up five hits and four walks in 3.0 innings. He had gone 6.0 or more innings in each of his previous four starts. Pena threw the league’s only complete game of the year on April 14 at Dunedin, taking the loss despite holding the Blue Jays to one run on three hits.

THE WRIGHT STUFF ... Lakeland outfielder Chad Wright singled twice at Tampa on Sunday to extend his hit streak to an FSL-best 14 games. Wright is 23x57 (.404) during the streak which began April 10 against Brevard County. Wright’s two singles on Sunday marked his third straight game with two hits and is now 12x25 (.480) with six runs scored his last six games. His 14-game hit streak is the longest for a Flying Tiger since Nick Castellanos put together an 18-game streak from April 29-May 17, 2012. Wright was 2x22 in his first six games to start the season.

TWO R’S, TWO L’S, TWO HITS ... Connor Harrell has two hits in game five times this season, including his last game on Sunday. He has at least one hit in eight of his last ten games and is 12x41 (.293) during that stretch. Harrell also homered in two games of the Tampa series and had seven runs batted in against the Yankees.

DIXON HEATING UP ... Dixon Machado has eight hits in his last four games, going 8x17 (.471) during that quartet of games with three runs scored.

BIG MAC ... Jeff McVaney has hits in eight of his last nine games going 12x38 (.316) in that stretch of games. In the four-game Tampa series, he was 5x15 (.333) with five runs scored and six runs batted in­—four of which came in the April 25 game at Tampa.

BATS ALIVE ... Lakeland had 11 hits on Sunday at Tampa, marking the fifth time in the last nine games the team has had double digits in hits. The Flying Tigers are batting .266 (89x334) in those the last nine games, and have averaged just under five runs per game. Also, after not hitting a home run in the first eight games of the season, the Flying Tigers have hit eight dingers in the last 15 games.

GOING GREEN ... Austin Green is 6x16 (.375) his last four games. Green has gunned down eight of 19 base stealers on the season for a .421 percentage, fourth best among FSL catchers.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR ... The Cubs roster features 10 international players including Gioskar Amaya (Bejumas, Edo Carabobo, Venezuela ); Pin-Chieh Chen (Kaohsiung City, Taiwan ); Willson Contreras (Puerto Cabello, Venezuela); Marco Hernandez (Santiago, Dominican Republic); Felix Pena (San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic); Starling Peralta (Nagua, Dominican Republic); Tayler Scott (Johannesburg, South Africa); Arodys Vizcaino (Yaguate, Dominican Republic); Yao-Lin Wang (Tai-Tung, Taiwan); and Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alberta)

THE NAME GAME ... Daytona has had its share of players with unusual names in the past – Rebel Ridling (2012); Taiwan Easterling (2011); Smaily Borges (2010); and Starlin Castro (2009) – and this year is no different as outfielder Rock Shoulders joins the group.

HUPPERT CLIMBS THE LADDER ... With Lakeland’s 9-2 win at Tampa on Saturday, Flying Tiger manager Dave Huppert became the fourth winningest coach in Lakeland franchise history with 214 wins. With a 214-210 record at Lakeland entering this series, he needs 24 more wins to pass Jim Leyland (237-177, 1976-78) and move into third place. The all-time Lakeland record for wins is held by Dick Tracewski who amassed a 392-402 record from 1970-1975.

MOVING INTO THE TOP 20 ... Already the winningest active manager in the minor leagues, Lakeland manager Dave Huppert can move into the top 20 for all-time wins by a minor league manager with two more victories. Entering this series with a career-record of 1,822-1,672, Huppert trails Bert Niehoff who finished with a 1,824-1,713 record from 1922-1954 with 12 different teams.

UP NEXT ... Following this series, Lakeland will play just two home games in the first 15 days of May hosting Dunedin on Saturday, May 3 and Tampa in a second Education Day on Thursday, May 8. The club, however, makes up for lost time with eight home games May 16-23.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (April 24-27)

THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers match up once again with Tampa for the second series of the season on Thursday (6:30 pm) and Friday (7:11 pm) in Lakeland then head to Tampa on Saturday (12 pm) and Sunday (1 pm) for the final two games. Lakeland took the earlier series winning the final three games after being shutout by Tampa in the season opener. The two teams are tied with Brevard County in second place with 11-8 records.

THE FLYING TIGERS (11-8, T-2nd, 4.0 GB) ... After battling Dunedin in a pair of close games, the Flying Tigers found out why the Blue Jays have the best record baseball, falling 12-4 in the series finale. Dunedin knocked out 15 hits, including a pair of homers, and took advantage of nine walks and six wild pitches by Lakeland pitchers for the big win. The Flying Tigers have gone 4-2 their last six games and have reached double digits in hits in three of the last five games for a .259 clip (51x197) with five doubles, a pair of triples and three homers. Lakeland, which is the best fielding team with a .979 percentage, is 10th with a .219 team batting average while the staff ERA of 3.29 now ranks fifth in the FSL.

THE YANKEES (11-8, T-2nd, 4.0 GB) ... Tampa took two of three in its recent series with Brevard County but has gone 6-5 since April 12. Pete O’Brien leads the Florida State League with six home runs,  a .676 slugging percentage, 12 extra-base hits, and 46 total bases while Angelo Gumbs is tied for fourth with 25 hits. Gumbs brings a FSL-best 13 game hit streak (20x50, .400) into this series. Jake Cave is one of five players tied for the league lead with three triples. Tampa, which has committed a league-high 30 errors, has the third highest batting average (.267) in the league with a FSL-best 12 homers. The staff ERA of 2.82 is fourth best in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/24 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (0-3, 2.25 ERA)
... De La Rosa pitched his best game of the early season in his last start on 4/19, working 8.0 innings and holding Clearwater to just a second-inning single. He struck out three and walked four, but did not factor into the decision. De La Rosa is 0-2 at home with a 2.00 ERA.
    4/25 - LHP Josh Turley (1-0, 1.74 ERA) ... Turley is making his first pro start after making 68 relief appearances over the past three seasons. He picked up the win in the Kevin Eichhorn start on 4/19 in Clearwater. Turley has made five appearances out of the bullpen this season and has allowed two runs – both coming on 4/04 against Tampa – and has not allowed a run in his last 7.0 innings.
    4/26 - RHP Kevin Eichhorn (0-0, 2.60 ERA) ... Eichhorn made his first start of the season on 4/21, getting a no decision against Dunedin. He went 5.0 innings and gave up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks, plus a pair of hit batsmen. After not giving up a run in 8.1 innings over his first two appearances, Eichhorn has surrendered five runs in 9.0 innings in the last two relief stints.
    4/27 - LHP Jake Thompson (2-1, 1.05 ERA) ... Thompson worked 7.0 innings on 4/22 for a second straight start, allowing two runs on six hits to Dunedin with five strikeouts and two walks. He is fourth in the FSL with a 1.05 ERA and fourth with 22 strikeouts. Thompson has allowed three runs in his last two outings (14.0 innings) after tossing 11.2 shutout innings in his first two starts of the season.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON ... Tampa’s Dante Bichette, Jr. is the son of former Major League, Dante Bichette, Sr., who played for the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox from 1988-2001. Junior is batting .339 on the season with a team-high 13 runs and leads the FSL with 18 walks and is second in the FSL with a .487 on-base percentage.

FIGHTIN’ IRISH ... Yankee third baseman Eric Jagielo was New York’s top draft pick (26th selection overall) in 2013 out of the University of Notre Dame, alma mater of Flying Tigers’ official scorer Ed Luteran and Ledger reporter David Yates. Jagielo, who is tied for second in the FSL with four home runs, was the first college position player taken by the Yankees in the first round since 2001.

WRIGHT ON ... Chad Wright homered and singled twice on Wednesday against Dunedin to run his hit streak to 10 games – third longest active streak in the league. During that streak, he has gone 16x40 (.400) with a pair of doubles, a homer, and four runs batted in. He has collected five hits in eight bat bats over the last two games.

JOLTIN’ JEFF ... Jeff McVaney has strung together hits in each of his last five games and is 7x23 (.304) during the streak with four runs scored, a double, a home run and four runs batted in.

HAND IT TO HANVOER ... Tyler Hanover tripled in back-to-back games on April 21-22 against Dunedin with his second triple driving in a tying run. He would score the winning run on an errant throw on the play. Hanover is 6x21 (.286) his last five games with five runs scored.

HERALDING HARRELL
... Connor Harrell has had three games with two hits in his last five starts and has gone 8x25 (.320) over his last six games with five runs scored and three more driven in.

HANG AROUND ‘TIL THE END ... Fans that leave a Flying Tigers’ game before it’s over may be missing out on the best part. Six times this season, Lakeland has won the game in its final at bat including three walk-off wins. The latest dramatic finish came on April 22 against Dunedin with Lakeland trailing 3-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth and one man on. Tyler Hanover drove in the tying run with a triple to left center and then scored when the shortstop’s relay bounced off Hanover’s helmet allowing him to score the winning run in a 4-3 final.

ROSTER MOVE ... On Thursday, Lakeland activated Calvin Drummond from the disabled list where he had been since 4/15. To make room on the roster, Brett Huber was sent back to Extended Spring Training.

IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Lakeland has four of the top ten pitchers in the organization in terms of earned run average as Jake Thompson leads all Detroit Minor League pitchers with a 1.05 ERA and Edgar De La Rosa is fourth with a 2.25 ERA. Kevin Eichhorn is sixth at 2.60 while Endrys Briceno, who is currently on the Disabled List, is ninth with a 3.38 mark. Guido Knudson’s three saves is an organization-nest while Thompson is third with 22 punch outs. On the hitting side, Chad Wright is eighth with a .290 batting average and Jeff McVaney is tied for fourth with 11 runs batted in. The Flying Tigers staff ERA of 3.29 is second best among the four active Minor League clubs in the organization while the .219 team batting average is lowest.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,820 career wins (1,820-1,670) entering this series. He has a 212-208 record in three-plus seasons with the Flying Tigers and needs one more win to tie Mark Meleski (213-202, 1997-99) for the fourth most wins by a Lakeland manager. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship – his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland returns to Joker Marchant Stadium on Monday, April 28 to host the Daytona Cubs for three games. After 6:30 pm starts on Monday and Tuesday, the Flying Tigers host their annual Education Day at 10:30 am on Wednesday, April 30. Following the Dunedin series, Lakeland will play just two home games in the first 15 days of May. A big chunk of that is due to the Florida Junior College Baseball Tournament being held at Joker Marchant Stadium, May 9-14.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (April 21-23)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland opens a five-game homestand with three contests against the Dunedin Blue Jays on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All games are slated for 6:30 pm and will be carried on the Blue Jays website. Dunedin owned Lakeland in 2013, winning 13 of the 18 games.

THE FLYING TIGERS (10-6, T-2nd, 3.0 GB)
... Having not played at extra inning game prior to the Clearwater series, Lakeland won its last two games in the 13th and 11th innings to complete a three-game sweep of the Threshers. The Flying Tigers, who have won seven of their last ten, are now 6-0 versus Clearwater this season. Three of Lakeland’s last four games have been one-run affairs while the fourth was won by two runs. Jake Thompson is third in the Florida State League with a 0.48 ERA and has held opponents to the fifth lowest average (.164) in the FSL to go with his 2-1 record. Guido Knudson is tied for second with three saves. Lakeland is third in the league with a 2.69 staff ERA and tenth with a .215 team batting average. The Flying Tigers’ defense has a .977 fielding percentage which is tied for second best in the league.

THE BLUE JAYS (13-3, 1st, 0.0 GB)
... Dunedin, which has the best record in all of baseball at 13-3, saw its seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday as Brevard County hung a 3-1 loss on the Blue Jays. Three of the Blue Jays’ last five wins have been by shutout while overall, Dunedin has posted five shutouts. Matt Boyd is a big reason for the Blue Jays success, leading the Florida State League with a 3-0 record, 0.39 ERA, and 25 strikeouts. Daniel Norris is fourth in the FSL with a 0.60 ERA to go with his 2-0 mark. In the bullpen, Arik Sikula is tied for the league lead with five saves while Taylor Cole is second with 23 Ks. Matt Newman is fourth in the FSL with a .356 average while KC Hobson has a FSL best 18 runs batted in. Dalton Pompey has swiped eight bases which is second most in the league. The Blue Jays have the lowest staff ERA in the league at 1.71 and fourth with a .264 team batting average. Dunedin has the FSL’s best defense with a .978 fielding percentage.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/21 - LHP Jordan John (1-1, 7.82 ERA
) ... John was tagged for five runs on three hits and three walks in just 0.2 innings in his last start on April 15 at Brevard County. It was the second game in a row he has allowed five earned runs, but in the first game, it was over 7.0 innings. (Note: John is still listed as the probable starter on the Flying Tigers website as of 1 pm, but he was placed on the temporary inactive list on 4/19.)
    4/22 - RHP Jake Thompson (2-1, 0.48 ERA) ... Thompson has allowed just one run and 10 hits in 18.2 innings over his three starts this season. He has struck out 17 batters and walked five in those three outings. Opponents are batting just .164 against Thompson.
    4/23 - TBA (Note: This was Endrys Briceno’s slot, but he is on the DL)

DUNEDIN PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/21 - RHP Taylor Cole (2-0, 2.55 ERA)
... Cole has won his last two starts by holding the opponents to two runs in each of the starts. In his three starts this season, he has struck out 23 batters and walked five while allowing just nine hits in 17.2 innings.
    4/22 - RHP Ben White (1-0, 2.79 ERA) ... White held Daytona to one runs on six hits on April 16, but walked three with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. He has only allowed three runs in his two starts despite the opponents hitting .308 against him.
    4/23 - TBA

STRONG EFFORT ... Edgar De La Rosa is still looking for his first win, but not for lack of effort. On Saturday at Clearwater, he allowed a second inning base hit and then held the Threshers hitless the next 6.0 innings. It was the longest outing for any Flying Tigers pitcher this season.

THROWING BLANKS ... Josh Turley has tossed 8.0 shutout innings over his last three outings with six strikeouts and a walk while Angel Nesbitt has not allowed a run in his last 5.2 innings over his last three appearances.

WINNING WILD ... Lakeland won its opening game against Clearwater as Chad Wright scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning for a 2-1 win. The next night, it was Connor Harrell’s turn for the heroics, crossing the plate in the top of the 13th on a two-out wild pitch on what was strike three in a 9-8 win. It was the eighth wild pitch on the night by Clearwater pitcher and the 11th WP in the game overall.

WRIGHT ROLLIN’ ... Chad Wright brings a seven-game hit-steak into this series. He has gone 10x25 in those games for a .357 clip with five runs scored.

SHARK HUNTER ... Connor Harrell had two hits in each of his last two games and went 5x14 (.357) with a double, a homer, and five runs scored in the recent Clearwater series. He has gone 7x25 (.280) against the Threshers this season.

GOIN’ DEEP ... After hitting zero home runs in the first eight games, Lakeland has hit five in the past nine contests, including a pair by Jeff Holm and one each by Austin Green, Connor Harrell and Jeff McVaney.

DOIN’ THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... The transaction wire has been buzzing as late with one promotion, one on the temporary inactive list, two DL listings, one sent to extended spring and four additions. Reliever Calvin Drummond was placed on the disabled list on April 17 (retroactive to April 15) while starter Endrys Briceno was also placed on the DL on April 18, a day that also saw reliever Will Startup earn a promotion to AA Erie. Added to the Lakeland roster from Extended Spring Training were righthanded pitcher Tyler Clark and lefties Alex Burgos and Logan Ehlers. Clark was the 2012 Lakeland Pitcher of the Year after going 6-1 with a 0.63 ERA in 31 relief appearances. Burgos joins Lakeland for a third consecutive year and has a combined 11-15 record and a 4.19 ERA in 55 appearances in 2012 and 2013 for the Flying Tigers. Ehlers is 3-6 with a 3.15 ERA the two previous seasons. The moves continued on April 19 as pitcher Jordan John was placed on the Temporary Inactive List and David Gonzalez was sent back to Extended Spring Training. Returning  to the Flying Tigers from AA Erie is Corey Jones. However, on Monday, Jones was returned to Erie and Gonzalez rejoined Lakeland.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,819 career wins (1,819-1,668) entering this series. He has a 211-206 record in three seasons with the Flying Tigers. He needs two more wins to tie Mark Meleski (213-202, 1997-99) for the fourth most wins for a Lakeland manager. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

ORGANIZATION NOTES
... Jake Thompson leads all Detroit Minor Leaguers with a 0.48 ERA while Guido Knudson is tops with three saves ... at 10-6, Lakeland has the best record in the organization, followed by West Michigan (9-7), Erie (6-8), and Toledo (7-10) ... former Flying Tigers Eugenio Saurez and Aaron Westlake, both now playing at AA Erie, are tied for second in the organization with three homers each. J.D. Martinez of Toledo, leads with 10.

UP NEXT ... The homestand continues on Thursday and Friday as the Tampa Yankees visit Joker Marchant Stadium for games at 6:30 pm and 7:11 pm, respectively, before the series concludes with a pair of games in Tampa on Saturday at 12 pm and Sunday at 1 pm.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (April 17-19)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland continues its six-game road trip with three games at the Clearwater Threshers on Thursday (7:00 pm), Friday (6:30 pm), and Saturday (6:30 pm). The Flying Tigers swept Clearwater on April 11-13, winning 2-0, 4-2 (on a walk-off homer), and 3-0. All three games will be carried on the Threshers website. Chad Wright went 4-for-8 in two games in the series while Jeff McVaney also had four hits in 12 at bats. Curt Powell batted .429 (3x7) in two games against Clearwater earlier while Lance Durham also had three hits in 11 at bats.

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-6, T-3rd, 4.0 GB)
... Lakeland is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after being swept by Brevard County on the road. The Flying Tigers have managed to cross the plate just once in the last two games, falling 7-1 and 1-0, after losing 8-5 in the series opener. The sweep dropped the Flying Tigers to 4.0 games behind the soaring Dunedin Blue Jays who have the best record in baseball at 11-2. The staff ERA of 2.61 is third best in the league behind Bradenton (2.21) and Dunedin (1.83). The Flying Tigers have the lowest batting average in the league at .210 and have scored the fewest runs (38) of any league team. Jake Thompson has the fourth best ERA in the league at 0.48 and is tied for third with 17 strikeouts. Brennan Smith has held opponents to a .083 batting average, second best among FSL relievers.

THE THRESHERS (3-10, 5th, 9.0 GB)
... After losing nine straight, Clearwater has found the right side of the ledger, winning the last two games against Tampa, 8-7 and 4-1, to jump ahead of the struggling Daytona Cubs who are 2-11 after losing nine of their last 10 games. Brian Pointer leads the team with a .324 average and a league-high three triples. He also ranks fifth in the Florida State League with a .559 slugging percentage while KC Serma is hitting .302 on the young season. Ethan Stewart ranks ninth in the FSL with a 1.08 ERA. The Threshers are batting .222 on the year to rank 10th while the staff ERA of 4.02 is fourth highest in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/17 - RHP Endrys Briceno (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
... Briceno did not factor into the decision in his last start against Clearwater on April 12 despite holding the Threshers to two runs and six hits over 6.0 innings. He has spread his runs allowed over this outings, giving up just one run in each of the first three innings total and two in the fourth.
    4/18 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (1-1, 2.70 ERA) ... Lopez has been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde so far with six runs (three earned) allowed in 3.2 innings in his first start and then tossing a two-hitter over 6.1 shutout innings against the Threshers on April 13. He is holding opponents to a .216 average in his two starts.
    4/19 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (0-3, 3.75 ERA) ... De La Rosa is looking for his first win of the season after taking the “L” in each of his first three starts. In his last start on April 14 at Brevard County, he surrendered four runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks in 3.0 innings, his worst outing of the season.

CLEARWATER PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/17 - LHP Cole Hamels (0-1, 2.70 ERA)
... Hamels, currently on a MLB rehab assignment, makes his second consecutive start against the Flying Tigers. In his previous outing on April 12, he held Lakeland to one run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks over 6.0 innings. This is expected to be his last appearance before rejoining the Phillies.
    4/18 - RHP Colin Kleven (0-3, 8.80 ERA) ... Kleven is also making his second start against Lakeland. In his last start on April 13, he allowed three runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings – his best start of the season. He had previously allowed six runs in each of his first two starts. Opponents are hitting .348 against Kleven.
    4/19 - LHP Ethan Stewart (0-1, 1.08 ERA) ... Stewart is facing Lakeland for the first time this season. He is coming off a start against Tampa in which he gave up three runs, including two earned runs – the first earned runs he has allowed in three starts. He also walked six batters in that Tampa game – one more than he issued in his first two outings.

LONE BAT ... The only Flying Tiger that has looked forward to seeing his box score would be Chad Wright. While the rest of the hitters are struggling at the plate to find consistency, Wright has hits in each of his last five games and is 8-for-18 for a .444 clip during that span.

SHINING ON THE MOUND ... Jake Thompson was finally proven to be human as Brevard County managed to push across a run against the 6-foot-4 righthander. It was the first run allowed by Thompson in three starts this season and it cost him the game as his teammates were shutout in a 1-0 loss on April 16. The Rockwall, Texas native is 2-1 on the season with a sparkling 0.48 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched. His 0.48 ERA and 17 strikeouts are tops in the Detroit minor league organization.

FLASHING THE LEATHER
... Lakeland has backed its stellar pitching staff with a crisp defense that has posted the second best fielding percentage in the league (.976) while committing the second fewest errors (12). First baseman James Robbins has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while leading the league with 113 putouts and 122 total chances. He has also participated in a league-high 11 double plays.

BEHIND THE DISH ... Austin Green has committed just one error in his nine games behind the plate for Lakeland and has thrown out five would-be basestealers for a .385 percentage which is tied for fourth best in the Florida State League.

KUBITZA EARNS ML HONOR ... Former Flying Tiger Austin Kubitza was named the first Midwest League Pitcher of the Week (for April 3-13). Kubitza was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA with 16 strikeouts and two walks in 10.2 innings over his first two starts. Last year, the 6-foot-5 righty joined Lakeland on July 27, 2013 and closed out the season, going 0-1 with a 5.82 ERA in seven relief appearances and one start. Kubitza’s 0.84 ERA is seventh best in the Midwest League while his 16 strikeouts is fifth most.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,816 career wins (1,816-1,668) entering this series. He has a 208-206 record in three seasons with the Flying Tigers. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

CLEARWATER PROMOS ... The first 1000 fans attending Friday’s game will receive a Jimmy Rollins Florida State League Hall of Fame bobblehead. Following the game will be a concert featuring Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney’s little sister). Saturday is Star Wars night and fireworks.

IN THE SHOW ... Nick Castellanos is hitting .233 in eight games for Detroit with one homer and four runs batted in ... Tyler Collins has played in seven games and has a .143 average.

ON THE FARM
... At 7-6 Lakeland is tied with West Michigan for best record among the four Detroit minor league teams with Erie next at 5-6 and Toledo off to a 4-9 start ... Erie’s Warwick Saupold is sixth in the Eastern League with a 0.93 ERA while Kyle Ryan leads the league with a 0.58 WHIP and a .063 opponent batting average.

UP NEXT
... After taking Sunday, April 20 off, the Flying Tigers return to Lakeland on Monday, April 21 to open a three-game set against Dunedin.



Monday, April 14, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 14-16)

THE SERIES ... After a six-game homestand, Lakeland hits the road for six games. The away games start Monday at Brevard County at Space Coast Stadium at 6:35 pm. On Tuesday, the two teams do battle at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach in the inaugural Jackie Robinson Celebration Game at 6:30 pm. It’s the first game at Historic Tigertown since August 30, 2008. The series concludes on Wednesday at 6:30 pm back at Space Coast Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-3, 2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland’s pitchers allowed just a pair of runs in sweeping Clearwater and posted a 0.67 ERA in the three-game series against the struggling Threshers. The Flying Tigers posted sandwiched a pair of shutouts around a dramatic 4-2 win in the middle game to move into sole possession of second place, one game behind the division-leading Blue Jays. Lakeland, which is 5-3 at home and 2-0 on the road, has now won four in a row and seven of its last nine games overall. The club enters this series with the second-best record in the Florida State League. The Flying Tigers have the second lowest staff ERA (2.10) in the league and have tossed a league-best three shutouts. The team batting average of .220 is 10th in the Florida State League. Jeff McVaney and Lance Durham lead the Lakeland attack with .323 and .320 batting averages, respectively.

THE MANATEES (6-4, T-3rd, 2.0 GB) ... Brevard County dropped the last two games to Dunedin scoring two runs in each of the two losses. The club has lost three of its last four contests and enters the series as one of five teams in the FSL with a 6-4 record. The Manatees are 1-1 at home this season having played eight of their first ten games on the road. Brevard County is struggling at the plate with a .216 team batting average with only one player, Tyrone Taylor at .293, hitting higher than .257 on the season. Like the Flying Tigers, the Manatees have hit one home run. Michael Reed leads the FSL with seven stolen bases while closer Tanner Poppe is tied for the league-lead with three saves.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/14 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (0-2, 2.00 ERA)
... De La Rosa is looking for his first win of the 2014 season. He has allowed five runs in two starts (only two were earned) with seven strikeouts, zero walks, and 10 hits allowed in 9.0 innings. Against Brevard on April 9, he took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three Ks.
    4/15 - LHP Jordan John (1-0, 4.50 ERA) ... John was tagged for five runs on seven hits in 7.0 innings a no-decision start on April 10 against Brevard County. All five of those runs came in the second inning. In his first start on April 4 at Tampa, he gave up one run on two hits with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
    4/16 - RHP Jake Thompson (2-0, 0.00 ERA) ... Thompson worked 6.2 shutout innings in a win over Clearwater on April 11 with five strikeouts, two walks and four hits allowed. He has not allowed a run in 11.2 innings over his last two starts with 12 strikeouts. Including his last three starts of 2013 at West Michigan, Thompson is 3-0 record with a 0.98 ERA, 35 strikeouts, 11 walks, and 16 hits allowed in his last five starts.

BREVARD COUNTY PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/14 - RHP Tyler Wagner (2-0, 0.87 ERA)
... Wagner worked 5.1 innings with six strikeouts while holding to Lakeland to a three hits and one run in a 4-1 Manatees win on April 9.
    4/15 - RHP Damien Magnifico (0-0, 4.22 ERA) ... Magnifico tosed 5.0 innings in a no decision at Lakeland on April 10. The Flying Tigers rang up four runs against him on five hits.
    4/16 - Jed Bradley (1-1, 7.71 ERA) ... Bradley did not face Lakeland in the first series. In his first outing, he was tagged for seven runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings against Daytona, but came back with 5.0 strong innings at Dunedin on April 11, holding the Blue Jays to one run on four hits with six strikeouts.

WRIGHT THERE ... Chad Wright has gone 5-for-10 (.500) his last three starts with three runs scored.

WALK-OFF HOMER ... Austin Green picked a perfect time to hit the team’s first homer of the year, driving a pitch over the left field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Lakeland to a 4-2 win over Clearwater in front of 4,010 fans on Saturday night. It was Green’s third homer of his career and it gave the Flying Tigers their second walk-off win of the season. It was the first walk-off homer for a Flying Tiger since Steven Moya luanched a solo shot on June 13, 2013 to defeat Bradenton.

DURHAM STREAK ... Lance Durham enters the series with hits in his last four games, going 5x15 (.333) with three runs scored. His .469 on-base percentage is fourth best in the league.

TWO-TIMING McVANEY ... Jeff McVaney has had two hits in a game four times this season and has hit a double in five of his last seven games. Since going 0-for-3 in the season opener, the Flying Tigers outfielder is 10-for-28 (.357) with seven runs driven in. His five doubles on the year is tied for second most in the Florida State League.

CURT WELCOME ... Newcomer Curt Powell has hits in both of his games played since joining Lakeland on April 11 and is 3-for-7 (.429) in those two games with a run scored in his first game on April 12.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES... In his last outing of 2013, Kevin Eichhorn was tagged for seven runs on ten hits in a 5.0 inning start in a loss at Tampa. This year, he has been lights out, not allowing a runner to cross home plate in 8.1 innings over two long relief outings. He has struck out seven and has not walked a batter in the two games. Eichhorn is one of eight pitchers, including teammate Jake Thompson, having not allowed an earned run through at least 8.0 innings of work. His 0.48 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) is third lowest in the FSL.

MAKING IT COUNT
... Guido Knudson has picked up a win and two saves in his three relief appearances so far this season. He has racked up ten strikeouts in 4.2 innings including eight punch outs in his last 3.0 innings out of the pen. His 19.29 strikeouts per nine innings is best in the league. He has also not allowed a base hit through 13 opponents’ at bats this season over 4.2 innings.

TOP TWO FIELDING TEAMS ... Brevard County leads the Florida State League with a .984 fielding percentage with a league-low six errors while Lakeland is second with a .980 mark and just eight errors.

ROSTER MOVES ... Infielder Brandon Loy has been promoted to AA Erie to take the roster spot vacated when Devon Travis was placed on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. To take Loy’s place on the Lakeland roster, infielder Curt Powell, a former 21st round pick by Detroit in 2013, was added to the roster from West Michigan.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,816 career wins (1,816-1,665) entering this series. He has a 208-203 record in three seasons with the Flying Tigers. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

UP NEXT .
.. Lakeland continues its six-game road trip with three games at Clearwater Threshers on Thursday (7:00 pm), Friday (6:30 pm), and Saturday (6:30 pm). After taking Sunday, April 20 off, the Flying Tigers return to Lakeland on Monday, April 21 to open a three-game set against Dunedin.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (April 11-13)

THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers entertain the Threshers for three games at home on Friday (7:11 pm), Saturday (6:00 pm) and Sunday (1:00 pm). The two clubs split their 18 games played in 2013. Clearwater won nine of the last 14 games after Lakeland swept the first four contests.

THE FLYING TIGERS (4-3, T-3rd, 2.0 GB)
... Lance Durham singled thru a drawn-in infield with the bases loaded in the ninth to drive in Chad Wright with the winning run in a 6-5 win on Thursday as Lakeland avoided a three-game sweep by Brevard County. The Flying Tigers managed just seven hits in the first two games losing 6-0 and 4-1. Durham leads the Florida State League with a .550 on-base percentage. Lakeland is hitting just .199 as a team (lowest in the Florida State League) and is the only club in the FSL without a home run this season. The Flying Tigers have drawn a FSL-leading 28 walks. The pitching staff has combined for a 2.71 ERA and ranks third in the FSL with a combined 62 strikeouts.

THE THRESHERS (1-6, T-5th, 5.0 GB)
... Clearwater enters this series with a five-game losing streak. After being shutout in the first game, the Threshers downed Dunedin 2-1 in 10 innings in game two for their only win on the season. Clearwater has been outscored by a 40-18 margin and have scored three or fewer runs in seven of the seven games so far. Peter Lavin has 10 hits to lead the Threshers while KC Serna is second with eight base knocks. Clearwater batters are hitting .209 as a team (second lowest in the league) and have struck out a league-high 62 times. The pitching staff ERA is 4.13 (fourth highest in the FSL) while allowing the second most homers in the league with six.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/11 - RHP Jake Thompson (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
... Thompson tossed 5.0 shutout innings in a win on 4/5 against Tampa with seven strikeouts and two walks while holding the Yankees to just two hits. Thompson was Detroit’s second round pick in 2012 out of high school.
    4/12 - RHP Endrys Briceno (0-0, 6.75 ERA) ... Briceno gave up three runs on five hits in 4.0 innings in taking the loss on 4/6 at Tampa He struck out three, walked one, and surrendered a home run to the Yankees. Briceno was signed by Detroit in 2009 as a non-drafted free agent.
    4/13 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (0-1, 7.36 ERA) ... Lopez was tagged for six runs – three earned – in just 3.2 innings in a loss against Brevard County on 4/8. He allowed six hits while striking out four and walking three with one homer. Lopez was signed by Detroit in 2008 as a non-drafted free agent.

CLEARWATER PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/11 - RHP Miguel Nunez (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
... Nunez surrendered three runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings in his last start on 4/6 against Dunedin in the second game of the doubleheader, but did strike out six. Signed by Philadelphia in 2010 as an undrafted free agent, Nunez sat out the 2011 and 2012 seasons due to injuries.
    4/12 - LHP Cole Hamels (0-1, 4.50 ERA) ... Hamels worked 4.0 innings in the loss on 4/6 in the first game of a doubleheader against Dunedin. Two of his three hits allowed were home runs. He also hit a batter and struck out four. A former first round pick by Philadelphia in 2002 and a three-time National League All-Star, he is currently on a Major League rehab assignment due to shoulder stiffness.
    4/13 - RHP Colin Kleven (0-2, 12.00) ... Kleven has allowed six runs in each of his two starts and has been roughed up for 17 hits, including two homers, in 9.0 innings with five strikeouts and three walks. A former 33rd round pick by the Phillies in 2009, Kleven went on the DL on 4/19/13 and missed the rest of the year with a stress fracture in his back.

WELCOME “HOME” ... Threshers’ coach Frank Cacciatore played his collegiate ball at Lakeland’s Florida Southern College and was signed by Detroit as a undrafted free agent in 1975. Cacciatore began his pro career in Lakeland, batting .233 in 72 game for the Tigers in 1975. The following season, he hit .200 in nine games at AA Montgomery before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach and math professor.

MLB REHAB ... Cole Hamels is not the only Major Leaguer on a rehab assignment with Clearwater as pitcher Mike Adams is also with the club recovering from a shoulder injury.

WALK LIKE A MAN ... Lance Durham and Dixon Machado are tied for the team lead with six walks while Chad Wright has drawn five free passes.

STEADY ... Jeff McVaney has hits in of his last four games, going 6-for-16 (.375) with one double in each of the four games ... Tyler Hanover has singled in each of the last four games and has turned in some outstanding plays at third base.

LONG RELIEF ... Kevin Eichhorn has worked 4.0 and 4.1 innings in his two relief appearances this season and has yet to walk a batter or allow a run. He has struck out seven in his two appearances and given up just four hits.

SETTING ‘EM DOWN ... Guido Knudson struck out five in 2.0 shutout innings of hitless relief work in picking up the win on Thursday against Brevard County.

FIRST ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland placed infielder Jared Reaves on the disabled list on Thursday and called up infielder David Gonzalez from Extended Spring Training. Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2011, Gonzalez batted .247 at West Michigan last season with 12 doubles, two triples and two homers for 25 runs batted in with 13 stolen bases.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,813 career wins (1,813-1,665) entering this series. He has a 205-203 record in three seasons with the Flying Tigers. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland continues its six-game homestand with three games against the Clearwater Threshers on Friday (7:11 pm); Saturday (6:00 pm) and Sunday (1:00 pm).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ... Here’s a look at where some of the 2013 Flying Tigers are in 2014 (as of 4/6):
    Toledo – Melvin Mercedes, Drew VerHagen
    Erie – Dean Green, Corey Jones, Jason Krizan, Francisco Martinez, Steven Moya, Ryan Robowski, Kyle Ryan, Eugenio Suarez, Devon Travis, Jose Valdez, Aaron Westlake
    Lakeland – Lance Durham, Kevin Eichhorn, Tyler Hanover, Jeff Holm, Patrick Leyland (DL), Drew Longley, Brandon Loy, Dixon Machado, Jeff McVaney, Jared Reaves, James Robbins, Joe Rogers (DL), Brennan Smith, Slade Smith, Jade Todd (DL), Chad Wright
    West Michigan – Harold Castro, Matt Davenport, Charlie Gillies (DL), Chad Green, Austin Kubitza, Montreal Robinson, Austin Schotts (DL)
    Extended Spring Training – Alex Burgos, Rashad Brown
    Released – Patrick Cooper, Zach Kirksey, Michael Morrison, Hudson Randall, Luis Alberto Sanz.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland hits the road for a three-game series against Brevard County on April 14-16. Games one and three in the series will be played at Space Coast Stadium with game two being played in Vero Beach as the two clubs play in the Jackie Robinson Celebration Game.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 8-10)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland opens a six-game homestand with three contests against Brevard County on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with all nights getting underway at 6:30 p.m. The Manatees won 11 of the 17 games played between the two teams in 2013, with five of the Flying Tigers’ wins coming in the final eight meetings. Chad Wright led Lakeland in the 2013 series with a .341 average, getting 14 hits and driving in five runs in 10 games against the Manatees. Brevard County got 14 hits, three homers and 14 RBI from Cameron Garfield while Stephen Peterson picked up two wins in relief.

THE FLYING TIGERS (3-1, T–1st, 0.0 GB) ... After dropping the opening game of the season, Lakeland has reeled off three straight wins, outscoring Tampa by a combined 16-6 score in the trio of contests. Pitching has been the key as the Flying Tigers’ staff combined for double digit strikeouts in each of the first three games (37 total) and added six more in the fourth. The staff enters the Brevard County series with a sparking 2.00 ERA (second in the FSL) and 43 strikeouts and 14 walks in 36.0 innings. The bats are still in hibernation as the Flying Tigers bring a .206 average into the series. Jared Reaves and Jeff McVaney each have five hits while Lance Durham and Dixon Machado each have three hits each.

THE MANATEES (3-1, T–1st, 0.0 GB) ... Brevard County’s three wins over Daytona were all by one run while the one loss was a 13-2 blowout win by the Cubs. In that loss, the Manatees were outhit 21-3. Brevard County is hitting just .186 through the first four games while the pitching staff has combined for a 4.14 ERA. Tyrone Taylor has been the hot bat for the Manatees, collecting six hits, including a FSL-best five doubles, in 16 at bats against the Cubs for a .375 average. Michael Reed already has four stolen bases to lead the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/08 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (2013: 8-5, 4.89 ERA)
... Lopez is making his 2014 season debut – his sixth season in pro ball. Overall, he has a 21-21 record and a 4.42 ERA in 85 appearances including 39 starts with 218 strikeouts and 99 walks in 299.2 career innings.
    4/09 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (0-1, 0.00 ERA) ... De La Rosa got the nod in the opening game of the season and took the loss after allowing two unearned runs on three hits. He struck out four and walked none in 4.0 innings of work.
    4/10 - LHP Jordan John (1-0, 1.80 ERA) ... John tossed two-hit ball over 5.0 innings on Saturday to pick up the win. He allowed one earned run with six strikeouts and three walks.

BREVARD COUNTY PROBABLE STARTERS
    4/08 - Hobbs Johnson (2013: 0-0, 0.86 ERA)
... A 14th round pick by Milwaukee in 2013 out of the University of North Carolina, Johnson posted a 0-0 record with a 1.13 ERA in four appearances for the Helena rookie last season and then went 0-0 with a 0.69 ERA in seven relief appearances for Wisconsin in the Midwest League. This is first professional start.
    4/09 - Tyler Wagner (1-0, 0.00 ERA) ... Picked in the fourth round by Milwaukee in 2012 out of the University of Utah, Wagner went 1-4 with a 7.77 in 14 starts in Helena. He rebounded with a 10-8 mark and a 3.21 ERA in 25 starts at Wisconsin. In his 2014 debut, he tossed five shutout innings against Daytona on 4/3, holding the Cubs to three hits.
    4/10 - Damien Magnifico (0-0, 1.59) ... Tapped in the fifth round in 2012 by the Brewers, Magnifico was 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA in nine games at Helena and 5-1 with a 3.83 in 11 games, eight starts, at Wisconsin. He was 0-2 with a 6.08 in 10 starts for the Manatees last season. Making his first start on 4/4 at Daytona, Magnifico worked 5.2 innings and allowed three runs, one earned, in 5.2 innings.

TOP PICKS ... Brevard County outfielder Victor Roache was the number one pick by Milwaukee (28th overall) in the 2012 draft out of Georgia Southern where he led the NCAA with 30 homers in 2011. He is ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Brewers organization by MLB.com and was an unsigned 25th round pick of the Tigers in 2009. Pitcher Jed Bradley was the Brewers first pick (15th overall) in the 2011 draft out of Georgia Tech.

STEALING FOOL ... Brandon Loy has stolen one base in each of the three games he has played so far this season and is second in the FSL with the trio of steals.

IN EACH ONE ... Jared Reaves has hits in each of his three games played so far including a 3-for-4 night at home on Saturday. He is 5-for-12 on the season and has scored in each game as well. His .417 average is tied for eighth in the Florida State League.

STEADY ARMS ... The Lakeland starting pitchers have earned their keep in the early going with a combined 2.00 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 18.0 innings pitched. The bullpen has been equally as strong, also boasting a combined 2.00 ERA in their collective 18.0 innings with 23 strikeouts.

PROVING WHY ... Jeff McVaney has shown why he was named to the Florida State League Midseason All-Star team last season with five hits in his last three games. The Flying Tigers’ outfielder collected two hits in each of the two road games at Tampa and is 5-for-12 with a double in each of the last three competitions. He has also knocked in five runs in those three games.

DOUBLE DOWN ... Lakeland has seven doubles in the last three games with three coming in each of the two road wins at Tampa.

ALL OR NOTHING
... Dixon Machado, who was held hitless in his first three games against Tampa, came alive on Sunday with a 3-for-4 day that included a triple and a pair of singles. Machado also crossed the plate three times in the 8-5 Lakeland win.

THE SKIPPER ... Manager Dave Huppert, a member of the 2012 FSL Hall of Fame Class, is in his 27th season as a minor league manager and is the active winningest manager in the minors. He ranks 21st all-time with 1,812 career wins (1,812-1,663). He has a 204-201 record in three seasons with the Flying Tigers. In 2012, he led Lakeland to the Florida State League Championship to record his fourth overall championship and his third title in the FSL. He also led the 2001 Brevard County (Brewers) to a co-championship while his 2007 Clearwater (Phillies) squad won the crown outright. In addition, he coached the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to the 2006 South Atlantic League title.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland continues its six-game homestand with three games against the Clearwater Threshers on Friday (7:11 pm); Saturday (6:00 pm) and Sunday (1:00 pm).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
... Here’s a look at where some of the 2013 Flying Tigers are in 2014 (as of 4/6):
    Toledo – Melvin Mercedes, Drew VerHagen
    Erie – Dean Green, Corey Jones, Jason Krizan, Francisco Martinez, Steven Moya, Ryan Robowski, Kyle Ryan, Eugenio Suarez, Devon Travis, Jose Valdez, Aaron Westlake
    Lakeland – Lance Durham, Kevin Eichhorn, Tyler Hanover, Jeff Holm, Patrick Leyland (DL), Drew Longley, Brandon Loy, Dixon Machado, Jeff McVaney, Jared Reaves, James Robbins, Joe Rogers (DL), Brennan Smith, Slade Smith, Jade Todd (DL), Chad Wright
    West Michigan – Harold Castro, Matt Davenport, Charlie Gillies (DL), Chad Green, Austin Kubitza, Montreal Robinson, Austin Schotts (DL)
    Extended Spring Training – Alex Burgos, Rashad Brown
    Released – Patrick Cooper, Zach Kirksey, Michael Morrison, Hudson Randall, Luis Alberto Sanz.