Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 29-31)

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.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 26-28)

THE SUSPENDED GAME ... This series gets underway Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 5 pm, with a continuation of a suspended game from July 10 that was called due to rain just six minutes after it began. Nathan Orf led off the game with single to left field off Lakeland starter Yorfrank Lopez and then Orlando Arcia stepped up to the plate and worked a 3-2 count before a heavy rainstorm forced the suspension. Since the game got underway, the game will be played to nine innings and then will be followed by a second, seven-inning game. 

THE SERIES ... Following the Tuesday doubleheader, the two teams play again Wednesday and Thursday nights at 6:35. Brevard County has won eight of the 12 meetings so far in the season series, but the two clubs have split their last six contests, with neither club winning back-to-back games in that span. James Robbins has had the most success of any Flying Tiger against the Manatees, going 13x41 with two homers and for doubles for four RBI. Brevard County has outscored Lakeland 51-36 in the 12 games.

THE FLYING TIGERS (19-44, 6th, 18.0 GB; 61-69 overall) ... Lakeland was swept in four games by Daytona over the weekend and has now lost five in a row and 10 of its last 12 games. In their five consecutive losses, the Flying Tigers have been outscored 26-9. Edgar De La Rosa ranks sixth in the Florida State League with a 3.22 ERA. James Robbins is third in the league with 17 home runs while Jeff McVaney is fifth with 70 RBI and tied for fourth with 44 extra base hits and fifth with 197 total bases. The Flying Tigers defense continues to hold on to the top spot in the FSL with a .979 fielding percentage and has a league-low 103 errors.

THE MANATEES (32-30, 3rd, 4.5 GB; 68-60 overall) ... Brevard County took three of four at Clearwater and are 7-3 since Aug. 16. The Manatees are on the outside looking in at the second half pennant, but are still mathematically in the hunt at 4.5 games back with six games to play. Michael Reed, who leads the league with 76 walks, brings a six-game hit streak into the series in which he has gone 9x23 for a .391 average. Nathan Orf is seventh in the FSL with a .292 average; third with a .391 on-base percentage; and is tied for fourth with 30 doubles. Tyler Wagner is second with a 1.91 ERA to go with his league-leading 13 wins (13-6) while ranking third with 119 strikeouts. Hobbs Johnson is tied for third with 11 wins (11-8) and fourth with a 3.05 ERA while Jorge Lopez is tied for fourth with 109 strikeouts. The Manatees have the best staff ERA (3.29) in the league while the offense has league-high 143 stolen bases. In contrast, Lakeland has stolen 74 fewer bases as a team (69).

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/26 - RHP Tommy Collier (3-2, 4.33 ERA) ... Collier gave up four runs—three earned—on five hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks in 5.0 innings in his last start on Aug. 20, but did not get a decision. Those are the only earned runs he has allowed in his last 17.1 innings over three starts, but he is only 1-0 in that stretch. Collier has also struck out 17 batters in those three games. He is 2-0 one the road with a 2.74 ERA in four previous road starts. Collier has not faced the Manatees this season.

8/27 - LHP Alex Burgos (2-3, 4.24 ERA) ... Burgos is 0-2 since moving into the starting rotation and took the loss in his last start on Aug. 2 against Daytona. He was tagged for five runs—four earned— on five hits in just 3.0 innings in that game. Burgos has allowed a combined seven earned runs in his two outings as a starter after having allowed eight run in his previous 13 relief appearances. He is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in one previous relief appearance against Brevard County.

8/28 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (6-1, 10.57 ERA) ... Lopez has his best outing in his last start since May 25 as the 6’2” righty held Dunedin to three hits in 7.0 shutout innings. Despite the goose eggs, he did not pick up the win as Lakeland fell 1-0 in 10 innings on the road. Lopez has punched out 18 batters over his last 20 innings and four starts. He is now 0-4 in his last six starts and 1-7 since June 28. Lopez is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA in two previous starts against the Manatees with nine strikeouts in 9.2 innings. He was on the mound to start the suspended game on July 10.

ROBBINS ON THE HILL ... With the game somewhat out of hand and a doubleheader on the horizon, Lakeland manager Bill Dancy went deep in his bullpen and called first baseman James Robbins to the mound on Friday, Aug. 22 against Daytona. Robbins, who had not pitched in six seasons as a professional, dipped into his high school experience and held the Cubs to one run on three hits over 2.0 innings and also notched his first professional strikeout.

TAKEN DEEP ... The Flying Tigers pitching staff is glad their series with Daytona is over. The Cubs knocked six pitches out of the park over the weekend series, including three rockets in game one of Saturday’s twin-bill. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run shot on Friday, added a solo shot on Saturday in game one of the doubleheader, and kept the steak going with another one-run blast in game two. Dan Vogelbach added two solo shots in the series while and Gioskar Amaya added another bases-empty longball. Overall, the Cubs hit 17 home runs in the 18 game season series against the Flying Tigers. 

ROBBINS MOVES UP A NOTCH ... James Robbins homered for Lakeland’s lone run on Sunday and now has 17 dingers for the season moving him into a tie with Chris Maples (2004) for seventh place on three single season list. Robbins now has hit 28 homers during his two seasons at Lakeland (2012 and 2014), putting him in a tie for seventh place all-time with Juan Camillo (2000-02).

NICE TWO-YEAR RUN ... Jeff McVaney has played in Lakeland the past two seasons and ranks in the top ten in four different Flying Tigers categories all-time. He is 10th with 245 hits trailing Daniel Fields (2010-12) who had 250 base knocks. McVaney’s 50 doubles ranks fourth and are one behind Brent Clevlen (2004-05) and three behind James Robbins’ second place total of 54 doubles. He also tied for fifth with 11 triples and ninth with 120 RBI. With his next at bat, McVaney will tie Anthony Long (1983-86) for 10th place on that list.

A FORD BACK IN THE HANGAR ... On Aug. 23, Lakeland welcomed back left handed pitcher Tyler Ford from the Gulf Coast League Tigers while sending fellow lefty, Locke St. John to the GCL club.

SCHWARBER TAKES HOME FSL HONOR ... It’s no shock to those Lakeland fans that watched the recent weekend series against Daytona that Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs has been named the Florida State League Player of the Week. Schwarber has homered in five straight games, including all four games of the series, and went deep seven times this past week. The fourth overall pick in June’s Draft has now earned Player of the Week honors in three different leagues this season. 

PLAYOFF RACE ... In the North Division, Daytona leads the Yankees by 2.0 games and are 4.5 ahead of Brevard County. The Cubs fell to Dunedin last night and have two games remaining with the Blue Jays and then wraps up the season with against Tampa. Brevard County plays Lakeland and then ends the regular season at home versus Dunedin. Down in the South Division, Palm Beach has a half game lead over Bradenton, while Fort Myers is 1.5 games back. Still alive as well is Charlotte at 4.5 games back. Palm Beach and Jupiter have a doubleheader tonight as the scheduled game from Monday was postponed due to a town power-outage. The Cardinals conclude the regular season against St. Lucie. Bradenton won last night and has two games left against Fort Myers and then four against Charlotte. First half winners Dunedin and Fort Myers are already headed for the postseason.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland puts the lid on the 2014 season with a final three-game homestand against Clearwater Aug. 29-31. Game one is Friday at 7:11 p.m. with game two Saturday at 6 p.m. The season finale is Sunday at 11 a.m. 

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 22-24)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland hosts Daytona for four games over this weekend series at Joker Marchant Stadium. The pairing gets underway with a doubleheader on Friday at 5 pm to make up a game rained out Aug. 11 at Daytona. The series continues on Saturday at 6 pm and concludes Sunday at 1 pm. The Cubs have won eight of the 14 games played in the series including seven of the last eight contests. Three of those victories came in extra innings, including a 4-3, 13 inning win in the two clubs last meeting on Aug. 10 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Connor Harrell has 18 hits in the series while Jeff McVaney and Curt Powell each have 14 hits. The Flying Tigers are hitting .261 in the series with nine homers while the Cubs have been held to a .211 mark with 11 dingers.

THE FLYING TIGERS (19-40, 6th, 14.5 GB; 61-65 overall) ... Lakeland dropped a 1-0 game in 10 innings last night to Dunedin, despite holding the Blue Jays to four hits. The Flying Tigers won the middle two games of the series, including the season’s largest victory with a 12-1 win in game two.  

THE CUBS (33-25, 1st, 2.0 game lead; 59-67 overall) ... Daytona is also coming off a split of a four games series, winning the bookend games by one run each. The Cubs have just three wins in their last eight games, but have a two-game lead in the North Division over the Yankees. The second half crown could come down to the final weekend as Daytona host Tampa for three games Aug. 29-31.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/22 - LHP Alex Burgos (2-2, 3.81 ERA) ... Burgos made his first start of 2014 on Aug. 17 at Clearwater and gave up three runs on three hits with five walks in 2.0 innings. He had started 16 games at West Michigan in 2011 and 23 games for Lakeland in 2012 but moved to the bullpen for 30 appearances for the Flying Tigers last season and 22 more relief appearances this season. Burgos has allowed just six earned runs in his last 22.2 innings over his last eight outings. He is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA in four relief appearances versus Daytona this season with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 7.0 innings.

8/22 - RHP Daryl Norris (6-1, 10.57 ERA) ... Norris also made a start on July 22 versus Jupiter and gave up three runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings. In his last appearance out of the bullpen on Aug. 17, he was tagged for six runs on five hits in 3.0 innings. Norris was 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA in three starts for the Gulf Coast League Tigers earlier this season. He spent his first season as a pro in the GCL in 2013, making 11 relief appearances. Norris has not faced the Cubs this season.

8/23 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (7-9, 3.18 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who is seventh in the FSL with a 3.18 ERA and fourth with a .231 opponents batting average, has allowed five runs in each of his last two starts and has given up a total of 16 hits in 9.0 in those two games. At Dunedin, in his last start on Aug. 18, the Blue Jays scored five runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings against De La Rosa. He did not walk a batter in that game, marking his first outing since April 9 that he has not issued a free pass. He is virtually the same pitcher home (4-4, 3.12) and away (3-5, 3.25), but has struck out 18 more at Joker Marchant Stadium than on the road (50-32). De La Rosa is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three previous starts against Daytona with 12 K’s and six walks in 16.2 innings. 

8/24 - RHP Logan Ehlers (3-2, 4.53 ERA) ... This is Ehlers’ third start in a row and fourth overall this season for Lakeland. He got his first win as a starter in his last outing on Aug. 19 at Dunedin, striking out five and walking one while allowing one run on six hits in 6.0 innings. Ehlers is 1-2 with a 2.77 ERA as a starter and was 3-0 with a 4.63 ERA as a reliever. Ehlers is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 4.0 relief appearances against the Cubs with a pair of strikeouts and walks. 

ROBBINS RANKS EIGHTH ... With 15 homers this season, James Robbins has moved into the top ten for career homers in a Lakeland uniform. Robbins now has 26 home runs over the 2012 and 2014 seasons as a Flying Tiger and trails Juan Camillo who hit 28 over the 2000-02 seasons. Robbins’ 15 dingers is tied for third in the Florida State League.

BIG NIGHT ... Lakeland crushed Dunedin 12-1 on Tuesday behind a career-high tying four hits by Tyler Hanover. The Flying Tigers’ third baseman had a pair of singles, a double and a triple in that game. Connor Harrell singled and doubled and Austin Green singled and homered as Lakeland outhit Dunedin 12-7. Jared Reaves had his second homer in four games while Chad Wright scored three runs. The 12-1 win was the largest margin of victory for the Flying Tigers defeated Tampa 17-0 in game one of a doubleheader on Aug. 31, 2013. 

MEAN GREEN HOMERING MACHINE ... Catcher Austin Green has hit a home run in four of his last six games and now has 14 long balls this season. He is 8x14 his last three games with six runs scored and eight RBI.

HOT BAT ... Tyler Hanover is 8x13 his last three games with four runs scored, a double, two triples and two runs batted in. He has 21 multi-hit games including 17 games with two hits and one game with four hits—that coming two games ago, Aug. 19, at Dunedin.

STEADY HARRELL ... Connor Harrell has hits in 18 of his last 19 games going 21x64 (.328) during that stretch.

YA GOTTA LOVE BASEBALL ... After the first three games of the Dunedin  series, the two clubs had combined for 44 runs on 73 hits. In game four it took Dunedin 10 innings to squeak out a 1-0 win as the two teams totalled just 10 hits between them. 

DOUBLE TIME ... James Robbins has hit 54 doubles in his Lakeland career (2012 and 2014 seasons), a total that ranks second most in the modern Lakeland era, eight behind Leon Daigle’s total of 62 set from 2001 to 2002. Jeff McVaney has 27 doubles this season, which is tied for 10th most in franchise history, and now has 49 for his two-year career in Lakeland. The 49 career two-baggers ranks fifth on the all-time Flying Tigers list, one behind Jordan Lennerton (2008, 2010, 2011) and Alejandro Freira (1997, 1998). McVaney also ranks fifth in the FSL with 69 runs batted in this season.

BURGOS IN TOP TEN ... Alex Burgos has made 78 appearances over three seasons with the Flying Tigers putting in a tie for ninth place on the all-time list for Lakeland pitchers. Burgos is tied with Freddy Dolsi (2006-07) and Jim Ross (1982-93). Next on the ladder is Kevin Mobley who made 80 appearances over the 1998-99 seasons.

BATS ALIVE ... Most of the hits in the Blue Jays series came off the bats of the Flying Tigers as Lakeland posted double figures in runs in each of the first three games, hitting .350 in those three games. Among the 42 hits, the Flying Tigers hit 12 doubles, two triples and four homers.

TIGERS SIGN FLORIDA SOUTHERN PLAYER ... Detroit has signed former Florida Southern College pitcher Nate Carter as a non-drafted free agent. Carter was the Moccasins’ closer this past season, earning All-Sunshine State Conference honors after recording a 4-1 record with a 1.54 ERA and eight saves. Over his four-year career, Carter was 5-6 with a 2.91 ERA and 20 saves, third most in FSC history. He has been assigned to the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Among the 16 Florida Southern players ever signed by Detroit is Matt Joyce, a current Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/DH who made his Major League debut with the Tigers in 2008.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland will take Aug. 25 off and then heads to Vierra to play Brevard County for four games Aug. 26-28 starting with a doubleheader on Tuesday. Game one is the continuation of the suspended game from July 10 which will be played to nine innings followed by a seven-inning game. The Flying Tigers will then wrap up the season with a three-game homestand against Clearwater Aug. 29-31.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 18-21)

THE SERIES ... In a rare four-game series against a North Division team, Lakeland will play a quartet of contests at Dunedin Aug. 18-21 with all games set for a 6:30 pm first pitch. All games can be heard on the Blue Jays website. The Blue Jays has won two straight in the series and four of the last six contests and now holds an 8-6 advantage in the season series. Chad Wright and Connor Harrell each have 16 hits in the series while Jeff McVaney has 15 hits, including four of Lakeland’s nine homers in the series. For Dunedin, Gustavo Pierre leads with 15 hits and Emilio Guerrero has 13 base knocks. The Blue Jays have outscored the Flying Tigers 70-56 in the 14 games.

THE FLYING TIGERS (17-38, 6th, 14.5 GB; 59-63 overall) ... Lakeland was swept in three games over the weekend by Clearwater which outscored the Flying Tigers 22-7. The Threshers also pounded Flying Tigers pitchers for 31 hits in the trio of contests. Lakeland has now lost four straight, six of its last seven, and is 3-10 since Aug. 4. James Robbins is tied for fourth in the Florida State League with 14 home runs while Jeff McVaney is fifth with 65 runs batted in. 

THE BLUE JAYS (27-29, 4th, 5.0 GB; 73-52 overall) ... Dunedin has lost its last two games, dropping games of 5-1 and 3-2 to Brevard County over the weekend. With a .584 overall winning percentage, the Blue Jays, winners of the first half and headed for the FSL playoffs, bring the league’s second best record into this series. Only Fort Myers, with a 74-52 mark and a .587 winning percentage, has a better record than Dunedin. Taylor Cole leads all of minor league baseball with 162 strikeouts (including a FSL-best 152 at Dunedin) and has the fourth best ERA in the league at 2.87 and while closer Arik Sikula leads all of minor league baseball with 30 saves. Dwight Smith, Jr. is tied for the league-lead with 76 runs scored and eight triples and is fifth in the FSL with 123 hits. He also is fifth and a .442 slugging percentage while being tied for third with 42 extra base hits and 191 total bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/18 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (7-9, 2.98 ERA) ... De La Rosa, which has the FSL’s fifth best ERA and third best opponents average at .222, took the loss in his last start on Aug. 13 at Tampa allowing a season-high five earned runs on six hits in just 3.0 innings. He also struck out three and walked three in that start. In his 10 starts prior to the Tampa game, he had allowed a total of 13 earned runs in 58.1 innings for a 2.01 ERA. De La Rosa is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts versus Dunedin this season and has seven strikeouts and six walks in 16 innings against Dunedin.

8/19 - RHP Logan Ehlers (3-2, 4.53 ERA) ... This is Ehlers’ third start of the season. In his last start on Aug. 14 in game two of a doubleheader against Tampa, he gave up five runs—four earned—on five hits in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Both of Ehlers’ two losses have come as a starter. As a reliever, he was 3-0 with a 4.64 ERA in 11 appearances. Ehlers is 0-0 with a 8.10 ERA in four previous appearances against the Blue Jays. He has four strikeouts and six walks in 11.0 innings versus Dunedin.

8/20 - RHP Tommy Collier (3-2, 4.15 ERA) ... Collier is coming off 6.1 scoreless innings in a win against Tampa in game one of a doubleheader on Aug. 14. Collier has not allowed a run in his last 12.1 innings over two starts with 12 strikeouts and five walks with eight hits allowed. He is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three previous road starts. Collier has not faced Dunedin this season.

8/21 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-11, 5.05 ERA) ... Lopez, who is fourth in the FSL with 24 games started, dropped his last start on Aug. 16 at Clearwater, giving up six runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings. He has lost his last four decisions and is 1-7 with a 6.22 ERA since June 28 and has allowed three or more runs in each of his last seven starts. Lopez is 1-5 with a 5.00 ERA in 12 previous road starts. He is 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three previous starts against Dunedin with eight walks and six strikeouts in 14.0 innings.

SNAPPED ... Connor Harrell went 0x2 with two walks on Sunday at Clearwater to see his 14-game hit streak come to a close. During the streak, he was 17x48 for a .354 average with five runs scored and seven runs batted in. He also had one double, one triple and three home runs during the streak which began on Aug. 1. Harrell is the third Flying Tiger to put together a streak of 14 or more games this season, joining Harold Castro (18 games) and Chad Wright (14 games).

HOMERING ALONG ... The Flying Tigers had homered in five straight games before going “homer-less” on Sunday and now have hit a round-tripper in 11 of the last 14 games. Tyler Gibson hit his first homer as a Flying Tiger on Aug. 16 at Clearwater while Jared Reaves hit his second homer of the season in the same game. For Gibson, it was his first home run since July 21, 2013 when he went deep as a member of the Connecticut Tigers in the New York-Penn League.

RETURN OF THE WHIFF ... In 25 games from July 14-Aug. 7, Lakeland batters had struck out 10 times or more in just two games. In the last nine games, the team has double-digits in strikeouts six times.

PICKED OFF ... Lakeland pitchers have picked off 45 batters this season, including 40 batters off first base. Edgar De La Rosa leads the way with 10 runners picked off, including a pair of runners at second base. Alex Burgos has seven pick-offs at first base. Catchers Austin Green and Drew Longley (now at AA Erie) have combined to nail nine men on base with Longley getting the tri-fecta with picking runners off first, second and third base. 

32nd ARM ... Sunday morning, Lakeland added righthanded pitcher Micah Kellogg from the GCL Tigers. A few hours later, he took the hill against Clearwater, becoming the 32nd pitcher to play for Lakeland this season, tying the franchise record set in 2010. Kellogg, who is from Athens, Greece, was signed by Detroit as a non-drafted free agent in 2012 out of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. and was 3-2 with a 2.04 ERA for the GCL Tigers last season. This year, he was 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in nine appearances in the Gulf Coast League.

CAN WE SKIP THE THIRD? ... Lakeland has been outscored by 24 runs, 83-59, in the third inning this season, by far the largest discrepancy of any inning. The Flying Tigers enjoy the best advantage in the seventh inning, outscoring opponents 63-52 in that frame. 

BROOM TIME ... When Lakeland was swept by Clearwater over the weekend, it marked the fifth time the Flying Tigers have dropped all three games of a series this season. Lakeland has four series sweeps this season, including a four-game sweep of Jupiter on May 27-30. 

ON THIS DATE ... On Aug. 18, 2012, Wade Gaynor hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 13th to lift the Flying Tigers to a 6-5 win over Dunedin. Lakeland would go on to win the Florida State League Championship that season. James Robbins and Dean Green also homered in that game.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland will continue on the road with four games at Dunedin Aug. 18-21. The next home game for the Flying Tigers comes Friday, Aug. 22 when they host Daytona in a 5 pm doubleheader. The twin bill was made necessary when the Aug. 11 at Daytona was rained out.

MINOR FINANCIALS ... According to an article on The Arizona Republic website, most minor league baseball players earn only between $3,000 and $7,500 for a five-month season. In the major leagues, it’s a little better payscale with the minimum salary set at $500,000. Umpires in the Florida State League make between $2,000-$2,400 per month while umpires in the Gulf Coast League take home between $1,900 and $2,100 per month.

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 15-17)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland enjoys a big 8-3 advantage in the series, but the Threshers have won three of the last four after the Flying Tigers took the first seven games. Clearwater has shut out Lakeland in two of its three wins in the series. In the two clubs’ last meeting on June 23, the Flying Tigers won 5-2. Connor Harrell is 14x46 against the Threshers for a .204 average and had three doubles and a pair of homers in the series. Jeff McVaney is close behind, going 13x45 (.289) with three doubles and a home run. James Robbins and Chad Wright have each had 10 hits in the 11 previous games as Lakeland has posted a .246 average in the series. Angelo Mora is the only Thresher in double figures in hits with 11 as Clearwater has been limited to a .196 mark in the season series.

THE FLYING TIGERS (17-35, 6th, 13.5 GB; 59-60 overall) ... Lakeland split a doubleheader with Tampa last night, taking the opener 1-0 on an Austin Green home run before falling 4-3 in game two. The split leaves the Flying Tigers with a 59-60 record as the club is now 3-7 is last 10 outings. James Robbins is tied with Clearwater’s Art Charles for fourth place in the Florida State League with 14 home runs. Lakeland’s team batting average of .250 is 11th in the league while the squad’s 66 home runs is tied for sixth most in the FSL.

THE THRESHERS (22-31, 2nd, 9.0 GB; 39-82 overall) ... Clearwater dropped a 3-1 decision at Dunedin last night and is now 4-9 its last 13 contests. Harold Martinez is 6x14 his last four games while Brandon Short is 5x10 the last three games. Art Charles is tied with Lakeland’s James Robbins for fourth place in the Florida State League with 14 home runs. The Threshers have the lowest team batting average (.230) in the league and have scored the fewest runs of any FSL squad. However Clearwater has clubbed 73 homers-—fourth most in the league. The Threshers pitching staff has the highest ERA (4.74) in the Florida State League.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/15 - LHP Locke St. John (2-3, 5.40 ERA) ... 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 is 1-1 with a 5.17 ERA in three previous road starts. He has not faced Clearwater.

8/16 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-10, 4.76 ERA) ... Lopez is 0-3 his last four starts and has allowed 19 earned runs in his last 33.0 innings over six starts for a 5.18 earned run average. He does have five strikeouts in each of his last two starts. In his last outing on Aug. 10 at Daytona, he gave up three runs in three hits and left after 5.0 innings without a decision. Lopez is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23.0 innings in four previous starts against the Threshers.  

8/17 - TBA - This may be a place for Whit Mayberry to make a spot start. He has not pitched since Aug. 10 and would have the most rest of any Lakeland reliever. He hurled 3.0 no-hit, shutout innings at Daytona on the 10th. The other rested reliever is Jade Todd who pitched on Aug. 9, but he has not pitched more than 2.0 innings in any outing this season.

HE WAS JUST 17 ... Harold Castro singled in his first at bat in game of Thursday’s doubleheader versus Tampa to extend his hit streak to 18 games in which he was 28x72 (.389). Unfortunately, he was held hitless in three trips to the plate game two to snap his streak which was the longest for any Flying Tiger this season. It is also 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.

LUCKY 13 ... Connor Harrell brings a 13-game hit streak into the Clearwater series. He went 1x2 in game one Thursday and homered in game to make him 16x45 for a .356 average with five runs scored and seven runs batted in during the streak. Harrell has one double, one triple and three home runs during the streak which began on Aug. 1.

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.

HANDY HANOVER ...  On Wednesday at Tampa, Tyler Hanover homered for the second time in six games. On Aug. 5, he had hit his first homer since Aug. 2, 2012 when he played for Connecticut. He now has had hits in 11 of his last 13 games and is 17x42 (.408) 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.

BURLY BURGOS ... Alex Burgos mowed down seven batters and allowed just one hit in his 4.0 scoreless innings of relief work Wednesday and has allowed just three earned runs—six overall—in 20.2 innings over his last seven appearances, with all three earned runs coming in his outing on Aug. 5 against Dunedin

EIGHT IS GREAT ... With another save against Tampa in game one on Thursday, Scott Sitz is now a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities since joining the Flying Tigers.

ZIPS FOR SMITH ... Brennan Smith has not allowed a run in his last 11.0 innings and eight outings.

ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER HOMER ... The Flying Tigers have homered in three straight games and have had a round-tripper in nine of the last 11 games. Lakeland went yard in each game of the Yankees series with Tyler Hanover going deep at Tampa on Wednesday with Austin Green following with a homer in game one last night and then Connor Harrell rounding the bases in game two.

AS THE MOUND TURNS ... Lakeland placed two hurlers on the disabled list on Friday, both retroactive to Aug. 12 in starter Tanner Bailey and reliever Tyler Clark. Rejoining the Flying Tigers is RHP Daryl Norris who appeared in two games for Lakeland on May 24 and July 22. Norris was 1-5 with one save and a 7.43 ERA in seven games, including three starts with the Gulf Coast League Tigers.

BEHIND THE DISH SHUFFLE ... With the Detroit Tigers designating Roman Cabrera for assignment (who was then claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh), a spot opened on the AA Erie roster and Flying Tiger backstop Drew Longley was called up to fill the opening. Longley was hitting .203 in 36 games as Lakeland’s secondary catcher. Taking Longley’s spot on the Lakeland roster is Michael Thomas, a 22nd round pick by Detroit in this year’s draft out of the University of Kentucky. 

IS THERE A DRAFT IN HERE? ... Michael Thomas in the sixth member of this year’s Detroit draft class to play at Lakeland joining Trent Szkutnik (20th round), Whit Mayberry (21st), Tyler Ford (27th), Locke St. John (32nd), and Nate Fury (36th). Of that group, Mayberry and St. John are the only two, other than Thomas, that are still with the Flying Tigers. 

RARE ADD ... While we’re talking about him, Michael Thomas is just the fourth defensive player added to the Lakeland roster since May 16. The other three were infielder Harold Castro (May 21), and outfielders Andy Dirks (added July 8 on a rehab assignment), Isamel Salgado (July 22), and Tyler Gibson (July 26). Meanwhile, there have been 52 transactions involving pitchers-—many appearing on the transaction wire repeated times.

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. The next home game for the Flying Tigers comes on Friday, Aug. 22 when they host Daytona in a 5 pm doubleheader. The twin bill was made necessary when the Aug. 11 at Daytona was rained out.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Aug. 13-14)

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).

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 9-11)

THE SERIES ... This three-game road trip begins with a 7:05 pm game Saturday and continues Sunday at 5:35 pm. The finale is Monday at 7:05 pm. All three games will be contested at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Flying Tigers won five of the first six games in the series, but the Cubs have taken the last six contests to hold a 7-5 advantage in the season series. Connor Harrell is 16x47 (.340) in the 12 games and has scored a dozen runs while driving in six for Lakeland. Jeff McVaney is 14x43 with three triples while Lance Durham and Curt Powell each had 13 hits.

THE FLYING TIGERS (15-32, 6th, 13.0 GB; 57-57 overall) ... After taking the first three games of the Fort Myers series, Lakeland has lost four of the last five games, including the last two straight. Daytona won its recent series with Lakeland with wins in three of the four games. The Flying Tigers are 5-16 on the road this half and 5-18 against North Division teams. James Robbins is tied for second in the league with 14 home runs while Jeff McVaney is tied for third with 64 runs batted in. McVaney is also tied for fourth with 40 extra-base hits and is fourth with 182 total bases.

THE CUBS (27-18, 4th, 4.0 game lead; 53-60 overall) ... Daytona split its recent four-game series at Clearwater and is 2-6 since July 30. In their last win, the Cubs trashed the Threshers 18-2 on Aug. 7 with eight of the nine players scoring two or more times. The Cubs are 13-10 at home this half and 14-9 against teams from the North Division. Daytona’s staff ERA of 4.39 is second highest in the FSL. Billy McKinney has hits in each of his last six games, going 10x24 (.417) in that stretch. Jacob Hannemann is 5x10 his last two games while Rock Shoulders has four hits, four runs scored, a double, and a homer the last two games and has seven walks his last three games.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/09 - RHP Tommy Collier (2-2, 7.00 ERA) ... Tommy Collier lasted just 3.0 innings in his last start on August 4, giving up six runs on seven hits to Fort Myers. In his prior start, he had allowed just one unearned run on four hits in 6.0 innings at Palm Beach. Collier, who is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two road starts, has not faced Daytona this season. 

8/10 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-10, 4.74 ERA) ... Lopez has dropped three straight and is 3-7 his last ten outings. His last win was on July 20 versus Jupiter. In his last start on August 5, he gave up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings against Dunedin. He is 1-4 with a 4.33 ERA in 10 previous road starts and is 4-0 with a 1.03 in four day starts while going 1-10 with a 5.85 ERA in 18 nighttime outings. Lopez is 0-2 with a 6.63 ERA versus the Cubs, allowing 17 runs-—14 earned-—on 23 hits over 19.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and eight walks.

8/11 - 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 17 previous road starts. De La Rosa, who ranks third in the FSL with a .216 opponents average, is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA against Daytona, giving up six runs—five earned—on seven hits in 16.2 innings with 12 strikeouts and six walks.

SWEET 16? ... Harold Castro brings a 15-game hit streak into this series going 22x59 with a .373 average during the stretch which began on July 23. The 15-game streak in 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 is hitting .358 against righthanded pitcher and just .200 against lefties.

EIGHT IS GREAT ... Connor Harrell carries an eight-game hit streak into tonight’s game. He is 11x29 for a .379 average with four runs scored and five runs batted in. Harrell has one double, one triple and two home runs during the stretch of games. 

SEVEN ON 7-11 ... Jeff McVaney extended his hit streak to seven games last night, a night which is sponsored by the 7-11 convenience store. He is 9x26 for a .346 clip and has hit three homers in the last five games. With two homers in the Dunedin series, McVaney now has 11 on the season, joining James Robbins (14), Connor Harrell (12) and Austin Green (10) as Flying Tigers have for players with 10 or more homers for the first time since 2009 (Chris Carlson-13, Jeremy Laster-12, Audy Ciriaco-11, Michael Bertram-10).

FIVE AIN’T BAD ... Curt Powell has hits in each of his last five games, going 8x22 for a .364 average with a double and two triples. He is hitting .283 against righthanders, but .217 against lefties.

THREE’S GOOD TOO ... Jared Reaves is 6x12 his last three games with two hits in each.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME ... Lance Durham made a rare start at first base for the Flying Tiger in last night’s game. He handled seven chances with out an error. It was his first start at the first sack this season for Lakeland. Durham had played 45 games at first baseman for West Michigan last season. 

SNAPPED ... Tyler Hanover was held hitless in Friday’s game, snapping a six-game hit streak in which he was 10x18 for a .556 mark. During that seven-game stretch, he had four games with two hits in each.

5-FOR-5 ... Scott Sitz (pronounced SITES) has stepped into the role of the team’s closer and has responded with five saves in five save opportunities. In his six appearances this season, he has been scored upon in just one game (August 1).

Z-MAN ... Brennan Smith has been putting up zeroes in his last six outings, having not been scored upon in 6.2 innings over those half dozen games.

NOT MUCH “O” ... These two teams rank 10th and 11th in the Florida State League in terms of team batting average. The Cubs come in with a .253 average to hold down the #10 spot while the Flying Tigers are 11th with a .251 mark. Lakeland holds a slim edge in homers, out-dinging Daytona 63-62 while the Cubs enjoy a 27-26 margin in triples.

LEADING “D’s” ... The Flying Tigers remain atop the Florida State League with a .979 fielding percentage. The Cubs are one of four teams tied for second with a .977 mark. For Lakeland, Connor Harrell tops all league outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage while Daytona’s Dan Vogelbach leads FSL first baseman with a .994 fielding percentage.

CUBS MAN ... Flying Tigers acting manager Bill Dancy was in the Cubs organization for three seasons, earning South League Manager of the Year honors after taking AA Tennessee to the 2010 league championship series and then managing 2011 at AAA Iowa before serving as Chicago’s Minor League Infield Coordinator in 2012.

UP NEXT ... After taking Tuesday off, Lakeland returns home for one day, taking on the Tampa Yankees in a doubleheader at 5 pm Wednesday. The twin bill was necessitated when a game on  July 2 was rained out.

LEFT SIDE FOR THE BIG CLUB ... Two former Flying Tigers are manning the left side of the infield for Detroit in Nick Castellanos at third and Eugenio Suarez at shortstop. Castellanos is hitting .255 for Detroit and has eight homers and 43 rubs batted in 100 games, 99 of which have come at the hot corner. He has committed just nine errors at third. Suarez has started 48 games for Tigers with six errors and a .253 batting average with four round-trippers.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 5-8)

THE SERIES ... These two clubs have gone to battle ten times this season with each side emerging with five wins and they have split the four games played earlier at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Flying Tigers have two shutouts in the series, but the Blue Jays have two big wins of 12-4 and 14-2. The latter came in the two teams’ last meeting on June 9. Chad Wright is hitting .412 versus the Blue Jays, going 14-for-34 in nine games with two doubles, a homer, and eight runs batted in. Lance Durham has 11 hits, including three doubles, and both of his triples he has hit this season, in his seven games against Dunedin. Connor Harrell is also in double figures in hits with 10 versus the Blue Jays. Lakeland is hitting .262 in the series with 14 doubles, four triples, and five homers. Dunedin is hitting a bit better at .268 with 15 doubles and six home runs. 

THE FLYING TIGERS (14-29, 6th, 12.0 GB; 56-54 overall) ... Lakeland took the first three games of its four-game set against Fort Myers which entered the series with the best overall record in the Florida State League. Jeff McVaney is fourth in the FSL with 60 runs batted in. 

THE BLUE JAYS (20-24, 4th, 6.5 GB; 66-47 overall) ... Dunedin, which brings the second best overall record in the FSL into this series, also took the first three games of its last series versus Palm Beach. Arik Sikula has a league-leading 25 saves, 11 more than the next closer. Blue Jays pitchers have a combined 3.24 earned run average, third lowest in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS: 

8/05 - RHP Yorfrank Lopez (5-9, 4.66 ERA) ... Lopez will be looking to break out of a funk that has seen him allow 13 runs in the last four games and a total of 20 runs on 43 hits over the last six outings for a 1-5 record and a 5.40 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA versus Dunedin this season. In his last start against the Blue Jays, he tossed 2-hit ball over 7.0 shutout innings for the win.

8/06 - RHP Edgar De La Rosa (6-8, 2.66 ERA) ... De La Rosa, who ranks 7th in the FSL with a 2.66 ERA, allowed just one run on two hits in 5.0 innings of work in his last start on Aug. 1 against Fort Myers, but could not get the win as Lakeland scored five late runs for the victory. He has allowed just 11 runs in his last nine starts for a 1.89 ERA but has a just 2-4 record to show for his efforts. De La Rosa is also 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA against the Blue Jays. He took the win in his start on June 8 against Dunedin, despite giving up four runs on six hits in 6.1 innings of work.

8/07 - RHP Tanner Bailey (2-3, 3.60 ERA) ... Bailey was off to a solid start in his last outing on Aug. 2 against Fort Myers, holding the Miracle to one hit on a season-high four strikeouts thru 5.0 shutout innings before rains halted the game with Lakeland taking a 4-0 victory. That game was in sharp contrast to his start on July 28 when he was tagged for six runs—four earned—on 10 hits in 4.0 innings. Dunedin beat Bailey back on May 24, scoring two runs—one earned—on five hits in 6.0 innings.

8/08 - LHP Locke St. John (2-2, 4.65 ERA) ... St. John should have his first name changed to Luck after his last start on Aug. 3. He picked up the win despite giving up eight hits in 6.0 scoreless innings. Each time he got into a jam, he pitched his way out of it. St. John has won his last two starts, allowing just one run in 12.0 innings combined. He was not with Lakeland for any action against the Blue Jays.

GREEN GARNERS FSL HONOR ... Flying Tigers catcher Austin Green has been named the Florida State League Player of the Week for the period of July 28-–August 3. Green played in six games and collected nine hits, including two doubles and a pair of homers, in 22 plate appearances for a .409 batting average. He recorded six RBI and scored four runs. Green posted a .417 on-base percentage and a .773 slugging average for week.

A EVEN DOZEN ... Harold Castro singled in his third at-bat on Monday against Fort Myers to extend his hit streak to an even dozen games. Since  July 23, Castro is 18-for-47 for a .383 clip. Three times during the streak he collected three hits in a game. The 12-game streak is the second longest for a Flying Tiger hitter this season, trailing only Chad Wright’s 14-game streak from April 10-27 in which he went 23-for-57 (.404).

DONE DOWN SOUTH ... Lakeland finished its portion of the schedule against South Division teams with a 25-23 record. The Flying Tigers won  four season series against the South, posting 5-3 records against Bradenton, Fort Myers, Jupiter, and Palm Beach. Only St. Lucie, which won six of eight games against Lakeland, and Charlotte, which took five games of eight contests, posted winning records against the Flying Tigers.

CAN I GET A LITTLE GLOVE ... The Flying Tigers continue to hold on to the top spot in the Florida State League defensive categories with a .978 fielding percentage and 89 errors. However, the lead has dropped to just .001 as Fort Myers, Palm Beach and Daytona are all tied for second with identical .977 marks. The 89 miscues charged to Lakeland are six fewer than the second place team–Brevard County (95). Connor Harrell leads all league outfielders with a .996 mark and has committed just one error in 255 fielding chances. The 255 chances is tied for most in the league at that position. James Robbins leads all FSL first baseman with 100 games played and 56 assists while Jeff McVaney leads the outfielders in games played with 105. 

NEW SPOT ... Last night, Jeff McVaney made his first start as the team’s DH and responded with his ninth homer of the season. He now has hits in 17 of his last 21 games, going 24-for-74 for a .324 average with 13 runs scored, five doubles and a pair of homers for 10 runs batted in. His 60 RBI in 2014 ranks fourth most in the league.

TORRID TYLER ... Tyler Hanover has five hits in his last seven at bats over three games with two doubles and two runs batted in.

HARRELL-ING EXPERIENCE ... Connor Harrell has hits in each of his last four games, going 5-for-13 with a double, a triple, and a home run for four runs batted in. He has hits in 13 of his last 16 games and is batting .275 since the All-Star break.

RUN MACHINE ... Curt Powell has crossed the plate eight times in his last 11 games. He also had hits in nine of his last 11 games, going 13-for-37 for a .351 mark with a double, two triples, and six runs batted in.

JAMES JAMMER ... James Robbins is second in the Florida State League with 14 home runs, eight behind the leader, Adam Brett Walker of Fort Myers who has 22 dingers. Robbins’ 14 homers is the most for a Flying Tiger since Wade Gaynor hit 14 round-trippers in 2012 and is the 11th most homers all-time for any Lakeland season. Thirteen of his homers have come against righthanders. 

RIGHTY IN THE LIGHT ... Chad Wright is hitting .299 versus righthanded pitching this season opposed to a .177 mark against lefties and his average overall jumps up to .394 in day games from a .235 mark at night.

GOING ALL THE WAY ... Tanner Bailey’s five-inning complete game on Saturday was the fourth complete game by a Flying Tigers pitcher this season---—the most since the 2011 team recorded five complete games. Wilsen Palacios tossed both of the squad’s complete games last season, while in 2012, Shawn Tuefel was the only pitcher to go all the way, a feat no Lakeland hurler accomplished in 2011. 

4,000th WIN ... With a rain-shortened 4-0 win on Saturday, Lakeland recorded its 4,000th franchise victory. A member of the Florida State League since 1963, Lakeland now has a 4,000-4,234 all-time record

UP NEXT ... Lakeland heads across I-4 to face Daytona in three-game weekend series Aug. 9-11. After 16 home games in 20 days, the Flying Tigers will close out the season with just eight games in seven home dates over the final three weeks. The first date back home will be an Aug. 14 doubleheader with Tampa to make up a rained-out game from July 2.

Mission Notes vs. Fort Myers (Aug. 1-4)

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.