THE SERIES ... The Flying Tigers seven-game road trip wraps up with a three-game set at Brevard County, May 29-June 1. Game one is Sunday at 5:05 pm with games two and three on Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 pm. The Flying Tigers won two of the three games played April 21-22 at Space Coast Stadium while the Manatees took two games Lakeland. The third game was rained out and will be made up June 22 at Joker Marchant Stadium.
THE FLYING TIGERS (23-24, 4th, 5.5 GB) ... Lakeland split a four-game series at St. Lucie, capped with a 6-3 loss last night. The defeat dropped the Flying Tigers into a tie with Clearwater for fourth place, one-half game behind second place Tampa. The club has not been able to get over the hump and climb over the .500 mark all season. Despite the loss, Lakeland has the best winning percentage on the road (.600, 15-10) than any other FSL team. The Flying Tigers are 16-15 against North Division teams. Lakeland is tied for second in the league with 24 home runs, despite having no player with more than four homers.
THE MANATEES (20-27, 5th, 8.5 GB) ... Brevard County captured the last two games against Charlotte to snap a four-game losing streak. The Manatees are 6-13 since May 9. The club is 12-14 at home and 14-17 against the North Division. Clint Coulter, is tied for the league lead with nine homers and is tied for second, along with teammate, Victor Roache, with 30 RBI. Roache has a league-high .495 slugging percentage, 21 extra base hits and 90 total bases while Omar Garcia tops the FSL with 18 stolen bases. Chris McFarland is second with 59 hits and tied for second with 12 doubles. Garrett Cooper brings a seven-game hit streak into this series in which he is 9x22 (.409). He has had hits in 13 of his last 14 games. Jorge Ortega, who has tossed a league-best three complete games, is seventh in the FSL with a 2.03 ERA. He also is second with 62.0 innings pitched and third with a 0.89 WHIP.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
5/30 – RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-4, 5.21 ERA) ... Maciel took the loss in his last outing on May 24 at home vs. Bradenton after working 6.0 innings and allowing a pair of runs on five hits. He is 1-1 with a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts and has worked a season-high 6.0 innings in four of his last five outings. Maciel is 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in six road starts this season and 0-3 with a 9.00 earned run average in three home starts. He made consecutive starts against the Manatees on April 21 and 26 with an 0-1 record in a combined 8.1 innings with four strikeouts, no walks, and 11 runs on 18 hits.
5/31 – RHP Ryan Longstreth (2-3, 2.66 ERA) ... Longstreth also came out on the losing end in his last start on May 26, falling at St. Lucie after giving up four runs on six hits in 5.0 innings worked. In his five previous outings he had only allowed two earned runs in 28.0 innings for a 0.64 ERA. Longstreth is 1-1 with a 1.89 in three previous road starts while posting a 1-2 mark and a 3.32 ERA in five home starts. He worked a season-high 8.0 innings on May 20 at Daytona. Longstreth made back-to-back starts against Brevard County on April 22 and 27, with a 1-0 record in a combined 12.0 innings with eight K’s and five walks.
5/30 – LHP Matt Crouse (1-1, 0.87 ERA) ... Crouse made his first start of the season on May 27 at St. Lucie and came away with the win after holding the Mets to one run on four hits through 5.0 innings. He had made seven previous appearances this season out of the bullpen, posting an 0-1 record and three saves with a 0.68 earned run average. He is 1-1 in five road appearances with a 1.38 ERA and three saves. In three home outings, he has tossed 7.2 scoreless innings Crouse has not faced the Manatees in 2015.
THE BULLISH PEN ... Flying Tigers relievers have allowed just three runs in the last 28.1 innings over the last seven games for a 0.94 earned run average. Julio Felix has a shutout streak of 16.1 innings over his last six appearances.
8-9 PRODUCTION ... Tyler Hanover and David Gonzalez batted in the eight and nine spots in the line-up last night and came up big. Each batter had a double and two singles while Gonzalez scored twice and Hanover once.
WELCOME ADDITION ... Reliever Paul Voelker joined Lakeland from West Michigan on May 11. In his seven appearances so far, he has allowed two runs in 9.0 innings with 13 strikeouts. He has saves in the last two games of the St. Lucie series to give him four on the season to go with his 2-0 record and 2.00 ERA.
BEEN A WHILE ... Will Clinard worked 2.0 no-hit, scoreless innings Friday night against St. Lucie in his first outing since Aug. 31, 2013. He did not pitch last season and has been on the disabled list at Double-A Erie this year with a right arm/elbow biceps impingement.
DOMINATING DOMINIC ... Dominic Ficociello left the game in the fifth inning Thursday night and was 0-1 in his time played, snapping an eight-game hitting streak in which he was 10x34 (.294). Since May 5, he is 28x88 for a .318 clip. With a walk Thursday, Ficociello has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games—the longest active streak in the Florida State League.
I’M WALKIN’ ... Raph Rhymes, who leads the Flying Tigers with four homers, has drawn 25 free passes this season and is tied for tied for third in the FSL in base on balls.
JIWAN FOR ONE ... Jiwan James has gotten a base hit in 20 of his last 23 games and is 25x96 since May 1 for a .275 average. He has now reached base in 20 straight games—second longest streak only to teammate Dominic Ficociello’s 24 game streak.
A TOUGH AT BAT ... Javier Betancourt is the second toughest batter to strike out in the Florida State League with one whiff per 15.83 total plate appearances. He has struck out just one time in his last eight games and just four times in his last 29 games dating back to April 27.
NAILED ‘EM ... Catcher Grayson Greiner has thrown out 16 runners this season—tied for most in the league. Greiner ranks sixth in the FSL, throwing out .372 attempted base stealers.
THE SKIPPER (thru 5/29) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,894-1,761 record entering tonight’s game. Huppert now trails Cal Ermer who is in 16th place with a 1,906-1,728 record compiled from 1947-1984. Huppert is a 2012 FSL Hall of Fame honoree and is back for a 28th season as a minor league manager. He is in his fifth season with the Flying Tigers and has a 286-299 record, including a FSL championship in 2012.
ROSTER MOVE ... RHP Slade Smith was promoted to AA Erie Thursday with RHP Adenson Verastegui added from Extended Spring Training. Smith had not allowed a run in five outings as a Flying Tiger this season, tossing 9.0 shutout innings. He returns to Erie were he began the season posting a 0-1 record and a 14.04 ERA in 7.1 innings over six relief appearances. Verastegui has pitched the last three seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League and led the VSL with 18 saves in 2014. He made his debut Friday against St. Lucie with three-hit ball over 3.1 shutout innings.
UP NEXT ... Lakeland returns home with a vengeance, hosting nine games in ten days starting with two games against Tampa on June 2-3 and the Daytona for three games, June 4-6. After a day off on June 7, the Flying Tigers welcome Fort Myers, June 8-11.
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