Mission Notes vs. Jupiter (June 27-30)

THE SCHEDULE ... Jupiter, an affiliate of the Miami Marlins, comes to Lakeland for four games, all with different start times. Games are at 6 pm on Saturday, 1 pm on Sunday, 6:30 pm on Monday and 10:30 am on Tuesday as the Flying Tigers host area summer campers..

THE SERIES ... Jupiter won the first meeting between these two teams on May 11 with a 4-0 shutout as three Hammerhead pitchers combined on a three-hitter. The next night, Lakeland scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning for a 3-2 come-from behind win. Kevin Ziomek took the hill on May 13 and held Jupiter to three hits with eight strikeouts over 8.0 scoreless innings while his teammates again rallied in the ninth, this time for two runs in a 2-0 win. The Flying Tigers won the finale 4-1 as five different players each had two hits for Lakeland. 

THE FLYING TIGERS (34-36, 1-0 2nd Half, T-2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland beat Tampa 6-1 Friday to run its win streak to seven game. The string of wins comes after having lost nine in a row from June 6-16. The Flying Tigers are tied with Tampa for second most home runs at 32. Both are far behind Daytona which has launched 47 dingers so far. The club has also stolen the fewest bases of any club with 34. The next lowest total is 45 by Dunedin. Dominic Ficociello sports a .295 batting average which is sixth best in the Florida State League. Forty-five of Lakeland’s games this season have been decided by three runs or less, including 21 one-run games in which the Flying Tigers have won 11.

THE HAMMERHEADS (35-37, 0-2 2nd Half, T-5th, 2.0 GB) ... Jupiter lost its last two games to Palm Beach and has now lost eight of the last 12 games dating back to June 12. The Hammerheads feature the league’s top base stealer in Yefri Perez who has swiped 32 bases so far. Austin Dean is tied for third in the FSL with 10 doubles and fourth with 110 total bases while Tyler Kinley is third in the Florida State League with 11 saves. Jupiter’s offense ranks 11th in the league with a .237 average and 236 total runs scored, but the pitching staff has the fourth best ERA (2.97) in the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

SAT., 6/26 - LHP Kevin  Ziomek (4-5, 4.48 ERA) ... Ziomek is coming off 4.0 shutout innings of two-hit baseball in his last start on June 16 at Charlotte. He is 0-1 his last three starts, but has a 2.81 ERA in those 12.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and three walks. Ziomek, who is fourth in the league with 71 strikeouts, is winless in his last six starts. He picked up the win against Jupiter on May 12 with eight strikeouts in 8.0 shutout innings.

SUN., 6/27 - LHP Locke St. John (2-5, 4.52 ERA) ... St. John held Brevard County to a pair of runs on four hits in 5.0 innings, but did not factor into the decision on June 22. He had allowed 11 runs in 5.2 innings in his prior two starts combined. St. John has been on a roller coaster over his three months with Lakeland. He was 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA in April and 2-0 with a 1.72 mark in May. However, in June, he is again winless, going 0-3 with a 8.44 earned run average. St John worked 5.0 innings against Jupiter on May 12, holding the Hammerheads to one earned run, but did not factor into the decision.

MON., 6/28 - RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-6, 5.85 ERA) ... Maciel is coming off his best outing of the year, tossing three-hit ball over 7.0 scoreless innings on June 24 against Brevard County. Despite the fine showing, he did not get the win and has not tasted victory since beating the Hammerheads on May 14. Maciel has allowed just two runs in his last 12.0 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Nineteen of his 47 earned runs allowed came in his first 18.1 innings while he given up 28 runs in his last 54.0 innings.

TUES., 6/29 - LHP Trent Szkutnik (0-1, 7.59 ERA) ... Szkutnik surrendered two runs on six hits in 4.0 innings with a season-high five strikeouts on June 24. He has now allowed three runs in his last 9.0 innings after being tagged for six earned run in just 1.2 innings in his Lakeland debut on June 13.

TWO HAMMERHEADS THAT SLIPPED THE HOOK ... Alex Burgos was a fifth-round draft pick by Detroit in 2010. He pitched in Lakeland during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons, compiling a 13-19 record and a 4.21 ERA with the Flying Tigers. Don Kelly, who is in Jupiter on a MLB rehab assignment, was an eighth-round pick by the Tigers in 2001 and batted .317 for Lakeland in 2003.

TRÈS BEIN ... Javier Betancourt has collected three base hits in each of the last two games, going 6x9 with a double and an RBI. Jiwan Jams also had three hits in last night’s game at Tampa with a double and a homer for two runs batted in.

BORCHERING HAS A NICE RING TO IT ... Bobby Borchering has had hits in 12 of his last 13 games, going 14x45 for a .311 average. He collected hits in nine straight games from June 11-22.

A DOZEN DOES IT ... Francisco Martinez had his 12-game hit streak snapped in the tied game that ended the first half for Lakeland on June 24. He was 17x43 (.395) during the streak with five doubles, a triple, two homers and 11 runs batted in.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH ... Raph Rhymes was held hitless in three at bats last night and saw his eight-game hit streak come to an end. He was 9x30 (.300) during his streak with three runs scored, two doubles, a homer, and five runs batted in.

SOLID STARTERS ... Flying Tigers’ starting pitching has given up just two runs in the last 16.0 innings and only seven earned runs in the last 46.0 innings (nine games) for a 1.37 earned run average. 

PEN’S NOT BAD, EITHER ... Paul Voelker picked up his team-best seventh save last night at Tampa and is now 7-for-8 in save opportunities ... Slade Smith has not allowed a run in 12 innings in two stints with Lakeland ... Montreal Robertson has given up one run in his last 13.2 innings ... Adenson Verastegui has been touched for just one run in 16.2 innings.

FLASHING THE LEATHER ... Lakeland first baseman Dominic Ficociello leads his fellow position players in the league with a .993 fielding percentage. He has been charged with just four errors in 592 total chances. Javier Betancourt leads all FSC second baseman with a .988 fielding mark with four errors in 333 chances while Raph Rhymes leads FSL outfielders with a 1.000 fielding percentage. Grayson Greiner has thrown out 39.0 percent of would-be base stealers this season, a mark that is third best in the league.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/26) ... With last night’s win, Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert took over sole possession of 17th place among minor league manager in terms of wins a 1,888-1,734 record entering tonight’s game. Huppert passed Bruno Betzel who compiled a 1,887-1,892 record from 1927-1956. Next up for Huppert is Cal Ermer who is in 16th place with a 1,906-1,728 record from 1947-1984 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 280-273 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

MAKE-UP GAME ... Thursday’s rained out game vs. Tampa will be made up August 17, a Monday, as part of a 5 pm doubleheader.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland heads to the East Coast to take on Daytona for three games July 1-3. The next home game for the Flying Tigers is Saturday, July 4 as Lakeland host an Independence Day game at 5 pm.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (June 25-26)

THE SERIES ... The second half gets underway tonight at 6:30 as Lakeland host Tampa for one game at Joker Marchant Stadium. The series then hits the road for one game at George Steinbrenner Field tomorrow at 7 pm. The two clubs have alternated wins over the 10 game series with each emerging victors in five games at their home.

THE FIRST HALF ... Lakeland finished the first half with a 33-36 record and in fourth place, 3.5 games out of first place. Clearwater won the first half of the North Division by sweeping Daytona in the final three-game series and then clinching on the second tie-breaker—head to head competition. The Threshers won eight of the 12 games played against the Tortugas. In the South Division, Charlotte ran away with the first half crown, taking first place with a seven-game lead over Fort Myers. Clearwater and Charlotte have secured their places in the FSL postseason playoffs in September.

THE FLYING TIGERS (33-36, First Half: 4th place, 3.5 GB) ... Lakeland ran out six straight wins (and a tie) to end the first half. Last season, the Flying Tigers also finished third in the first half, but had a much better record at 42-35.

THE YANKEES (34-36, First Half: 3rd place, 3.0 GM) ... Tampa lost two of three to Dunedin in their final series of the first half. Mark Payton who leads the league with a .390 on-base percentage and is eighth in the with a .291 batting average, was promoted to AA Trenton on June 18. Ericson Leonora is first in the FSL with a .475 slugging percentage; tied for second with 10 homers and 26 extra base hits; and fifth with 39 runs batted in. Tyler Wade is tied for second with 26 stolen bases and tied for third with 39 runs scored, while on the mound, Rookie Davis is second with 77 strikeouts. With a league-high 99 errors, Tampa has the lowest fielding percentage in the Florida State League.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

THU., 6/25 - LHP Kevin  Ziomek (4-5, 4.48 ERA) ... Ziomek is coming off 4.0 shutout innings of two-hit baseball in his last start on June 16 at Charlotte. He is 0-1 his last three starts, but has a 2.81 ERA in those 12.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and three walks. Ziomek, who is fourth in the league with 71 strikeouts, is winless in his last six starts. He is 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three previous starts vs. the Yankees with 17 hits allowed and 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.

FRI., 6/26 - LHP Matt Crouse (3-1, 2.29 ERA) ... Crouse returns to the starting rotation after picking up a win in relief on June 18 at Charlotte with 3.0 innings of 1-hit ball with five strikeouts. He allowed two runs that game and four tallies in a start prior. Crouse, who is 2-0 in four previous starts with a 3.05 ERA, had allowed four runs in his first 10 outings. He has two relief appearances vs. Tampa and has three strikeouts and allowed three hits in 6.0 shutout innings.

THERE’S NO TYING IN BASEBALL! ... After winning their fifth walk-off game with a 1-0 decision in 10 innings over Brevard County in game one of last night’s doubleheader, Lakeland finished game two in a rare tie, matching the Manatees 2-2 when Mother Nature called a halt to the proceedings after eight full innings. Game one was delayed 1:07 due to lightning in the area with game two getting underway at 9:33 pm. At 11:49 pm, the teams were waived off the field with heavy rains following. 

It was the first tie in the FSL since July 20, 2013 when Daytona and Charlotte also finished with a 2-2 score and Lakeland’s first tied game since at least 1995 (as far back as this writer’s records go).

DOES HE OR DOESN’T HE? ... Francisco Martinez brought a 12-game hit streak into last night’s game two of the doubleheader. The Flying Tigers’ third baseman was hitless in three trips in the tied game. Does that end his streak at a dozen games? According to MiLB.com, updated through yesterday’s games, the streak is still active at 12 games.

WALK-OFFS IN BUNCHES ... The Flying Tigers had not had a walk-off  win in the first 40 games of 2015. Last night marked the fifth walk-off win in the last 29 games. Dominic Ficociello lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to plate to score David Gonzalez who had led off the 10th inning with a single. Four of the five walk-offs have come in extra innings and each five have come off the bat of different players.

BORCHERING HAS A NICE RING TO IT ... Bobby Borchering has had hits in 11 of his last 12 games, going 13x41 for a .317 average. He collected hits in nine straight games from June 11-22.

RHYMIN’ RHYMES ... Raph Rhymes has hits in eight straight games and is hitting an even .300, going 9x30, with a pair of double, a homer, and five runs batted in.

SOLID STARTERS ... Flying Tigers’ starting pitching has given up just seven earned runs in 41.0 innings over the last eight games for a 1.54 earned run average. 

PEN’S NOT BAD, EITHER ... Slade Smith has not allowed a run in 12 innings in two stints with Lakeland ... Montreal Robertson has given up one run in his last 13.2 innings ... Adenson Verastegui has been touched for just one run in 16.2 innings.

FLASHING THE LEATHER ... Lakeland first baseman Dominic Ficociello leads his fellow position players in the league with a .993 fielding percentage. He has been charged with just four errors in 586 total chances. Javier Betancourt leads all FSC second baseman with a .988 fielding mark with four errors in 329 chances while Raph Rhymes leads FSL outfielders with a 1.000 fielding percentage. Grayson Greiner has thrown out 40.4 percent of would-be base stealers this season, a mark that is second best in the league.

BIG LEAGUE SON ... Tampa’s Dante Bichette is the son of the former Major League who played 14 seasons in the bigs, including seven seasons with Colorado. The Bichettes hail from Orlando.

BASEBALL’S A 9-INNING GAME, RIGHT? ... Thanks to double headers and extra inning games, Lakeland has played just two games of nine-innings since June 10. The Flying Tigers have played a 5-inning game, seven 7-inning contests, an 8-inning tie, and three extra-inning games (two 10-inning and one 13 inning).

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/24) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert has moved into a tie for 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins a 1,887-1,734 record entering tonight’s game. Huppert is tied with Bruno Betzel who compiled a 1,887-1,892 record from 1927-1956. Next up for Huppert is Cal Ermer who is in 16th place with a 1,906-1,728 record from 1947-1984 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 279-273 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday, placing RHP Zac Reininger on the disabled list and adding Tyler Ford from Class A West Michigan. Reininger had picked up a win in his one relief appearance on June 17 since being added from Double-A Erie. Ford, who pitched in four games for Lakeland in 2014, was 0-3 for the Whitecaps, but had one save and a 2.41 ERA with 43 strikeouts and six walks in 41.0 innings.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland will play host to Jupiter to close out the month with a four-game set against the Hammerheads, June 27-30. As a reminder the final game of the Jupiter series is Camp Day at 10:30 am.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (June 22-24)

THE SERIES ... After having the weekend off for the Florida State League All-Star Game, Lakeland returns to Joker Marchant Stadium June 22-24 for the final series of the first half. Lakeland entertains Brevard County for four games as the first night of this series is a doubleheader starting at 5 pm with the two clubs making up a rained out game from April 28. The next two nights are slated for 6:30 p.m.

SO FAR ... Brevard County has won five of the eight games played in three previous series this season. The Flying Tigers captured the first series, two games to one, but the Manatees have been victorious in four of the last five contests. Lakeland won the last meeting, 4-1, at Brevard County. Francisco Martinez is 11x28 (393) in seven games of the series while Javier Betancourt is 19x27 (.370), also in seven games. Tyler Hanover is 5x12 in three games against the Manatees.

THE FLYING TIGERS (30-36, 4th place, 6.5 GB) ... After dropping a season-high nine games, Lakeland snapped out of its slump to win three of the last four games at Charlotte, the first half winner in the South Division. The three wins propelled the Flying Tigers into fourth place with a 30-36 record. Lakeland is 11-20 at home.

THE MANATEES (29-37, 6th place, 7.5 GM) ... Brevard County lost a 2-1, 12-inning decision to Jupiter on June 18 and is 3-7 the last 10 games. The Manatees are 7.5 games out of first place and sport a 11-18 record in road games. Jorge Ortega is fourth in the league with a 1.78 ERA while Javier Salas is 10th with a 2.51 mark. Clint Coulter, who was the DH for the North All-Star squad, is tied for the league lead with 10 homers and is first with 111 total bases while Chris McFarland leads with 78 base hits. Omar Garcia has swiped the second most bases in the league with 25 while Garrett Cooper and Taylor Brennan are second with 19 doubles and 42 runs scored, respectively. Brennan also leads the league with 35 walks.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

MON., 6/22 - GM 1 - LHP Locke St. John (2-5, 4.60 ERA) ... St. John is making his first start since June 14 at Dunedin when he was tagged for seven runs on four hits and four walks in just 2/3 of an inning. The loss was his third in a row and he is looking for his first win since May 17. 

MON., 6/22 - GM 2 – RHP Brennan Smith (2-0, 2.08 ERA) ... Smith is making his third start since leaving the bullpen with a 1-0 mark and one save with a 2.40 ERA in six relief appearances. He allowed just two hits in 5.0 shutout innings in his last start on June 16 at Charlotte. In his last four outings (two relief and two starts), Smith has allowed one earned run (two total) in 14.2 innings for a 0.61 ERA.

TUE., 6/23 – RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-6, 6.47 ERA) ... Maciel gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits in 5.0 innings in his last start on June 17 at Charlotte. In his last four starts he has surrendered 20 earned runs in 18.1 innings for a 9.82 earned run average. Maciel has struck out three batters in each of his last four starts. He is 0-2 with a 13.89 ERA in three previous starts vs. the Manatees.

WED., 6/24 – LHP Trent Szkutnik (0-1, 9.45 ERA) ... Szkutnik has made two very different starts for Lakeland since joining the club. In his Lakeland 2015 debut on June 13 at Dunedin, he was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in 1.2 innings. In start number two on June 18 at Charlotte, he held the first-half champion Stone Crabs to one run in 5.0 innings.

LET’S PLAY TWO, AND ONLY TWO ... In the Flying Tigers last two home doubleheaders on June 3 and June 10, they played a total of 43 innings. On June 3 against Tampa, Lakeland dropped game one, 2-0, in seven innings before winning game two, 2-1, after 16 frames. On June 10 against Fort Myers, game one went to the Miracle by a 2-1 score in 13 innings while game two was won by the Miracle, 7-3, in a more conventional seven innings. This is the sixth doubleheader for Lakeland in 2015. They have split three and were swept in two.

ALL-STAR WRAP ... Lakeland outfielder Ben Verlander and first baseman Dominic Ficociello played all nine innings for the North Division in the FSL All-Star Game Saturday at St. Lucie. Verlander, splitting time in right and center, had a pair of singles while Ficociello added a base hit as the two Flying Tigers accounted for half of the North Division’s six hits in a 6-0 loss.  Kevin Ziomek tossed a scoreless second inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout.

DING-DONGERS ... Brevard County is second in the FSL with 29 homers (three behind Tampa) while Lakeland is third with 28 dingers.

TAKING MOORE DEEP ... Raph Rhymes hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Charlotte. What made the home a little more special is that it came off Major Leaguer pitcher Matt Moore who is in Charlotte on a rehab assignment while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Rhymes has base hits in the last five games (6x19, .316).

DOM-INATING ... Dominic Ficociello is seventh in the Florida State League with a .293 average.

MIGHTY MARTINEZ ... Francisco Martinez has base hits in his last nine games and is 11x34 during the streak for a .324 average. He has three doubles, a triple and a homer during the last nine games and has driven in five runs and also scored five times.

BE-BOPPING BOBBY ... Bobby Borchering brings an eight-game hit streak into this series in which he was 10x28 for a .357 average with four doubles and three runs batted in. 

BEN THERE, DONE THAT ... Ben Verlander has collected a base hit in eight of his last nine games and is 9x33 during that stretch for a .273 average.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/14) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 18th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,884-1,734 record entering tonight’s game. Huppert now trails Bruno Betzel who is in 16th place with a 1,887-1,892 record compiled from 1927-1956. 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 276-273 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

REAVES LEAVES ... Jared Reaves was activated from the disabled list last Tuesday and promoted to AA Erie. The shortstop began the season with Lakeland and had hits in each of his 10 games for a .289 average before going on the DL on April 23.

ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland made three rosters moves on Friday, adding RHP Slade Smith from Double-A Erie, and assigning RHP Will Clinard to the Gulf Coast League Tigers. In addition, catcher Will Allen was sent to Connecticut in the New York-Penn League. Smith makes his second appearance with the Flying Tigers, having posted a 2-0 record with one save and a 2.08 ERA from May 4–June 16. He had no decisions at Erie with a 14.04 ERA in seven relief appearances. Finally, catcher Grayson Greiner was activated off the Disabled List on Sunday and rejoined the Flying Tigers.

UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers get to roll back the season odometer to “0” as the second half of the season gets underway in their next series, June 25 at Tampa. It’s one of those quirk two-game sets with each club hosting a home game. Lakeland gets the second-half opener Thursday at 6:30 pm while Tampa plays host on Friday at 7 pm.

Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (June 15-18)

THE SERIES ... The Lakeland road trip continues with a four-game swing at South Division first-half champ Charlotte on June 15-18. Games 1, 2, and 4 start at 7 pm with Game 3 on June 17 at 10 a.m. 

THE FLYING TIGERS (27-35, T-5th, 9.5 GB) ... Lakeland has been swept in its last two series and is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak. The Flying Tigers have not scored more than four runs in any of the last eight games and have been outscored 45-19 during that stretch. In the last four games, the Flying Tigers starting pitching staff has given up 24 earned runs on 30 hits in 12.1 innings for a whopping 17.51 earned run average during that quartet of games.

THE STONE CRABS (43-20, 1st, First-Half Champions) ... Charlotte clinched the first half of the South Division with a 1-0, 10-inning victory at Jupiter on Friday. It is the Stone Crabs’ first first-half championship since 2010. Charlotte is 11-3 since May 31 and has won three straight. Braxton Lee is eighth in the FSL with a .293 batting average and third with a .374 on-base percentage while Jake Bauers is fifth with a .444 slugging percentage. Jacob Faria sits atop the league with a 1.33 ERA to go with his minor league-best 10 wins against one loss. Ryan Stanek is fourth with a 1.78 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Closer Brad Schreiber is first in the league and fourth in the minors with 16 saves while Buddy Borden is tied for second with seven wins. The Stone Crabs are the top hitting team in the FSL with a .272 team batting average and have scored a league-best 280 runs. Charlotte is also atop the league with a 2.30 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS (based on previous rotations)

MON., 6/15 – Kevin Ziomek (4-5, 4.74 ERA) ... Ziomek, who is second in the FSL with 69 strikeouts, is looking for his first victory since posting back-to-back wins on May 7 and 13. He was touched for four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings in his last outing on June 10 against Fort Myers with a season-low two strikeouts. In his last five starts, Ziomek is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA having allowed 20 runs. He is 3-2 with a 5.05 in six previous road starts.

TUE., 6/16 – Jonathan Maciel (2-6, 6.71 ERA) ... Maciel has surrendered 22 runs—18 earned—on 28 hits in 13.2 innings for an 11.85 ERA. In his last start on June 11 at home against Fort Myers, he took the loss after being tagged for seven runs on a season-high 12 hits in 5.1 innings. Maciel is looking for his first win since May 14. He is 2-2 with a 4.89 in seven previous road starts while posing an 0-4 record and a 9.24 ERA in five home starts.

WED., 6/17 – Brennan Smith (1-0, 2.57 ERA) ... Smith is making his second start, filling in for Ryan Longstreth who is on the DL. In his last start on June 11, Smith allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts in 3.0 innings in a no-decision against Fort Myers. He is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two previous spot starts after posting a 1-0 record and one save with a 2.40 ERA in six relief appearances.

THU., 6/18 – Matt Crouse (2-1, 1.98 ERA) ... Crouse had his worst outing as a starter in his last outing on June 13 at Dunedin, allowing four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 4.2 innings. He had allowed four runs total in his previous five outings and 24.1 innings. Crouse is 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA in four prior starts after posting a 0-1 record and three saves with a 0.57 ERA in seven relief appearances.

FOUR FLYING TIGERS NAMED TO ALL-STAR SQUAD ... Four Flying Tigers have been named to the Florida State League All-Star Game. Starting pitchers Ryan Longstreth (currently on the 7-day disabled list) and Kevin Ziomek, along with first baseman Dominic Ficociello, and rightfielder Ben Verlander, will head to St. Lucie on June 20.

SIX STONE CRABS HEADED TO ALL-STAR GAME ... Charlotte will be well-represented at the FSL All-Star Game this Saturday in St. Lucie as the club will send pitchers Jacob Faria, Buddy Borden and Brad Schreiber, along with infielders Jake Bauers and Willy Adames (former Detroit draft pick) and outfielder Marty Gantt.

MLB REHAB ... Tampa Bay Ray pitcher Matt Moore is currently with the Charlotte squad on a MLB rehab assignment, recovering from June 2014 Tommy John surgery.

FSL HONOR ... Tyler Hanover was named the Florida State League Player of the Week for the week ending June 6, going 7x18 (.389) for the week with three doubles, a homer and three runs batted in. Hanover is hitting .387 his last 10 games, collecting 12 hits, including five doubles and a homer, in 31 at bats.

TOUGH WHIFF ... Javier Betancourt has struck out just four times in his last 22 games and just 10 times in his last 45 games. He is the second-toughest player to strike out in the Florida State League going down on strikes once in every 15.75 plate appearances.

BOBBY AT BAT ... Bobby Borchering has six hits in his last 15 at bats for a .400 clip. He is hitting .256 in 11 games so far this month.

DANDY DOM ... Although he has been held hitless in his last two games, Dominic Ficociello is still hitting .342 in 12 games this month coming off a .298 mark in May. He is fifth in the league with a .304 average and fourth with 68 hits.

LIKING THE ROAD ... Jiwan James is hitting some 59 points higher in games played away from Joker Marchant Stadium. The centerfielder has a .268 batting average on the road, while hitting .209 at home.

PICKET FENCE ... Francisco Martinez has had one base hit in each of his last five games with two runs scored, two doubles, a homer, and five runs batted in. Like James, he likes hitting on the road, sporting a .277 average in away games, while hitting .219 at home.

NEXT MAN UP ... Tim Remes has moved into the #1 catcher role after Grayson Greiner was placed on the DL in between games of the Flying Tigers’ Thursday night doubleheader. Remes has three hits the last two games, posting a 3x7 two-game mark.

BACK ON TRACK ... Ben Verlander went into a five-game hitless funk from May 29-June 3, but has recovered with hits in eight of his last 10 games. He brings a five-game hit streak into this series, going 6x18 (.333) during that stretch.

STEADY AS HE GOES ... Paul Voelker has allowed just one run in his last nine games and 13.0 innings for a 0.69 ERA. He has given up eight hits in that stretch with 19 strikeouts and just one walk. Although he has not came into a game in a save situation his last three outings, he is a perfect 5-for-5 in save situations this season.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/14) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,898-1,772 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 290-310 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

LONGSTRETH RETIRES ... On Monday, Ryan Longstreth was reinstated from the Disabled List and then placed on the Voluntary Retirement List. Longstreth, who was voted to the FSL All-Star Team, was 2-4 on the season with a 3.72 ERA. He had 31 strikeouts and 23 walks in 48.1 innings pitched.

ROSTER MOVES ... Also on Monday, RHP Zac Reininger rejoined Lakeland from AA Erie. Reininger, who pitched for Lakeland from April 10-27, was 0-2 with a 10.22 ERA in nine appearances with the SeaWolves. To make room on the roster, RHP Scott Sitz was sent to West Michigan.

UP NEXT ... After taking the weekend off for the Florida State League All-Star Game, Lakeland returns to Joker Marchant Stadium June 22-24 for the final three days of the first half.  As a reminder, the opening night of the series (Monday, June 22) is a doubleheader starting at 5 pm as the two clubs make up a rained out game from April 28.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (June 12-14)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland begins a road trip that will not have local fans seeing them at home until June 22. The odyssey begins with a three-game set at Dunedin, June 12-14, with games one and two starting at 6:30 and the Sunday finale at 1 pm. All games can be heard on the Blue Jays’ website.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland has won both season series so far, winning the opening and closing games in each while Dunedin has won both middle games. The Flying Tigers have outscored the Blue Jays 36-13 in the series, including a 15-1 victory on May 9 at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Francisco Martinez is 9x19 (.474) with four RBI vs. Dunedin while Dominic Ficociello is 9x26 (.346) with six runs batted in. Raph Rhymes hit two homers in the May 9 Lakeland win.

THE FLYING TIGERS (27-32, 4th, 7.5 GB) ... Lakeland has now lost five straight after being swept in four games by Fort Myers. It was the second four-game sweep by a South Division club over the Flying Tigers in 2015 as Palm Beach accomplished the feat earlier this season. Last night, the Flying Tigers dropped a doubleheader to the Miracle, losing game one, 2-1 in 13 innings, and the nightcap, 7-3. For this series, Lakeland returns to its own North Division where it has a 20-19 record. Away from Joker Marchant Stadium, the Flying Tigers have the best road record in the league at 16-12.

THE BLUE JAYS (26-34, 6th, 9.0 GB) ... Dunedin split its four-game home series with South Division leading Charlotte, taking games one and four, while dropping the middle contests. The Blue Jays have won three of their last five outings and are in last place in the division, 9.0 games out of the running. Roemon Fields has swiped 18 bases which is fifth most in the league while closer Wil Browning is third in the FSL with 11 saves. Dunedin has the highest staff ERA in the league (4.22) and second lowest team batting average (.237)

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS (based on previous rotations)

FRI, 6/12 – Matt Crouse (2-1, 1.14 ERA) ... Crouse is making his fourth start since joining the starting rotation following the promotion of Tommy Collier to Double-A Erie. In his last start on June 6 against Daytona, he did not factor into the decision despite holding the Tortugas to one run on five hits over a season-high 6.0 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. As a starter, Crouse is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA with 10 punchouts and one walk in 16.0 innings. He has two relief appearances against Dunedin, picking up a save in the May 7 game, and has not allowed a run on four hits in 5.0 innings.

SAT, 6/13 – Locke St. John (2-4, 3.57 ERA) ... St. John has lost his last two starts and is looking for his first win since May 17. In his last outing on June 8, he lost to Fort Myers after allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings. In seven starts since May 6, St. John is 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA in four previous road starts. St. John was 0-2 in April, 2-0 in May and is 0-2 so far in June. He won his only previous start vs. the Blue Jays, tossing four-hit ball over 6.0 frames and allowing a pair of unearned runs on May 17.

SUN, 6/14 – Kevin Ziomek (4-5, 4.74 ERA) ... Ziomek is looking for his first victory since posting back-to-back wins on May 7 and 13. He was touched for four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings in his last outing on June 10 against Fort Myers with a season-low two strikeouts. In his last five starts, Ziomek is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA having allowed 20 runs. He is 3-2 with a 5.05 in six previous road starts. Ziomek beat Dunedin on May 7 after holding the Blue Jays to one run on four hits in 6.0 innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... Four Flying Tigers have been named to the Florida State League All-Star Game. Starting pitchers Ryan Longsrteth (currently on the 7-day disabled list) and Kevin Ziomek, along with first baseman Dominic Ficociello, and rightfielder Ben Verlander, will head to St. Lucie on June 20 for the 54th FSL All-Star Game. 

Oh, SNAP! ... Jiwan James entered game one of last night’s doubleheader as a pinch-hitter in the 10th inning. He flied out for Ismael Salgado in that at bat and struck out to end the 12th inning. The 0x2 outing snapped James’ streak of reaching base safely at 30 consecutive games. It was the longest streak in the FSL this season. Dominic Ficociello was held hitless in five at bats in game one, ending a streak of five straight games in which he had two hits in each game.

NOT TAKING A WHIFF ... Javier Betancourt is still the second toughest batter to strike out in the FSL with one whiff per 16.07 total plate appearances. He has struck out just three times in his last 18 games and only nine times in his last 41 games dating back to April 27. Betancourt hit .284 in May, but is just batting .231 in June. He leads all FSL second baseman with a .986 fielding percentage and has four errors in 287 total chances.

FSL HONOR ... Tyler Hanover was named the Florida State League Player of the Week for the week ending June 6, going 7x18 (.389) for the week with three doubles, a homer and three runs batted in.

DROP DOWN ... With a combined 1x7 in last night’s double-dip, Dominic Ficociello saw his batting average fall to .310 on the year, dropping him from third in the Florida State League to sixth.

BULLPEN K SQUAD ... Calvin Drummond, Paul Voelker and Montreal Robertson combined to strike out 12 batters in 10.0 innings of relief work in the first game of last night’s doubleheader. Voelker whiffed six Miracle hitters in his 3.0 innings of work while Drummond and Robertson each punched out three batters. Brennan Smith, making just his second start, also struck out three batters in his 3.0 innings as Lakeland tied a team season-high with 15 Ks.

THE RUN DOWN FEELING ... After scoring a combined 18 runs in two games vs. division-leading Daytona on June 4-5, Lakeland has managed just nine runs in the last five games and was outscored 18-7 in the Fort Myers series. The Flying Tigers collected 25 hits in those two Tortugas games on June 4-5, but have averaged just over seven hits in the last five contests.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/11) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,898-1,769 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 290-307 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

ROSTER MOVES ... In a rare occurrence last night, catcher Grayson Greiner was placed on the disabled list in between games of the Fort Myers doubleheader after starting game one. In the third inning of the game, Miracle batter Marcus Knecht was hit with a pitch that ricocheted off him and struck Grayson in the head or neck area. Grayson finished the inning but was replaced defensively by Tim Remes to start the fourth. Grayson was placed on the DL after the game with Will Allen getting called up from the Gulf Coast League Tigers roster to start game two of the twinbill. In another transaction, Raph Rhymes was activated from the DL Tuesday with LHP Ryan Longstreth heading back to the DL where he had been from May 5-15. In addition, LHP Trent Szkutnik was added from West Michigan while IF Brett Pirtle was sent back to Extended Spring Training.

UP NEXT ... Lakeland heads to South Division leading Charlotte for a four-game series June 15-18 before taking off for the All-Star break.

Mission Notes vs. Fort Myers (June 8-11)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland hosts Fort Myers for four games, June 8-11 at Joker Marchant Stadium with all games slated for 6:30 pm. This is the first time the Flying Tigers have faced the Miracle in 2015. Lakeland won five of the eight meetings last season, including winning three of the four in Lakeland.

THE FLYING TIGERS (27-28, 3rd, 4.5 GB) ... For the eighth time this season Lakeland had reached the .500 mark and failed to get over the hump to post a winning record as the Flying Tigers fell 3-2 to Daytona on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game win streak by the club. Lakeland is 7-9 against teams from the South Division and has an 11-16 record at home. The Flying Tigers remained tied for second with 25 team home runs and are also second with 14 team triples. Lakeland catchers rank third in the league in throwing out 38.8 percent of would-be base stealers. The Flying Tigers are a perfect 21-0 when leading after eight innings.

THE MIRACLE (26-30, T-3rd, 12.0 GB) ... Fort Myers squeezed by Bradenton 4-3 in 12 innings on Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak. It was just the second win in the last 10 games for the Miracle, who are 8-8 against the North Division. Fort Myers has a 10-18 road record this season. Alex Swim leads the FSL with 68 hits and is second with a .332 average. He is also the third toughest batter to strike out, having one whiff per every 1.32 plate appearances. Two Miracle hitters have extreme patience at the plate as both Mitch Garver and Niko Goodrum sit atop the league with 32 walks. Garver is also the league’s top catcher with a .996 fielding percentage and just one error in 246 chances. Chih-Wei Hu is sixth with a 2.01 ERA to go with his 4-1 record. He is fifth among FSL starters with 8.66 strikeouts per nine innings.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTER

6/08 – LHP Locke St. John (2-3, 3.23 ERA) ... St. John took the loss in his last start on June 3 against Tampa, his first defeat since April 28. Against the Yankees, he allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Since May 1, St. John is 2-1 in seven starts with a 1.96 earned run average. In 2014, St. John beat the Miracle in his only appearance against Fort Myers on Aug. 3, tossing 6.0 shutout innings with eight hits.

6/09 – LHP Kevin Ziomek (4-4, 4.55 ERA) ... Ziomek, who is second in the FSL with 67 strikeouts, scattered eight hits in 7.0 frames in his last start, a no-decision, on June 3 against Tampa, holding the Yankees to one run with seven strikeouts. He had allowed 15 runs on 21 hits in his three previous outings. Ziomek, who is fourth in the league with 63.1 innings pitched, is 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA in five home starts. His 9.52 strikeouts per nine innings is fourth among FSL starters.

6/10 – RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-5, 6.22 ERA) ... Maciel allowed four runs on six hits in 5.0 innings in a no-decision on June 4 against Daytona. He had been tagged for 11 runs—seven earned—in 3.1 innings in his previous start on May 30 at Brevard County. He is looking for his first home win where he is 0-3 with a 8.55 ERA in four starts.

6/11 – RHP Ryan Longstreth (2-4, 3.72 ERA) ... Longstreth worked 4.1 innings in his last start on June 5 vs. Daytona and allowed three runs on six hits with five walks. He has allowed 14 runs—12 earned—in 12.2 innings in his last three starts. In each of those outing, he has given up six hits. He is 1-2 with a 3.81 ERA in six home starts. Longstreth tossed 2.2 innings vs. Fort Myers in 2014 and allowed one unearned run on one hit.

WALKING OFF WITH THE W ... Two of the last three Lakeland wins have been secured with walk-off hits. On Wednesday, Francisco Martinez delivered a one-out double to score Dominic Ficociello in the bottom of the 16th for a 2-1 Flying Tiger win over Tampa in game two of a doubleheader. On Friday, Grayson Greiner connected for a one-out single to plate Ben Verlander with the winning run in Lakeland’s 7-6 win over Daytona. Verlander had earlier doubled in the tying run in the inning.

WHY SCORE FIRST? ... Neither of these teams take advantage of being the first team on the scoreboard. Lakeland is 17-11 when putting the first number on the scoreboard, while Fort Myers is 15-11 when tallying before its opponent.

TOUGH OUT ... Javier Betancourt struck out twice on Friday, marking just the third game this season he has been rung up twice in a game. He is still the second toughest batter to strike out in the FSL with one whiff per 15.00 total plate appearances. He has struck out just three times in his last 14 games and nine times in his last 37 games dating back to April 27. He leads all FSL second baseman with a .984 fielding percentage and has four errors in 256 total chances.

STREAK SNAPPED ... Julio Felix had not allowed a run in his last 17.0 innings over seven relief outings heading into Saturday’s game. After a scoreless first inning, Felix was touched for two runs in his second frame ending a streak of 18.0 consecutive shutout innings. He is fourth among FSL relievers with 8.06 baserunners allowed by nine innings and third with 1.05 walks per nine innings.

TWOS EQUALS SIX ... Dominic Ficociello has two hits in each of his last three games and is now sixth in the FSL with a .305 average. 

DO NOT PASS GO ... Grayson Greiner has thrown out 38.5 percent of the runners attempting to steal against him this season to rank fourth in the FSL. He has thrown out a league-high 20 runners trying to steal against him. At the plate, he has five hits in his last three games with three runs scored. 

HOT HANOVER ... Although he was held hitless on Saturday, Tyler Hanover is 10x25 (.400) his last seven games with five runs scored, four doubles and a homer. He was 3x4 on May 29; 4x5 on June 1 and 2x4 on June 4. 

JAMES GANG ... with a lead-off double on Friday, Jiwan James has now reached base safely in 28 straight games dating back to May 5. It is the longest streak in the Florida State League this season and he has at least one hit in 25 of his last 28 games. His triple Friday night—his fourth of the season—moved him into a tie for first in the FSL with C.J. McElroy of Palm Beach and Amed Rosario of St. Lucie. 

FRANKLY FRANCISCO ... Francisco Martinez is 12x32 (.375) with six RBI over his nine games. He is 7x17 (.412) his last six games with four RBI. 

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/6) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,898-1,765 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 290-303 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

ROSTER MOVE ... RHP Scott Sitz was added to the roster from Extended Spring Training on Friday with RHP Nate Fury being sent to Class A West Michigan. This is Sitz’s third stint with Lakeland in 2015.

UP NEXT ... Following this series, Lakeland travels to Dunedin for three games against the Blue Jays on June 12-14 and then four games at Charlotte, June 15-18.

FSL ALL-STAR GAME ... The 2015 Florida State League All-Star Game takes place June 20 at St. Lucie’s Tradition Field.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (June 4-6)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland concludes its five-day homestand with a trio of games against Daytona. Thursday’s and Friday’s games are at 6:30 pm with the series finale Saturday at 6 pm. The two clubs have split their two series played so far with each team winning two of three on their home field. Both of the Tortugas’ wins at Jackie Robinson Ballpark were in 11 innings. Each club has posted one shutout.

THE FLYING TIGERS (25-27, 4th, 6.5 GB) ... Lakeland split a 23-inning doubleheader with Tampa last night after Tuesday’s scheduled game was rained out. The Yankees took the first game 2-0 while the Flying Tigers prevailed 2-1 in 16 innings in game two. The split gives Lakeland a 9-15 record at Joker Marchant Stadium while the team is 16-12 on the road. Dominic Ficociello is now 10th in the FSL with a .292 batting average. With just eight hits in the 23 innings last night, Lakeland has dropped to 10th in the league with a .235 team batting average, but remains tied for second with 24 home runs.

THE TORTUGAS (32-21, 1st, 5.0 GB) ... With just over two weeks remaining in the first half, Daytona is sitting atop the league standings with a five-game lead over Clearwater (over in the South Division, Charlotte has an eight-game lead). The Tortugas are 12-7 since May 12 and are 6-3 their last nine games. Alex Blandino is third in the FSL with a .314 average, second with a .395 on-base percentage and fourth with 60 hits. Phillip Ervin has nine home runs and 33 RBI, which are both tied for most in the league. He also leads the FSL with 37 runs scored and tied for third with 19 extra base hits. On the mound, Barrett Astin is tenth with a 2.17 ERA while Amir Garrett is tied for fourth with 54 strikeouts. Daytona bats .248 as a team and is the league’s top home run hitting team with 31 dingers. One chink in the Tortugas’ shell has been the team defense. Daytona has been charged with the second most errors (82) in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

6/04 – RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-5, 6.12 ERA) ... Maciel would probably like to forget his last outing on May 30 at Brevard County as the righty was tagged for a season-high 11 runs—seven earned—on 10 hits in just 3.1 innings. The seven earned runs matched the number he allowed in his previous four starts and 22.1 innings. It was the third time this season he has surrendered 10 hits while the 3.1 innings marked his shortest outing. Maciel is looking for his first home win against three losses. He has faced the Tortugas once before this season, holding Daytona to one earned run in 4.1 innings.

6/05 – RHP Ryan Longstreth (2-4, 3.48 ERA) ... Longstreth lost his second straight start on May 31 at Brevard County, allowing a season-high seven runs—six earned—on six hits. It was the second straight game he has allowed six hits. Like Maciel, Longstreth lasted just 3.1 innings in the Manatees outing. He is 1-2 at home with a 3.32 ERA in five starts. Longstreth is 0-0 in two starts vs. Daytona and has a 0.82 ERA in this games, allowing just one run in 11.0 innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.

6/06 – LHP Matt Crouse (2-1, 1.05 ERA) ... Crouse is making his third start since moving into the starting rotation after the promotion of Tommy Collier to AA Erie. Crouse won his previous two starts, working 5.0 innings in each and allowing just one run in each. In his last start on June 1 at Brevard County, he struck out a season-high six batters and held the Manatees to just three hits. This is just his fourth appearance at home and his first start. Crouse had not allowed a run in his previous 7.2 innings at Joker Marchant Stadium. He has one appearance vs. Daytona this season and gave up one run in one inning.

LET’S PLAYED 23! ... Lakeland played a make-up doubleheader with Tampa last night. Twenty-three innings later the Flying Tigers walked off with a split of the twinbill. After shutting out Lakeland 2-0 in the first seven-inning game, Tampa continued to dominate in game two as Yankee hurler Jason Montgomery made his FSL debut a memorable one by tossing a perfect game through six innings before Jiwan James reached on a fielding error. James would later score on a sac fly to knot the game at 1-all. Tampa relievers held the Flying Tigers hitless until one out in the 12th inning, when James again played spoiler, rapping a solid single to left field to break up the no-hitter. Neither team could crack the scoreboard until the bottom of the 16th frame when Dominic Ficociello led off with a single and after being sacrificed to second, scored on a double by Fransisco Martinez to end the 4 hour, 13 minute marathon. Tampa outhit Lakeland 13-4 in game two, but stranded 13 runners.

JAMMIN’ JIWAN ... Jiwan James has now reached base safely in 25 straight games dating back to May 5—the longest streak in the Florida State League this season. He saw his nine-game hit streak snapped in game one last night. He was 12x41 (.293) during the streak and has at least one hit in 22 of his last 25 games. 

MIGHTIER PEN ... With 9.0 shutout innings in game two last night, the Flying Tigers relief core has allowed just seven runs—six earned—in the last 52.1 innings over the last 12 games for a 1.01 ERA. Julio Felix has not allowed a run and given up just five hits in his last 17.0 innings over seven relief outings.

VOELKER STOPPER ... Paul Voelker has worn the crown of stopper since joining the club and has picked up a save in all five of his save opportunities so far. He is 2-0 with five saves and a 1.50 ERA.

GUNNING THEM DOWN ... Lakeland catcher Grayson Greiner has thrown out 37.8 percent of the runners attempting to steal against him this season to rank third in the FSL. He has gunned down 17 would-be thieves, the second most in the Florida State League.

A TOUGH AT BAT ... Javier Betancourt is the second toughest batter to strike out in the Florida State League with one whiff per 16.23 total plate appearances. He has struck out just once in his last 11games six times in his last 34 games dating back to April 27.

APRIL TO MAY ... Lakeland opened the 2015 Florida State League season winning just eight of their 21 games in April. The Flying Tigers clubbed 15 homers and hit .248 over the first month. Lakeland was 16-13 in May with a .244 average and nine homers. The big difference has been the pitching. The Flying Tigers posted a 4.21 ERA in April and just a 2.97 earned run average in May.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/3) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,896-1,764 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 288-302 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

UP NEXT ... After a day off on June 7, the Flying Tigers the welcome Fort Myers, June 8-11.

ROSTER MOVE ... Infielder Raph Rhymes, the leading home run hitter on the Flying Tigers, was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with infielder Brett Pirtle called up from Extended Spring Trainer. Pirtle was a 23rd round pick by Detroit in 2014 out of Mississippi State University. He hit .294 at Connecticut last summer.

PEREZ SIGNED BY MILWAUKEE ... While one former Flying Tiger, Daniel Fields, was called up by Detroit on Tuesday, another made an exit as Hernan Perez was claimed off waivers by the Brewers.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (June 2-3)

THE SERIES ... In a quirk in the FSL schedule, Lakeland will play host to Tampa for just a two-game series on June 2-3 with both games starting at 6:30 pm at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (24-26, 4th, 5.5 GB) ... Tyler Hanover collected four base hits, including a pair of doubles, last night as the Flying Tigers snapped a three-game skid with a 4-1 triumph at Brevard County. Hanover, who is 7x12 his last three games, also scored a run and drove in a run in the win. With the win, Lakeland is 3-5 since May 24. Despite hitting just one homer in the last eight games, the Flying Tigers are tied for second in the FSL with 24 round-trippers.

THE YANKEES (25-26, T-2nd, 6.0 GB) ... Tampa has lost two in a row and is 3-9 since May 20, but are tied for second place with Clearwater as both clubs are six games back of front-running Daytona. Tyler Wade is sixth in the Florida State League with a .313 average and tied for second with 18 stolen bases while Mark Payton is tied for fourth in the FSL with a .374 on-base percentage.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS

6/02 – LHP Locke St. John (2-2, 3.21 ERA) ... St. John had his shortest outing of the season in his last start on May 28, leaving after 4.0 innings of work. He had held the Mets to two unearned runs on three hits but issued four free passes. St. John has given up just four earned runs (nine total) in his last 26.1 innings and five starts for a 1.37 ERA since May 6, but has just a 1-0 record to show for his efforts.   He was 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA in April, but has bounced back with a 2-0 mark and a 1.72 earned run average in May.

6/03 – LHP Kevin Ziomek (4-4, 4.95 ERA) ... Ziomek, who is second in the FSL with 60 strikeouts, will be looking to recapture the magic that saw him post a 4-3 record and a 3.46 ERA in his first seven starts. In three starts since then, he has allowed 16 runs—15 earned—on 21 hits in 14.2 innings. In his last start on May 29 at St. Lucie, Ziomek surrendered five earned runs on seven hits while going just 2.2 innings-—his shortest outing since his first game at West Michigan on April 9, 2014. Ziomek had a 3.22 ERA in April, but a 6.09 in May.

SIMILAR CLUBS ... Lakeland trails Tampa by just one-half game and the two clubs, stat-wise, show these two clubs are very close in more ways than location. The Yankees are seventh in the FSL with a .243 team batting average; the Flying Tigers are eighth with a .240 mark. Lakeland has 415 hits as a club; Tampa, 413. Both squads have hit 69 doubles. The Yankees are tied for second in the league with 12 triples; the Flying Tigers are tied for third with 11. Tampa has drawn 154 walks; Lakeland, 153. The Flying Tigers pitching staff is ninth with a 3.44 staff ERA; the Yankees are 10th with a 3.46 mark. Lakeland hurlers have logged 452.2 innings; Tampa, 452.1. The Flying Tigers have allowed 173 earned runs; the Yankees, 174.

JAMMIN’ JIWAN ... Jiwan James had two hits in last night’s game and has now reached base safely in 23 straight games dating back to May 5—the longest active steak in the Florida State League. He brings a nine-game hit streak into this series in which he is 12x41 (.293) with six runs scored and has at least one hit in 21 of his last 23 games. James is batting .348 his last fives games (8x23).

MARTINEZ TAKES THE MOUND ... With his team trailing 11-0 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning on Saturday at Brevard County, Lakeland manager Dave Huppert opted to save an arm in the bullpen and turned to third baseman Francisco Martinez to pitch the eighth. It was Martinez’s first pro pitching stint and the Manatees took advantage, scoring three times on three hits and two walks. Martinez is the first position player to pitch for Lakeland this season and the first since James Robbins took the mound on Aug. 22, 2014 for his second appearance of last season. Back at his day job, in the batter’s box, Martinez is 5x12 his last three games.

NIGHT TO FORGET ... In the above mentioned game, Brevard County bowled over Lakeland 14-0. It was the Flying Tigers worst defeat since April 26, 2006 when Sarasota (Reds) rang up a 20-2 victory. It was also the first time the club had been shut out 14-0 since the Tampa Yankees posted the same score on June 3, 1995.

A CROUSE IN THE HOUSE ... Lakeland may have found a new starter in former reliever Matt Crouse. Taking the rotation spot vacated by the promotion of Tommy Collier, Crouse is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He has gone 5.0 innings in each of his two starts and recorded seven strikeouts with zero walks in his 10 frames.

MIGHTIER THAN THE PEN ... The Flying Tigers relief core has allowed just seven runs—six earned—in the last 41.2 innings over the last ten games for a 1.30 ERA. Julio Felix has not allowed a run and given up just five hits in his last 15.1 innings over six relief outings.

VOELKER STOPPER ... Paul Voelker has worn the crown of stopper since joining the club and has picked up a save in all five of his save opportunities so far. He is 2-0 with five saves and a 1.64 ERA.

GUNNING THEM DOWN ... Lakeland catcher Grayson Greiner has thrown out 37.2 percent of the runners attempting to steal against him this season. He has gunned down 16 would-be thieves, the second most in the Florida State League.

STREAK SNAPPED ... Dominic Ficociello had reached base safely in 24 games prior to the Brevard County series. In game one, he was kept off the bags, ending the FSL’s longest active streak at 24 games.

A TOUGH AT BAT ... Javier Betancourt is the second toughest batter to strike out in the Florida State League with one whiff per 16.83 total plate appearances. He has not been struck out in any of his last nine games five times in his last 32 games dating back to April 27.

THE SKIPPER (thru 6/1) ... Flying Tigers manager Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins and has a 1,895-1,763 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 287-301 record, including a FSL championship in 2012. 

UP NEXT ... Lakeland continues its homestand with three games against Daytona, June 4-6. After a day off on June 7, the Flying Tigers the welcome Fort Myers, June 8-11.

THRESHERS THRASH DAYTONA ... Clearwater collected a league-best 22 hits in downing Daytona 18-5 on Sunday. The 18 runs is the most scored in the FSL this season. Of the Threshers’ 22 hits, only four were for extra bases. The top three batters in the line were a combined 3x16 while other six batters were 19x29 as every starter had at least one hit (two had four hits while three others had three base knocks). Finally, seven Clearwater hitters scored two runs each while an eighth crossed the plate three times.

FIELDS GET THE CALL ... The Detroit News reports former Lakeland Flying Tiger Daniel Fields (2010-12) has been called up to the big club on Tuesday. He’ll join Detroit for its series against Oakland. A roster spot with the Tigers opened up when Rajai Davis left to join his wife as they await the birth of their second child. Fields, a sixth-round pick by Detroit in 2009, was hitting .271 for AAA Toledo with three homers and 21 RBI.