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.
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