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.
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