THE SERIES ... Lakeland opens an eight-game road trip with four games at Palm Beach on July 22-25. The first three games get underway at 6:35 with the finale Saturday at 5:35. All games can he heard on the Cardinals website. Palm Beach swept Lakeland in four games in the first half on May 13-16 and outscored the Flying Tigers 22-1, posting three shutouts.
THE FLYING TIGERS (6-19, 6th, 11.5 GB; 39-55-1 overall) ... Lakeland is coming off being swept by Clearwater in three games and has now lost 11 games in a row and has dropped its last four series. The 11 game skid, which began on July 10, is the longest for Lakeland since at least 1995. The Flying Tigers have now lost 13 of their last 14, and 19 of the last 23 games. Lakeland has the second lowest batting average (.237) in the league and has scored the third fewest runs (323). The staff earned run average of 3.56 is fourth highest in the FSL.
THE CARDINALS (18-8, 1st, 2.0 game lead, 50-46 overall) ... Palm Beach won two of its three games at home against Bradenton, winning the opener 3-2 and the finale 7-4 while dropping the middle game 5-3. The Cardinals are 5-1 their last six games and are 14-5 since July 2. C.J. McElroy is fourth in the FSL with 25 stolen bases while Luke Voit sits atop the league with 50 walks and is third with a .370 on-base percentage. Rob Kaminsky has a 2.13 ERA which is second in the Florida State League while Trey Nielsen is fifth with a 2.80 mark. Alex Reyes has struck out 96 opponents for the second highest total in the FSL. Palm Beach has the lowest batting average (.233) in the league and has scored the fewest runs (317) of any team. On the mound, the Cardinals pitching staff has the third best ERA (2.67) of the 12 league teams.
INSIDE THE CARDINAL ROSTER ... Pitcher Rob Kaminsky was St. Louis’ top pick in the first round of the 2013 draft and was the 28th overall pick while fellow hurler Josh Lucas is a 2009 graduate of Lakeland High School. Pitcher Robby Rowland is the son of former Detroit Tiger Rich Rowland.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
WED., JULY 22 - LHP Kevin Ziomek (5-8, 4.17 ERA) ... Ziomek lasted just 2.0 innings in his last outing on July 17 at Bradenton after allowing six runs—two earned—on six hits with one strikeout and two walks. The 2.0 innings is his shortest outing of the season. Ziomek, who is fourth in the FSL with 91 strikeouts, is 1-3 in his last five starts. During that stretch, he has given up 16 runs—10 earned—on 33 hits with 20 strikeouts in 27.0 innings. He has walked seven batters in his last three starts. Ziomek took the loss in his earlier start against Palm Beach, allowing four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
THU., JULY 23 - LHP Locke St. John (2-9, 4.85 ERA) ... St. John was charged with the loss in his last start on July 18 at Bradenton despite holding the Pirates to three runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings. He is now 0-7 over his last nine starts while allowing 31 runs in 41.1 innings for a 6.75 earned run average with 22 strikeouts and 16 walks. St. John lost his season debut on April 13 against the Cardinals surrendering four runs on five hits with one strikeout and four walks.
FRI., JULY 24 - RHP Jonathan Maciel (3-8, 5.42 ERA) ... Maciel was tagged with the loss in his last start on July 19 at home vs. Clearwater despite limiting the Threshers to a pair of runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He is 1-2 in his last five starts with a 3.07 ERA. During those five starts he has 19 strikeouts and six walks. The Cardinals plated five runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings against Maciel in his only previous start against Palm Beach on April 15.
SAT., JULY 25 - LHP Trent Szkutnik (0-4, 6.75 ERA) ... Szkutnik worked 5.0 innings in his last start on July 20 at home against Clearwater, allowing five runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. He has now given up 11 earned runs on 14 hits in 8.2 innings in his last two starts, losing both games. He was not with Lakeland when the Flying Tigers faced Palm Beach in the first half.
INSIDE THE SKID ... During Lakeland’s 11-game losing streak, the Flying Tigers have been outscored 58-22. Opponents have had seven games with double-digit hits during the last 11 games and have posted a .300 batting average while Lakeland has managed just one game with 10 or more hits and have batted .197. The Flying Tigers starting pitchers have a 5.14 ERA during the skid, while the bullpen has a 3.69 earned run average. Overall, the staff has a 4.53 ERA in the last 11 games.
ZEROS IN THE PEN ... Tyler Ford has been untouchable since joining Lakeland in late June. In six appearances out of the bullpen, Ford has worked 13.0 scoreless innings and allowed just 10 hits while striking 16 and walking only two opponents. His longest outing of 3.1 innings came on July 5 at home vs. Dunedin. Gabe Hemmer has also been perfect with 10.2 shutout innings in fourth relief outing since becoming a Flying Tiger earlier this month. His debut of 4.0 innings was the longest of his Lakeland stint so far. Scott Sitz in his third stint this season with Lakeland and has not allowed a run in four outings this month over 9.0 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.
FRANKLY FRANCISCO ... Francisco Martinez has hits in four straight games (6x15) and is 11x25 over the last six games for a .440 clip with three runs scored, one double and three runs batted in. He is third in the FSL with 32 extra base hits, tied for third with 149 total bases, and fourth with a .426 slugging percentage.
TWO-FERS ... Javier Betancourt has had two hits in each of his last two games and is 4x9 in those two games with a pair of runs scored and a double. Curt Powell was 2x2 in last night’s game and also had a double. Raph Rhymes had two hits—both doubles—in Monday’s contest and has scored two runs in the last two games.
LOTS OF TRIPS FOR LITTLE ... Ben Verlander had nine plate appearances in the last two games and came away with just two at bats. He walked twice and was hit by a pitch while popping up once on Monday. On Tuesday, he drove in a pair of runs with sacrifice flies and walked two more times, once with the bases loaded for another RBI, In his only at bat be grounded into a force out and eventually came around to score.
THE SKIPPER (thru 7/21) ... Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins a 1,893-1,753-1 record entering this series. 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, Huppert is in his 28th season as a minor league manager. This is his fifth season with the Flying Tigers and he has a 285-292-1 record at Lakeland, including a FSL championship in 2012.
UP NEXT ... The Flying Tigers continue their eight-game road trip with four games at Fort Myers on July 26-30. Lakeland’s next home game is July 30 as they open a four-game series with Charlotte.
A LOOK INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION ... The Detroit Tigers (MLB) are in third place in the American League Central Division with a 46-47 record. Toledo (AAA) is in last place in the International League West Division with a 42-55 mark while Erie (AA) is also on the bottom looking up at the rest of the Eastern League Western Division with a 37-58 record. Lakeland (High-A) is in the cellar of the Florida State League North Division at 6-19 (39-55-1 overall). West Michigan (Low-A) is sitting atop the Midwest League Eastern Division with a 16-9 record (49-45 overall) while Connecticut (SS) is in third place in the New York-Penn Leaguer Stedler Division at 14-16. In the Gulf Coast League, the Tigers (R) are in first place with a 12-11 record.
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