THE SERIES ... It’s a weekend series, so time for three games at three different start times. Tonight’s series opener is set for 6:30 pm with Saturday’s game at 6 pm and Sunday’s finale at 1 pm. Daytona holds a 7-5 advantage in the season series and has won the last four meetings. Six games in this series have been decided by one run with the Tortuguas coming out on top in five of those games including a pair of 11-inning affairs. Javier Betancourt has 14 hits and 10 RBI in the series to lead the Flying Tigers while Francisco Martinez and Ben Verlander each have 11 hits and Jiwan James has 10. For Daytona, Sebastian Elizalde leads with 16 hits and nine runs batted in. Taylor Sparks has had 13 hits in the series while Junior Felix Arias has 12 hits, including three homers and nine RBI.
LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS
FRI., AUG. 7 - LHP Jairo Labourt (0-0, 9.00 ERA with Lakeland; 2-7, 4.80 ERA overall) ... Labourt gave up four runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings on July 31, in a no-decision start in his Flying Tigers debut joining the Detroit organization as part of the trade that sent David Price to Toronto. Labourt struck out five in his debut, but also walked four. With Dunedin, he posted a 2-7 mark and a 4.59 ERA and now has struck out 19 batters in his last three starts. Labourt, who has not faced Daytona in 2015, is looking for his first victory since June 8.
SAT., AUG. 8 - RHP Jonathan Maciel (4-8, 5.19 ERA) ... Maciel got the win in his last start on July 27 at Fort Myers, holding the Miracle to one run on five hits in 6.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts and two walks. In six starts since the FSL All-Star break, Maciel is 2-2 with a 2.80 ERA. He has no record and a 4.82 ERA in two previous starts against the Tortugas.
SUN., AUG. 9 - LHP Kevin Ziomek (6-9, 4.01 ERA) ... Ziomek , who is tied for the FSL lead with 111 strikeouts, is coming off his best start of the season, having struck out a season-high 11 batters in 8.0 scoreless innings of two-hit ball at Clearwater on Aug. 4. It was the most strikeouts for the lefty since setting down 10 at Daytona on July 2 and the second most in his career, surpassed only by 13 strikeouts on July 28 as a member of the West Michigan Whitecaps. It was also his second stint with 8.0 shutout innings as he also accomplished the feat on May 13 at Jupiter. He is 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two previous starts vs. Daytona.
THE FLYING TIGERS (9-27, 6th place, 13.5 GB; 42-63-1 overall) ... After riding Kevin Ziomek’s arm to an 8-0 win in the opening game of the Clearwater road series, Lakeland was shutout in the final two games by scores of 7-0 and 4-0. It marked the 13th and 14th times the Flying Tigers have been blanked this season and third time they have been held scoreless in back-to-back games. Lakeland is 3-19 since July 10. This is the longest the Flying Tigers have played into any half without reaching double digits in wins in at least 20 seasons. Last season, Lakeland won their 10th game of the second half on July 29.
THE TORTUGAS (23-15, 2nd place, 0.5 GB; 60-48 overall) ... Daytona and Clearwater have been playing leap-frog (leap turtle?) over the last few days with each day grabbing a spot atop the standings. The Tortugas are looking for a division title in their first season of play in the FSL. A Reds’ affiliate, Daytona was overtaken by Clearwater in the final days as the Threshers claimed the first-half pennant. Should Clearwater hold on and win the second half as well, the team with the next best overall record would get the wild-card spot and entering this series, the Tortugas have a 9.0 game lead over Tampa for that honor. Jackson Stephens, the series’ opening pitcher for Daytona, is tied for the league lead with 10 wins and is 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA. Amir Garrett, who is slated to pitch game three, is sixth in the FSL with a 2.77 ERA, but has a 7-6 mark for his efforts. Closer El’Hajj Muhammed has 14 saves, tied for third most in the FSL. At the plate, Phillip Ervin leads the FSL with 12 homers while Sebastian Elizalde is tops with 69 RBI.
THAT’S ZIOMEK, WITH A “K” ... Kevin Ziomek, who struck out a season-high 11 batters on Tuesday, is now tied for the FSL lead with 111 strikeouts—a total that ties him with Nate Bumstead (2005) and Todd Krumm (1990) for 11th place on the Lakeland single season strikeout list. The 111 strikeouts is the most for a Lakeland pitcher since Mark Sorensen whiffed 113 in 2010. The franchise record of 134 K’s was set by Rich Lacko in 1987 and tied by Jordan Tata in 2005. Ziomek is also one of four pitchers tied atop the FSL rankings with 21 games started and is tied for third with 116.2 innings pitched.
HELLO, DL ... Javier Betancourt left the Aug. 4 game at Clearwater after three innings of play and today, was placed on the disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 5). Brett Pirtle returns to the Flying Tigers from Connecticut where is was hitting .333 in 30 games to take the open roster spot. He had played in one game this season for Lakeland. Betancourt leads all FSL second basemen with a .984 fielding percentage and has been charged with just eight errors He was 7x17 in his last four games before his injury.
HITS IN BUNCHES ... Jiwan James is one of four players tied for the FSL lead with six triples. He had a seven-game hit streak snapped in last night’s game in which was 15x32 (.469) with two or more hits in six of those games. He had two doubles, a triple, and two homers during the streak and had scored seven times with eight RBI.
A FIVE-SPOT ... Curt Powell has hits in each of his last five games and is 7x21 during those five contests with a pair of runs scored and two runs batted in.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF ... Will Clinard has not allowed a run over 7.0 innings in his last three outings and just two runs in his last 15.1 innings and seven appearances ... Calvin Drummond has given up one run his last 9.1 innings and four appearances ... Gabe Hemmer has given up just one tally in his six Lakeland outings and 16.0 innings. He has struck out 14 and walked two ... Whit Mayberry has not been touched for a run in his last four appearances and 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks in that time ... Since returning to Lakeland in early July for a third stint with the club, Scott Sitz has given up just one run in 15.0 innings with 12 strikeouts and three walks (all game in one game in which he allowed two intentional passes).
THE SKIPPER (thru 8/6) ... Dave Huppert ranks 17th among minor league manager in terms of wins with an 1,896-1,761-1 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 288-300-1 record at Lakeland, including a FSL championship in 2012.
UP NEXT ... The next home series for the Flying Tigers is Aug. 7-9 against Daytona. Clearwater then makes the trip to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland for three games Aug. 10-12.
ORGANIZATIONAL FLU ... Lakeland isn’t the only club in the Detroit organization that is struggling. Detroit is 53-55 while Toledo is 20 games under .500 at 46-66 at Triple-A and Erie is 22 games under .500 at 44-66 in Double-A. The GCL Tigers, at 20-15, own the best record in the organization while West Michigan is the only other club with a winning record at 55-53. Finally, Connecticut is even on the season with a 22-22 record.
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