Lakeland Flying Tigers Mission Notes

Mission Notes: End of the Year Wrap

2011-09-05T20:44:00.001-04:00

THE RECORD ... Lakeland finished the 2011 season with a 64-74 overall record - a 14-game turnaround from last season when the club completed the campaign with a 71-67 record. The 64 wins was the third most in the last five seasons. The Flying Tigers finished in fifth place (11.0 games back) in the first half with a 36-34 record and dropped to sixth place (also 11.0 games back) in the second half with a 28-40 record.

AT THE PLATE ... The Flying Tigers posted a .258 batting average, which ranked ninth in the league. The 587 runs was eighth most of the 12 Florida State League teams while the 57 stolen bases was the fewest in the league. The squad struck out 997 times this season which was the fifth most in the league.

ON THE MOUND ... The pitching staff recorded a 3.91 earned run average which was the fourth highest in the league. Only St. Lucie, with seven, had more complete games than Lakeland’s five.

DOWN THE STRETCH ... The Flying Tigers did not close out the season the way the players would like remember, going 6-13 over the last 19 games.

LEAGUE-LEADER ... Tony Plagman led the Florida State League with 97 runs batted in, becoming just the fourth Lakeland player to lead the league in RBI. The last to do so was Ryan Strieby who knocked in 94 runs in 2008. The first Lakeland hitter to lead the league was Terry Bartholome who had 84 runs batted in during 1963 while Brent Clevlen set a franchise record with a FSL-best 102 RBI in 2005. Plagman also played in more games (137 of Lakeland’s 138 games played) than any other player and posted 526 at bats which tied for third-most in the league. His 220 total bases ranked fourth most in the Florida State League.

15-GAME WINNER ... Jared Wesson picked up his 15th win of the season on the last day of the year to finish 15-10 on the year. The 15 wins is tied for the second most by a Lakeland pitcher in modern history joining Darren Harris who was 15-8 in 1988. Mike Chris holds the Lakeland Tiger record with an 18-5 record in 1977. The 15 victories was just one shy of the league lead set by Julio Rodriguez of Clearwater who finished 16-7.

THE BAT ... No other player in the Florida State League put a better cap on the season than Lakeland’s Jordan Lennerton. From Aug. 5 until the last game on Sept. 4, the first baseman/DH was the Florida State League’s hottest hitter, going 48-for-111 at the plate for a .432 average with 20 runs scored, 13 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 24 runs batted in.

THE IDEA ... The main goal of any hitter is to get on base, whether by a hit, walk, or get hit. No Flying Tiger did it better in 2011 than Brent Wyatt. Despite being promoted to Erie on July 31, Wyatt had enough plate appearances in his stay in Lakeland to finish third overall in the FSL with a .417 on base percentage.

I’M WALKING ... Jordan Lennerton drew 92 walks on the season, finishing second in the league.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS ... Tony Plagman led Lakeland with 137 games played, 526 at bats, 18 home runs and 97 runs batted in ... Jordan Lennerton led with 138 hits, 33 doubles and 92 walks ... Brent Wyatt hit .290 to lead those players with 280 or more at bats ... Gustavo Nunez hit a team-leading seven triples and tied Avisail Garcia for the team-lead with 14 stolen bases.

THE ARMS ... Jared Wesson led the Flying Tigers with 15 wins. Wesson also led the club with 147.2 innings pitched ... Kenny Faulk recorded 20 saves in 22 opportunities ... Wesson and Trevor Feeney tied for the team-lead with 96 strikeouts while Feeney, Wesson, Luke Putkonen, and Mark Sorensen each tossed one complete game.

THE ROSTER ... Twenty-one players took the field defensively for Lakeland while 25 others took the mound for the Flying Tigers. The 46 players is 19 fewer than the 65 players that played for Lakeland a year ago. It is also the second fewest players used since the 2005 team used 41 players.

THE CROWDS ... While Lakeland finished with the second lowest attendance in the league, the 62,324 fans that witnessed the 2011 season was topped only by last year’s record season attendance of 64,010.

POSITION LEADERS ... 1B-Jordan Lennerton (74 games); 2B-Corey Jones (121); 3B-Wade Gaynor (128); SS-Gustavo Nunez (61); OF-Avisail Garcia (129) and C-Julio Rodriguez (66).

ALL-STARS ... Lakeland sent four players to the Florida State League All-Star game in reliever Kenny Faulk, shortstop Gustavo Nunez, first baseman Tony Plagman and catcher Julio Rodriguez.

TWICE AS NICE ... Jordan Lennerton was the only Flying Tiger to hit a grand slam in 2011 and did it not once, but twice. Lennerton clubbed his first bases-loaded homer on May 10 at St. Lucie in a 10-2 win and duplicated the feat on July 2 at Clearwater in a 8-4 victory.

MULTI-HIT GAMES ... Jordan Lennerton had 36 games with two or more hits including 25 games with two hits, 10 with three hits and one four-hit game. Avisail Garcia was second with 33 multi-hit games including three games with four hits.

SOLID AT THE HOT CORNER ... Wade Gaynor led all Florida State League third baseman in fielding percentage (.953), games played (128), total chances (379), putouts (104), assists (257), and double plays (25). Lakeland finished the season with a .978 fielding percentage which was the second best mark in the Florida State League.

SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland posted winning series records against Daytona (11-6), Bradenton (6-2), Charlotte (5-3), Fort Myers (7-1) while splitting series with Dunedin (9-9) and St. Lucie (4-4). The Flying Tigers lost their season series with Brevard County (11-6), Clearwater (5-13); Tampa (7-13), Jupiter (2-6) and Palm Beach (3-5).

CLOSE ONES ... Thirty-six times in 2011, Lakeland found itself in a one-run ball game with the club winning 21 of those games. Last season, the Flying Tigers were 25-25 in games decided by one-run.

GOOD AND BAD DAYS ... Lakeland was 12-6 on Sundays, 13-7 on Mondays and 11-9 on Fridays, but 5-18 on Saturday and 5-12 on Wednesdays.

TOP CROWD ... The most fans attended the Fourth of July game this season as 5,349 witnessed the fireworks. Bright House Networks Night brought out 4,515 fans while the second Education Day crowd of 3,347 was third highest.

STAGE FRIGHT ... Lakeland was 0-8 when playing in front of crowds of 2,000 or more.

ROSTER SHUFFLIN’ ... The Flying Tigers made an unofficial 106 transactions in 2011. While no 2011 Flying Tiger made it to the show this season, catchers Jeff Kunkel and pitchers Trevor Feeney, Ryan Robowski, and Shawn Teufel all played at AAA Toledo. Kunkel traveled up and down the organizational roster while the three pitchers all made one appearance for the Mud Hens. Players who played both in Lakeland and AA Erie include William Bergolla, Trevor Feeney, Jared Gayhart, Matt Little, Gustavo Nunez, Luke Putkonen, Michael Rockett, Ryan Robowski, Shawn Roof, Mark Sorensen, Tyler Stohr, Jay Voss, and Brent Wyatt.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Sept. 1-4)

2011-09-01T11:05:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland will close out the season with four dates and five games against Tampa. The series opens in Tampa on Sept. 1 and goes to Lakeland for a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Sept. 2. Game three in the series has the two clubs returning to Tampa for a single game before closing out the season at home on Sunday, Sept. 4 in a special 11 a.m. start at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (62-71, 26-37 2nd Half, 6th, 9.5 GB) ... Lakeland took two of three games from Dunedin in the last series. The two wins came in a sweep of a doubleheader on Aug. 30. In the Flying Tigers last game, the club lost 7-2 to the Blue Jays.

THE YANKEES (71-62, 34-30 2nd Half, 3rd, 2.0 GB) ... Tampa is coming off a doubleheader split with Daytona on Wednesday losing game on 6-3 and then taking the nightcap 4-1. Abraham Almonte has scored 88 runs on the year and ranks third in the Florida State League in that category for the Yankees while his 139 hits on the season ranks fifth.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

Thu., Sept. 1 - Mark Sorenson (2-4, 5.22 ERA) gave up seven runs on 12 hits in just 2.2 innings in his last start on Aug. 27 at Clearwater. He has now allowed 30 hits over his last three starts for 19 runs (11 earned) and a 14.66 earned run average. Sorensen has stuck out 11 batters while walking three in those last four starts. He allowed five runs – one earned – on eight hits over 5.0 innings in one start against Tampa this season.
Fri., Sept. 2 (GM1) - Shawn Teufel (4-4, 3.77 ERA) did not factor in the decision in his last start on Aug. 28 at Clearwater despite holding the Threshers to three runs on four hits over 7.0 innings. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 earned run average in his last two starts since making a spot start for AAA Toledo where he worked 6.0 innings to get the win. This will be Teufel’s first start against Tampa, but he has made four relief appearances with a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in 10.0 innings.
Fri., Sept. 2 (GM2) - TBA.
Sat., Sept. 3 - Brenny Paulino (0-1, 30.86 ERA) would like to forget his Lakeland debut as he was tagged for eight runs on just three hits. Wildness led to him walking four and hitting three others.
Sun., Sept. 4 - Jared Wesson (14-10, 4.38 ERA) tossed a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in his last start in game one of a doubleheader against Dunedin. He has allowed just five hits and one unearned run in his last 13.0 innings over two starts (both wins) with 11 strikeouts and four walks. Wesson is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA against Tampa this season. A win Sunday would make Wesson just the fifth Lakeland pitcher to register 15 victories in a single season.

THIS YEAR ... The Yankees have won 10 of the 15 meetings this season with wins in seven of the last eight, including a stretch of six consecutive wins snapped on Aug. 16. Tampa won 7-2 in a six-inning rain-shortened game in the two clubs last meeting. Jordan Lennerton has 22 hits and two homers, but just five runs batted in, against Tampa in 2011 while Tony Plagman has 18 hits and has also hit two homers, but has driven in 15 runs. Cory Jones has collected 16 hits, including seven doubles, in 12 of the 15 games.

STAYING ALIVE ... The Yankees are still mathematically in the hunt for the second half pennant but would almost have to sweep the five games from Lakeland and hope Clearwater and Dunedin split their four game series. Tampa would then take the second half due to a better winning percentage in the second half of the season. Other scenarios exists getting into potential tiebreakers as defined by the Florida State League playoff procedures.

CLEAR THE BASES ... The grand slam by Dunedin’s Sean Ochinko on Wednesday was just the second surrendered by Lakeland pitching season. Fort Myers’ Anderson Hildago hit the first bases-loaded homer in 2011 off the Flying Tigers on Aug. 8. Lakeland has hit two grand slams this season – both by Jordan Lennerton.

BERGOLLA HEADS NORTH (AGAIN) ... William Bergolla got another plane ride north on Thursday to join the Erie SeaWolves. He was promoted to the AA club previously on Aug. 20, but rejoined Lakeland on Aug. 23.

ALL BUT ONE ... Tony Plagman has sat out just one game for Lakeland this season and now leads the FSL with 132 games played. Jordan Lennerton is tied with Bradenton’s Robbie Grossman for second with 131 games played.

19 SHY ... Tampa’s Abraham Almonte is tied with Charlotte’s Hak-Ju Lee and Daytona’s Logan Watkins for the league-lead with 11 triples – 19 three-baggers shy of the Florida State League record of 30 triples hit by Pete Rose in 1961 for the then Tampa Tarpons.

WAY TO WRAP IT UP ... One Flying Tiger that is making some nice memories to the end of his season is Jordan Lennerton who has caught fire at the plate. In his last seven games, he is 12-for-28 for a .429 average with three doubles, a triple and two homers. Lennerton is the Florida State League’s hottest hitter since Aug. 5 boasting a .432 average in 25 games with 10 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 18 runs scored with 19 runs batted in. His .432 average in that stretch of games is 34 points higher than the next hottest hitter – Elevys Gonzalez who has batted .398 for Bradenton. Lennerton’s hot streak has resulted in him having 34 games with two or more hits this season – tops on the team. He has 24 games with two hits, nine with three hits and one with four hits.

TWO FOR ONE ... Lakeland banged out a season-high seven doubles in game two of a doubleheader on Tuesday against Dunedin. Lakeland has now hit at least one double in 23 of the last 31 games and two or more two-baggers in nine of those games.

GOING ALL THE WAY ... Jared Wesson and Luke Putkonen tossed back-to-back seven-inning complete games in a doubleheader on Aug. 30 against Dunedin. The two complete games are just the second and third of the season for Lakeland. Trevor Feeney recorded Lakeland’s first complete game of the season on Aug. 8, working six innings.

A-HA AVISAIL ... Avisail Garcia has 10 hits in his last 37 at bats over nine games for a .270 average with two doubles and three home runs.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 14 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman leads with 94 runs batted in (third most RBI for any Lakeland player since 1974), third with 223 total bases and also third with 53 extra base hits. Plagman has also been intentionally walked a league-high six times ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 90 walks (second most in Lakeland history) ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in fielding percentage (.954), games played (123), total chances (370), putouts (100), assists (253), and double plays (25).

COLEMAN LET GO BY DETROIT ... According to the Detroit Free Press, Flying Tiger pitching coach Joe Coleman has been released by the Detroit Tigers. In addition, Jon Matlack, the Tigers long-time minor pitching coordinator, was also let go last weekend. Coleman, 64, had been Lakeland’s pitching coach since 2007. He had spent 46 years in professional baseball, including six seasons as a pitcher with Detroit. Matlack had spent 16 seasons as a coach in the Detroit organization, including the last 15 years in the role as minor league pitching coordinator.

UP THE FARM ... Here’s one last look up the farm: Detroit (1st place, 5.5 game lead); Toledo (last place, 21.0 games back); Erie (5th place, 13.0 games back); West Michigan (tied for 3rd place, 10.0 games back); Connecticut (1st place, 0.5 game lead); GCL Tigers (3rd place, 8.0 games back, end of season).

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 30-31)

2011-08-30T06:42:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Tuesday’s doubleheader begins at 5 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium with Wednesday’s first pitch at 7 p.m., also at home.

ONE SERIES LEFT ... Following this series with Dunedin, Lakeland will close out the season with four dates and five games against Tampa. The series opens in Tampa on Sept. 1 and goes to Lakeland for a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Sept. 2. Game three in the series has the two clubs returning to Tampa for a single game before closing out the season at home on Sunday, Sept. 4 in a special 11 a.m. start at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (60-70, 24-36 2nd Half, 6th, 10.5 GB) ... Lakeland was swept in four games by Clearwater and has now lost five in a row, seven of the last eight and nine of the last 11 games. The Flying Tigers were outscored 35-17 in the four games and was outhit 50-31. Almost half of the 50 hits came in game two of the series as Clearwater collected 23 hits, the most allowed by Lakeland since allowing 24 hits to St. Lucie on June 2, 2009. The Flying Tigers rank ninth in the league with a .258 team batting average and are also ninth with a 3.91 staff ERA.

THE BLUE JAYS (75-58, 36-27 2nd Half, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Dunedin dropped a 9-6 decision to Daytona last night and have lost two of the last three games. Prior to the mini-slump, the team had won 10 of 12 games and now sits atop the North Division by 1.5 games over Clearwater. Brian Van Kirk and A.J. Jimenez are tied for ninth in the Florida State League with identical .301 batting averages while Nestor Molina is second with a 2.58 ERA to go with his 10-3 season record. Dunedin has league-highs with 113 homers and 279 double and providing the pop is Brad Glenn who has a league-leading 24 home runs and Sean Ochinko is tied for second with 34 doubles. Brad McElroy adds speed with an FSL-best 41 stolen bases while Darin Ruf is tops with 59 extra bases hits. The Blue Jays rank seventh in the league with a .262 team batting average and are also eighth with a 3.88 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tue., Aug. 30 (GM 1) - Jared Wesson (13-10, 4.61 ERA) held Dunedin to one unearned run on three hits over 6.0 innings in his last start on Aug. 25 with five strikeouts. He’ll be going for his 14th win of the season tonight and if he does, will become just the fourth Lakeland hurler to record 14 or more wins a season. He is slated to start the final game of the season in a chance to tie Darren Hursey (15-8 in 1988) and Gary Christensen (15-10 in 1974) for third on Lakeland’s all-time win list.
Tue., Aug. 30 (GM 2) - Luke Putkonen (1-6, 5.43 ERA) dropped his last start on Aug. 25 in game two of a doubleheader at Dunedin. He allowed five runs – three earned – on five hits (two of them home runs) in 5.0 innings with five strikeouts. This will be his third start since moving back into the rotation on Aug. 19. He struck out seven in 4.1 shutout innings in that first start back. Putkonen is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in three previous starts versus Dunedin in 2011.
Wed., Aug. 31 - Victor Larez (6-3, 4.12 ERA) did not factor into the decision in his last start on Aug. 26 at Clearwater despite allowing five runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings with six strikeouts. Larez has a 1-0 record and a 5.25 ERA since rejoining Lakeland on Aug. 2 and now has a 5-3 record and a 4.12 earned run average in 13 starts for the Flying Tigers. Larez is 2-0 with a 0.00 in 13.0 innings versus Dunedin this season.
THIS YEAR ... Dunedin holds a slim 8-7 advantage in the 15 games played so far this season. Wade Gaynor has 15 hits, including two homers, and 10 runs batted in against the Blue Jays this season while Tony Plagman has 13 hits and Jordan Lennerton 12 base knocks in the series. Plagman has homered twice against Dunedin while Lennerton has one round tripper. Dunedin’s A.J. Jimenez has 16 hits, including five doubles and two homers vs. Lakeland while Sean Ochinko and Brian Van Kirk have 13 and 12 hits, respectively versus the Flying Tigers.

ERA TAKES A HIKE ... Clearwater victimized Lakeland starting pitchers for 23 earned runs in the recent four-game series for a 12.18 ERA.

NEW KIDS ON THE MOUND ... Lakeland made a couple of roster changes on Sunday as Zach Samuels earned a promotion to AA Erie. Joining the club from the Gulf Coast League club were Eric Heckaman and Brenny Paulino. Heckaman was with the Flying Tigers for one appearance on Aug. 21, working two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one hit allowed against Clearwater. He was 1-2 with one save in 20 relief appearance with the GCL club. Paulino is making his first appearance on the Lakeland roster in 2011. He has a 4-3 record with a 2.36 ERA in 11 appearances, including eight starts and two complete games with the GCL Tigers. One of those starts was a three-hit, nine-inning shutout on Aug. 5 against the GCL Phillies. His Flying Tiger debut wasn’t as smooth as the righthander has rocked for eight runs on just three hits with four walks and three hit batsmen on Monday in Clearwater.

CLOSING IN ... Tony Plagman leads the Florida State League with 93 runs batted in on the 2011 season – the most for a Flying Tiger player since Ryan Streiby knocked in 94 runs in 2008 and the third most RBI for a Lakeland player since 1974. The Lakeland franchise record for runs batted in belongs to Brent Clevlen who had 102 ribbies 2005.

ROUNDING FIRST ... Lakeland has hit 12 doubles in the last five games as well as one triple and three homers.

WASTED ARM ... Dunedin’s A.J. Jimenez has thrown out 43.5 percent of attempted base runners this season, but that arm may not be needed as Lakeland has stolen a league-low 54 bases. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, have swiped 114 bases.

JONES - LONE BRIGHT SPOT ... Corey Jones doubled, homered and scored two runs in the Flying Tigers last game at Clearwater accounted for 2/5 of Lakeland’s hits. The second baseman has hits in seven of his last eight games and is 10x27 for a .370 average.

PLAGMAN DOUBLES AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN ... Tony Plagman has doubled in each of the last three games and now has 31 doubles on the season. The 31 two-baggers ties him with Juan Encarnacion (1996) for fifth place on Lakeland’s all-time doubles list. Next up is Jaime Lopiccolo (1998) and Bubba Trammel (1995) who are tied for fourth with 32 doubles. The Lakeland record is 40 set by Gabe Kapler in 1997 followed by Jeff Larish (2006) and Cody Ross (2001) who are tied for second with 34 while Chris Maples is in third place with his 33 doubles in 2004.

FLYING HIGH ... Michael Morrison has not allowed a run and has given up just two hits in his last 7.0 innings over four appearances with 12 strikeouts and three walks ... Avisail Garcia is 6x23 (.261) with three homers and a double in his last six games.

GROUNDED ... Mark Sorensen has surrendered 22 hits over 6.2 innings in his last two starts including 12 hits in 2.2 innings in his last outing ... William Bergolla is 3x22 (.136) his last six games ... Avisail Garcia has struck out eight times in the last four games and has taken over the league lead with 129 Ks on the season (Daniel Fields is second in the FSL with 128 strikeouts but has whiffed just twice in his last six games) ... Wade Gaynor is hitless in his last 12 at bats.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 13 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman leads with 93 runs batted in (third most RBI for any Lakeland player since 1974), third with 221 total bases and also third with 52 extra base hits. Plagman has also been intentionally walked a league-high six times ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 89 walks (second most in Lakeland history) ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in fielding percentage (.953), games played (121), total chances (365), putouts (99), assists (249), and double plays (25).

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 26-29)

2011-08-26T11:44:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games of this series will be played at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. First pitch on Friday and Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. while Sunday’s game moves to 1:00 p.m. The series finale on Monday is at 7:00 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (60-66, 24-32 2nd Half, 8.5 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a split of a doubleheader with Dunedin taking game one, 2-1 and falling 5-3 in game two. The Flying Tigers have lost three of their last four and five of the last seven.

THE TRESHERS (69-58, 30-28 2nd Half, 3.5 GB) ... Clearwater blanked Brevard County 2-0 on Thursday and have won three of the last five and five of the last seven. Three Clearwater pitchers rank in the top ten in the Florida State League in Julio Rodriguez (16-7, 2.84), Jonathan Pettibone (9-10, 3.00) and Trevor May (10-7, 3.45). The 16 wins by Rodriguez is the most for a Florida State League pitcher since Andrew Carpenter won 17 games for Clearwater in 2007. May leads the league with 197 strikeouts. It’s therefore no surprise that the Threshers lead the FSL with a 3.52 staff ERA and 1037 strikeouts. Clearwater also leads the league with a .981 fielding percentage. Darin Ruf leads the FSL with 54 extra bases hits and 38 doubles and is second with 224 total bases, fourth with a .310 batting average and fifth with 75 runs batted in.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

Fri., Aug. 26 - Victor Larez (6-3, 3.83 ERA) picked up the win in his last start on Aug. 20 in Lakeland against Clearwater, holding the Threshers to two earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts over 7.0 innings. He is 2-3 with a 4.39 ERA on the road this season while posting a perfect 4-0 mark at home with a 3.30 earned run average. Larez is 5-3 with a 3.76 in 12 starts for Lakeland and 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA as a reliever.
Sat., Aug. 27 - Mark Sorensen (2-3, 3.89 ERA) took the loss in his last start on Aug. 21 in Lakeland against Clearwater giving up seven runs (three earned) on ten hits over 4.0 innings. He has allowed 12 runs, though just four earned, in his last two starts after tossing six shutout innings on Aug. 11 against Daytona. Sorensen is 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA in three road starts with a 1-3 record and a 4.00 earned run average at home.
Sun., Aug. 28 - Shawn Teufel (4-4, 3.76 ERA) was tagged with the loss on Aug. 23 in his last start on the road at Dunedin. He allowed three runs on nine hits in five innings. That start was his first since returning to Lakeland after a spot start at AAA Toledo where he got the win with six shutout innings. He is 2-4 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts with a 2-0 mark and a 2.00 ERA in 12 relief appearances for Lakeland. Away from Joker Marchant Stadium, Teufel has a 3-2 record and a 4.62 ERA while he is 1-2 with a 4.00 earned run average at home.
Mon., Aug. 29 - Jared Wesson (13-10, 4.61 ERA) took the win in his last start on Aug. 25 at Dunedin allowing one unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings pitched. The win was his 13th on the season and with his next victory would become just the fourth Lakeland pitcher in franchise history to win 14 or more games in a single season. He is 7-4 on the road with a 4.79 ERA and has a 6-6 record at home with a 4.46 earned run average.

THIS YEAR ... The Threshers have won nine of the 14 games played between these two clubs this season. Wade Gaynor leads Lakeland with 15 hits in the series while Avisail Garcia and Jordan Lennerton have 14 and 13 hits, respectively. Jiwan James and Darin Ruf each have 19 hits in the season for Clearwater.

HANGING IN THERE ... Lakeland still has a mathematical chance, albeit slim, to make the Florida State League playoffs. However, with any combination of three Lakeland losses and three Dunedin wins, the Flying Tigers will be eliminated from the pennant race. Fort Myers and Jupiter have already been mathematically bounced from the race for the South Division pennant.

FSL HONORS LENNERTON ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named the Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 15-21. The Flying Tiger first baseman/DH batted .550 on the week with four runs scored, three doubles, a home run and three runs batted in. Lennerton is the first Lakeland player to be so honored this year and the second Flying Tiger member to be recognized joining Drew Smyly who was the FSL Pitcher of the Week for June 6-12.

LUCKY 13 ... Jared Wesson picked up his 13th win of the season on Thursday holding Dunedin to one unearned run on three hits over 6.0 innings with six strikeouts. The 13 victories is the most for a Lakeland pitcher since Jordan Tata finished the 2005 season with a 13-2 record. The two hurlers are the only two Lakeland pitchers to have recorded 13 wins since 1997 when Brian Powell posted a 13-9 mark.

CLOSING IN ... Tony Plagman leads the Florida State League with 90 runs batted in on the 2011 season – the most for a Flying Tiger player since Ryan Streiby knocked in 94 runs in 2008 and the fourth most RBI for a Lakeland player since 1974. With 12 games left, Plagman would need to average one RBI per game to tie Brent Clevlen for the franchise record of 102 set in 2005. Next up for Plagman is Alejandro Freire’s third place total of 92 set in 1997.

STEADY GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has hits in each of his last five games and is 7-for-18 (.389) in those five outings.

SAME FOR JONES ... Corey Jones also has a five game hit streak going with seven hits in those games and is 7-for-17 (.412) in the five games. He also had hits in 10 of his last 12 games with 14 hits for a .318 mark.

FOUR HOME DATES - SIX GAMES ... Lakeland has just four home dates remaining in the 2011 season, but fans will be treated to six games over those four days. Following this four-game road trip at Clearwater, the Flying Tigers return home on Aug. 30 to host the Dunedin Blue Jays in a 5:00 p.m. doubleheader. Game two on Aug. 30 is the make-up game from a July 7 rain out. The two teams play a third game on Aug. 31. Lakeland and Tampa then play an alternating home and home four-game series with the Sept. 2 date in Lakeland another twin-bill. Game two on that date is make-up of the Aug. 18 rain out.

IT’S EZero ... Based on league statistics, the Clearwater official scorer could probably tuck his error stamp in his back pocket as Clearwater and Lakeland are two of the top fielding teams in the Florida State League. The two clubs feature four of the top fielding players in the FSL with the Flying Tigers’ Wade Gaynor (3B, .953) and the Threshers’ Cesar Hernandez (2B, .975), Tony Hanzawa (SS, .970) and Sebastian Valle (C, .997) all leading their respective positions.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... As mentioned, Tony Plagman leads with 90 runs batted in, third with 214 total bases and fourth with 49 extra base hits. Plagman has also been intentionally walked a league-high six times ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 89 walks (second most in Lakeland history) ... Jared Wesson is second with 13 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Lakeland is tied for third with Dunedin with a .978 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (118), total chances (362), putouts (99), assists (246), and double plays (25).

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 23-25)

2011-08-22T19:55:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games in this road series are 7 pm starts and can be heard on the internet via the Blue Jays website.

THE FLYING TIGERS (59-64 all, 23-30 2nd half, 6th, 7.5 GB) ... Lakeland dropped two of three in their series against Clearwater including a 7-1 loss on Sunday. The Flying Tigers had reached double digits in hits in three of their last seven games for a .310 batting average and have hit 12 doubles and eight homers in the seven games. The team has also struck out 53 times while walking 16 times in those seven games.

THE BLUE JAYS (71-55, 32-24 2nd half, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Dunedin is coming off a three-game sweep of Daytona and has won six of the last seven and nine of the last 11 games. The streak has allowed the Blue Jays to take a 1.5 game lead in the North Division over Tampa. Brad Glenn leads the Florida State League with 23 home runs and is fourth with a .516 slugging percentage while Brian Van Kirk is fifth with a .508 slugging mark. Brad McElroy is fifth with 29 stolen bases. Sean Ochinko has 31 doubles to rank third in the league

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tue., Aug. 23 - Jared Wesson (12-10, 4.83 ERA) has dropped his last two starts and has a 6.62 earned run average over his last three outings. Wesson is 6-6 with a 4.46 ERA at home and 6-4 with a 5.30 ERA on the road. Righthanded batters are hitting almost .100 points higher than lefties against Wesson posting a .313 average vs. a .215 mark from the other side of the plate. This will be his first time facing Dunedin in 2011.
Wed., Aug. 24 - Shawn Teufel (4-3, 3.63 ERA at Lakeland) made his last start at AAA Toledo, picking up the win with six innings of shutout ball against the Buffalo Bison, a team managed by his father, Tim Teufel. Shawn struck out seven and issued three free passes while holding the Bison to three hits. Teufel is 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 10 games on the road with a 1-2 record and a 4.00 ERA in nine home appearances. He has two relief outings against the Blue Jays with a 1.69 ERA.
Thu., Aug. 25 - Luke Putkonen (1-5, 5.43 ERA) took the mound on Aug. 18 in this first Lakeland start since July 4. Against Clearwater on the 18th, he worked 4.1 shutout innings with seven strikeouts while allowing four hits, but did not factor into the decision. Putkonen is 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA in six starts this season and 1-1 with a 4.82 earned run average in 10 relief appearances. He is 0-2 against Dunedin this season.
THIS SEASON ... The two clubs have faced each other 12 times this season with each club emerging victorious in six games. Wade Gaynor has 12 hits in the series with two homers and 10 runs batted in while Tony Plagman has 11 hits, two homers and nine RBI. Victor Larez has 13.0 shutout innings against the Blue Jays in one start and two relief appearances.

EVEN DOZEN FOR WESSON ... With 12 wins, Jared Wesson is trying to become the first Lakeland pitcher since Jordan Tata in 1997 (13-2) to record 13 wins in a single season. Prior to that, you’d have to go back to 1997 to find a Lakeland pitcher with 13 wins as Brian Powell turned in a 13-9 record that season. The Lakeland franchise record is held by Mike Chris who went 18-5 in 1977.

NOT THAT KIND ... Four Flying Tigers rank in the top five in strikeouts in the Florida State League. Unfortunately, they are all batters, not pitchers. Daniel Fields has struck out the most of any player in the FSL with 124 whiffs (one more than Bradenton’s Evan Chambers). Avisail Garcia is third with 120 strikeouts while Wade Gaynor is fourth at 119 and Jordan Lennerton ranks fifth with 115 Ks.

FAULK FAULT ... Kenny Faulk allowed a home run in his last outing on Aug. 19 against Clearwater. It was the first run allowed by the former closer since July 26. Faulk has struck out 14 batters and walked just one while surrendering seven hits over 10.1 innings in the eight games. He is 1-1 in his last two appearances.

FSL HONORS LENNERTON ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named the Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 15-21. The Flying Tiger first baseman/DH batted .550 on the week with four runs scored, three doubles, a home run and three runs batted in. Lennerton is the first Lakeland player to be so honored this year and the second Flying Tiger to be recognized joining Drew Smyly who was the FSL Pitcher of the Week for June 6-12. This is the second time Lennerton has garnered FSL honors, having been named Player of the Week exactly one year ago for the Week of Aug. 16-22, 2010.

FLYING TIGER FLURRY ... In one of the biggest transaction days in recent Lakeland history, the Flying Tigers added five players while seeing two players get promoted to Erie and one sent to the Gulf Coast League. Rejoining Lakeland were Shawn Teufel from Toledo and Ryan Soares from West Michigan. Three 2011 draft picks were also added to the roster in Brandon Loy (5th round), Brandon Eckerle (32nd round), and Eric Heckaman (35th round). Loy was a finalist for College Shortstop of the Year while playing for the University of Texas while batting .342 with 19 stolen bases for the Longhorns. Eckerle won the Big Ten batting crown with a .379 average and set a single-season record for hits (96) while playing collegiately at Michigan State University. Heckaman had ten saves at Western Michigan University where he was a college teammate of former Flying Tiger Brian Stroud. Loy and Eckerle each had two singles in their Lakeland debuts on Saturday. (Heckaman was sent back to the GCL on Monday.)

RARE PINCH-HIT AT BAT ... Jeff Kunkel pinch-hit for Ryan Soares in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, Aug. 21 against Clearwater. It was the first pinch-hit appearance by a Flying Tiger since June 29 and just the fifth substitute batter this season for Lakeland. Combined Lakeland’s four previous pinch-hit are a combined 1-for-5 with Brett Wyatt singling for Daniel Fields on April 28 at Clearwater for the only pinch-hit.

TOP TEN TWO-BAGGERS ... Tony Plagman is tied with eight other players for eighth spot on Lakeland’s top ten list for doubles in a single season. Plagman has 28 with Curtis Granderson (2003), Daryle Ward (1996) and Doug Strange (1986) are tied for seventh with 29 doubles. Wade Gaynor and Jordan Lennerton are tied with Brian Rios (1999) for tenth place with 27 doubles. The Lakeland record is 40 set by Gabe Kapler in 1997.

90 RIBBIES ... Tony Plagman is also in fourth place with 90 runs batted in trailing Alejandro Freire (92 in 1997) and Ryan Strieby (94 in 2008). The Lakeland record is 105 set by Brent Clevlen in 2005.

NO THIEVES IN THE HOUSE ... Three players in the Florida State League have more stolen bases individually than the Flying Tigers do as a team. Tyler Botnick of Charlotte leads the FSL with 41 while Kentrail Davis (32) of Brevard County and Pedro Zapata (31) of St. Lucie have more than Lakeland’s 30 stolen bases.

BROTHERS IN ARMS (OR BATS) ... Tony Plagman and Jordan Lennerton have split time at first base and DH all season and have played in the more games than all but one player in the league (Plagman has played one more game that Lennerton). The duo has also combined for the most home runs (28) than other two Lakeland teammates since 2008. Plagman leads the club with 17 homers while Lennerton has hit 11 dingers. In 2008, Jeremy Laster hit 24 home runs while Justin Justice and Cale Iorg each hit 10 long balls.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Tony Plagman leads with 89 RBI; tied for second with 49 extra base hits; and fourth with 207 total bases ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 89 walks.

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Aug. 19-21)

2011-08-19T11:18:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... The three games in this home series are all played at different times. Friday’s game is at 7 pm while Saturday is a 6 pm start. The series wraps up with a 1 pm game on Sunday.

THE FLYING TIGERS (58-62 all, 22-28 2nd half, 6th, 5.5 GB) ... Lakeland saw its three game win streak snapped with a 7-2, six-inning, loss to Tampa on Thursday in a rain-shortened game. Game two was postponed due to heavy rains and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sept. 2 at 5 pm. Rain has now affected 11 of the last 18 scheduled games. With the rain comes a lot of DHs resulting in the fact that Lakeland has played games of seven or fewer innings eight times in the last nine games.

THE THRESHERS (65-56, 26-26 2nd half, 3rd, 2.5 GB) ... Clearwater downed Dunedin 6-1 on Thursday to snap a five-game losing streak. Three Thresher hurlers rank in the top ten in the Florida State League in terms of earned average in Jonathan Pettibone (6th, 3.08); Julio Rodriguez (8th, 3.14); and Trevor May (9th, 3.34). Rodriguez has a league-best 15 wins (three more than Lakeland’s Jared Wesson who is second) while May has racked up a FSL-high 189 strikeouts – 56 more than Rodriguez who is second with 133. The 189 K’s is the most for a FSL pitcher since Matthew Moore retired 208 batters last season for Charlotte. Darin Ruf is fourth in the league with a .313 average while leading the FSL with 35 doubles, 52 extra base hits and 216 total bases. He ranks second with 133 hits and is fifth with a .508 slugging percentage. Clearwater is the best fielding team in the FSL with a .980 fielding percentage while Cesar Hernandez (2B), Troy Hanzawa (SS) and Sebastian Valle (C), all lead their respective positions in fielding percentage.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ... (With recent promotions, Mission Notes opts to to take a guess at probable starters for this series).

THIS SEASON ... Clearwater has won seven of the 11 meetings between these two clubs this season, but Lakeland has taken two of the last three. Avisail Garcia has 13 hits in nine games against the Threshers while Wade Gaynor has 11 base knocks.

SEVEN LEFT ... Tonight is the first of seven remaining home dates for Lakeland. Following a three-game set with Clearwater, Lakeland has a day off and then hits the road for seven games before returning home for two dates against Dunedin on Aug. 30 and 31. The Aug. 30 date will be a 5 pm doubleheader. Lakeland then does the home and home shuffle with Tampa playing home games on Sept. 2 (also a twin-bill) and then closing the season with a 11 a.m. game on Sunday, Sept. 4.

DO THE ROSTER SHUFFLE ... Lakeland lost two players on Wednesday and gained three others in a flurry of activity. Pitchers Ryan Robowski (2-1, 2.35 ERA, 20 APP) and Jared Gayhart (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 APP) were sent to AA Erie. Rejoining the Flying Tigers are pitchers Victor Larez and Nate Newman, both from West Michigan, and catcher Jeff Kunkel, from AAA Toledo. All three players are making their third stop in Lakeland in 2011. Newman was 1-0 with three saves and a 3.24 ERA at West Michigan while Larez was 3-2 with a 5.28 ERA with the Whitecaps. Kunkel has played in 19 games at Toledo, 12 games in Erie and 8 games in Lakeland.

SON VS POP ... Shawn Teufel took a flight north on Wednesday, getting a spot start in Toledo. It was a special night for Shawn, not for the fact it marked his first start at the AAA level, but for the fact that the start came against a Bisons team managed by his father, Tim Teufel, who is in his first season as the Buffalo skipper. The younger Teufel came out on top, getting the win with 6.0 shutouts innings, holding Buffalo to three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

HOPPING ON THE TOLEDO EXPRESS ... The roster moves keep a comin’ as Trevor Feeney was sent to Toledo on Friday. Feeney was 8-11 with a 4.39 ERA for Lakeland this season and needed four more strikeouts to become the 33rd Lakeland pitcher to reach triple digits in strikeouts.

ANYONE WANT TO PITCH? ... Since Aug. 13 six Lakeland pitchers have been moved off the roster – two sent to Toledo (Trevor Feeney and Shawn Teufel), two sent Erie (Jared Gayhart and Ryan Robowski), one sent to the GCL Tigers (Brian Stroud) and one traded (Cole Nelson to Minnesota and subsequently assigned to Fort Myers). Only two pitchers have been added to the Flying Tigers (Victor Larez and Nate Newman). That leaves the staff a few arms (and starters) shy.

HIT FEST ... Lakeland exploded for 18 hits on Tuesday in a 12-5 win at Tampa. Jordan Lennerton led the hit parade with a 4-for-6 night (including two hits in the ninth inning) while Avisail Garcia and Corey Jones each added three hits. William Bergolla and Michael Rockett had two hits a piece with Rockett driving in four runs. The 18 hits is the most Lakeland has had this season since collecting 21 hits in a 14-5 win at Brevard County on May 1.

ONCE A MONTH ... The Flying Tigers scored seven runs in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday to down Tampa 12-5. The seven-run ninth marked the fourth time this season the squad has tallied seven scores in a single frame. Lakeland first accomplished the feat on May 17 at Charlotte and then did so again on June 10 vs. Daytona. The third time came on July 6 against Dunedin.

LEAPIN’ LENNERTON ... Jordan Lennerton brings a six-game hit streak into this series and is 12-for-22 with four doubles and a homer during that stretch. He has eight hits in 12 at bats in his last three games.

THE DINGERS KEEP RINGING ... Avisail Garcia hit the first offering he saw in the second inning over the right field fence for Lakeland’s six homer in the last four games and the 21st homer since July 27. The Flying Tigers have hit homers in 14 of the last 20 games. Garcia’s homer was his second homer in the last four games. The rightfielder is 6-for-15 (.400) with the pair of homers and a double, plus four runs scored and four RBI in those four games.

BERGOLLA BANGIN’ ... Although he was held hitless in three at bats on Thursday, William Bergolla is 7-for-16 (.438) in his last four games with a double and a homer.

ROB RIGHT ... Rob Brantly is 4-for-40 (.400) in his last three games with a double and two runs scored and two more runs driven in.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Tony Plagman is first with 89 runs batted in (eight more than the second place total) and is gunning to be the first Lakeland player to lead the league in RBI since Ryan Strieby knocked in 94 runs in 2008. Plagman is tied for second with 48 extra base hits and fourth with 207 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 88 walks ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is fourth with 20 saves ... Trevor Feeney is second with 143.2 innings pitched and is third with 1.75 walks allowed per nine innings ... Lakeland is tied with Dunedin for second with a .978 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in fielding percentage (.957), games played (112), total chances (350), putouts (97), assists (238) and double plays (23).

FSL RACE ... With first half winners, Daytona and St. Lucie, falling back in the second half, odds have it that two new teams will take the second halves in their respective divisions. In the North, Dunedin has a 1.5 game lead over Tampa while Clearwater is 2.5 games back. Both Brevard County and Daytona have identical records and trail by 3.0 games. Lakeland is 5.5 games out of first. In the South Division, Bradenton has a 33-19 record and a 2.5 game lead over Palm Beach. St. Lucie is in third, a distant 6.0 games back.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Aug. 16-18

2011-08-15T20:19:00.003-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland plays at Tampa Tuesday night and then returns to Lakeland for games against the Yankees on Wednesday and Thursday. All three games are slated for 7 pm starts.

THE FLYING TIGERS (57-61 all, 21-27 2nd half, 6th, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland picked up two wins over Brevard County in their recent series. The two wins snapped a three-game skid for the Flying Tigers who are now 3-6 their last nine games. Lakeland is 30-30 at home this season and 27-31 on the road.

THE YANKEES (63-56, 26-24 2nd half, 2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Tampa dropped a 7-5 game to Dunedin on Monday dropping them 1.0 game behind the Blue Jays in the second-half standings. Abraham Almonte is fourth in the Florida State League with 76 runs scored and second with 10 triples. Almonte has also swiped a team-leading 24 stolen bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tuesday (8/16) - Mark Sorensen (2-2, 3.86) tossed six shutout innings in his last start on Aug. 11 against Daytona. Sorensen held the Cubs to five hits with four strikeouts in winning his second straight game. He now has a 2-1 record with a 1.89 ERA in his last three starts with 10 strikeouts.
Wednesday (8/17) - Jared Wesson (12-9, 4.69) is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three games against Tampa this season. He was tagged with the loss in his last start on Aug. 11 against Daytona despite holding the Cubs to two runs. His 12 wins is the fifth most in a single season for any Lakeland pitcher. With his next win he’ll move into a tie with five other pitchers at 13 wins, including Jordan Tata who was the last Tigers to pick up a baker’s dozen wins, doing so in 2005.
Thursday (8/18) - Michael Morrison (2-2, 3.86) made his first professional career start on Aug. 12 working two no-hit, shutout innings with four strikeouts against Brevard County before rains suspended the game. It was his first start since starting a game in college for Cal State Fullerton in 2008. Morrison is 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA as reliever and now has 40 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched.
THIS SEASON ... Tampa has won nine of the 13 meetings so far this season. Jordan Lennerton has a .356 average with 10 walks against the Yankees while Tony Plagman has homered twice and driven in 10 runs. Corey Jones has six doubles in the series.

PLAGMAN IN THE BOOKS ... With a home run to drive in three runs on Sunday at Brevard, Tony Plagman moves into fifth place on the Lakeland single season RBI list with 88, one behind Chris Wakeland who finished the 1998 season with 89. Alejandro Freiere is third with 92 RBI in 1997, while Ryan Strieby is second with 94 in 2008. The Lakeland record of 102 runs batted in was set by Brent Clevlen in 2005.

TONY TERRIFIC ... His homer on Sunday gives Tony Plagman 17 round-trippers on the season, the eighth most homers in a single season for any Lakeland player. He is currently tied with Chris Maples who had 17 homes in 2004. His next homer will move Plagman into a six-way tie for seventh place with Jeff Larish (2006), Derek Nicholson, Brent Clevlen and Kelly Hunt (all in 2005) and Chris Wakeland (1998). Kabe Kapler is in sixth place with 19 homers in 1997. The Lakeland franchise record is 28 home runs set in 2008 by Ryan Streiby.

BRAVO BERGOLLA ... William Bergolla has seven hits in his last four games and has a pair of doubles and three homers in his last eight games.

JORDAN, JORDAN ... Jordan Lennerton has three doubles in the last four games and is 6-for-14 (.429) in those four games. His 87 walks on the season is second to Bernie Anderson’s franchise record of 114 in 1987.

NEIN ON NINE ... Lakeland hasn’t played a nine-inning game since Aug. 6 with one 13-inning contest and seven consecutive seven-inning games.

E. ROOF ROLLING ... Eric Roof has hits in seven of his last eight games going 10-for-26 for a .385 clip.

S. ROOF FLIES AWAY ... While his brother, Eric, is getting his trips around the bases, Shawn Roof is getting a trip North as the infielder was assigned to Erie on Monday. Roof had played in 14 games for Lakeland with a .348 average. He opened the season in Lakeland and went to Erie after just two games. At Erie, Roof batted .302 in 49 games before being sent to back to Lakeland on July 22.

NELSON TRADED TO TWINS ... Detroit acquired outfielder Delmon Young on Monday in exchange for Flying Tiger Cole Nelson and a player to be named later. Nelson was 5-11 overall for Lakeland with a 4.87 ERA in 26 games, including 17 starts. As a reliever, he had a 1-1 mark with a 2.50 ERA. Nelson is the second Flying Tiger involved in a trade this season joining Julio Rodriguez who was sent to Kansas City on July 20 as part of the Wilson Betemit deal.

HOMERS, ROUND-TRIPPERS AND DINGERS ... Whatever you want to call them, Lakeland has had a bunch of them as of late. The Flying Tigers have clubbed 15 home runs in the last 13 games with homers in 10 of the 13 games.

MULTI-GRAIN BREAD ... With two hits against Brevard on Aug. 13, Tony Plagman now has 30 games this season with two or more hits – the most multi-hit games of any Flying Tiger. Avisail Garcia is second with 28 games with two or more base hits while Corey Jones is third with 26. Wade Gaynor, Brent Wyatt and Jordan Lennerton all have 24 multi-hit games.

RIBBIES IN BUNCHES ... With his three-run homer on Sunday at Brevard, Tony Plagman also leads the Flying Tigers with 21 games with two or more runs batted in. Jordan Lennerton is second with 15 multi-hit RBI games while Wade Gaynor is third with 13 games with two or more RBI.

LET’S GET IT STARTED ... The Lakeland starting pitchers have allowed just seven earned runs over the last six games for a 2.10 earned run average in that stretch.

LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES ... Lakeland is hitting .258 against right handed pitchers and .259 against left handers. The difference, however, is with the long ball. The Flying have hit 53 home runs against righties, but just 19 against lefties.

HEY, NOAH! ... With all the rains Lakeland has experienced in the past week, the squad ought to managed by Noah. The Aug. 6 was delayed 34 minutes while rains forced a suspension of game one of a scheduled doubleheader on Aug. 7. That game was completed in 13 innings on Aug. 8. The Aug. 9 game at home with Daytona was called due to rain forcing a doubleheader on Aug. 10 which also got washed out. The team squeezed in a couple of games before Mother Nature again stepped to the plate suspending game two of the Aug, 12 doubleheader. Rains came once again on Aug. 14 forcing the cancellation of the second game of that doubleheader.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is third with 20 saves ... Trevor Feeney leads with 143.2 innings pitched and is third with 1.75 walks allowed per nine innings ... Tony Plagman is first with 88 runs batted in (eight more than the second place total), is fourth with 47 extra base hits and 205 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 87 walks ... Lakeland is second with a .979 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman in fielding percentage (.956), games played (110), total chances (341), putouts (93), assists (233) and double plays (22).

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 12-14)

2011-08-12T06:58:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Thanks to rain outs last week in Brevard, these two teams will play five games over the weekend starting with a 5 pm doubleheader on Friday in Lakeland. Saturday has the two teams playing a single game at 6 pm at Joker Marchant Stadium while the two clubs travel to Brevard for another doubleheader Sunday at 4:05 pm. All of this, on top of a Thursday doubleheader split with Daytona, has Lakeland playing seven games in four days. (Speaking of doubleheaders, the Flying Tigers will also play a twin-bill on Aug. 30 in Lakeland against Dunedin.)

THE FLYING TIGERS (55-59 all, 19-25 2nd half, 6th, 4.5 GB) ... Lakeland split a doubleheader with Daytona on Thursday, trading shutouts with the Cubs. The Flying Tigers won game one 6-0 behind six shutout innings by Mark Sorensen and dropped game two 4-0. The loss in game two was Lakeland’s fourth in the last five games. Lakeland is hitting .248 as a team with a 3.85 earned run average.

THE MANATEES (48-66, 21-23 2nd half, 5th, 2.5 GB) ... Brevard County also played a twin-bill on Thursday, dropping two games to Dunedin, falling 7-6 in nine innings in game one and 9-3 in game two. The losses snapped a four-game win streak by the Manatees. Scooter Gennett leads the Florida State League with 141 base hits (12 more than the second place total) while Kentrail Davis is second with 30 stolen bases and fifth with 67 runs scored. Brevard County is hitting .265 as a team with a league-high 4.75 staff ERA. The Manatees have committed the second most errors in the league and have the second worst fielding percentage of any FSL squad.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Friday (8/12) - Brian Stroud (0-2, 9.00) and TBA. Stroud has allowed six earned runs in each of his two starts for Lakeland and went 6.0 innings in both outings while surrendering a combined four homers. He has struck out 10 in the two games while walking just one.
Saturday (8/13) - Shawn Teufel (3-3, 3.99) is 0-0 in two appearances and one start versus Brevard County. In his last start on July 6 against the Manatees, he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings in a no-decision outing. Teufel is 0-2 with a 5.06 earned run average at home this season and 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA away from Joker Machant Stadium
Sunday (8/14) - Trevor Feeney (7-11, 4.45) and TBA. Feeney is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA against the Manatees this season. He dropped his last start on July 8 against Brevard County going 6.0 innings while allowing six runs on eight hits. Feeney is 2-5 in the second half after posting a 5-6 mark in the first half. He has 90 strikeouts on the year and needs 10 more to become the 33rd Lakeland pitcher to reach triple digits in punch outs.
THIS SEASON ... The Manatees have taken nine of the 13 games played so far this season between the two clubs, including four straight and six of the last seven. Tony Plagman has 16 hits, including three homers in the series while Avisail Garcia (two homers) and Jordan Lennerton each have 15 hits against Brevard County. Scooter Gennett leads the Manatees with 19 hits in the series while Evan Anundsen has two wins in relief for Brevard County against Lakeland.

WHITHER THE WOOD ... After averaging almost 12 hits (11.86) a game from July 29 to Aug. 6, Lakeland has managed just over six hits (6.25) per outing in the last four games.

LEAVING THE YARD ... With William Bergolla’s three-run homer in game one on Thursday, Lakeland has hit at least one round-tripper in seven of the last nine games.

TAMED AT TEN ... With a double and a home run in game one on Thursday against Daytona, William Bergolla extended his hit streak to ten games going 14-for-36 (.388) with two doubles and two homers dating back to July 26. Unfortunately, that’s where the streak ended as the Lakeland shortstop was held hitless in two at bats in game two.

TURN LEFT AT FIRST ... Tony Plagman has eight base hits in his last eight games with half of those eight hits being doubles. The other half have been singles. With his two doubles in Thursday’s doubleheader, Plagman now has 27 doubles on the season, tying him with Brian Rios for the ninth most doubles in Lakeland single-season history.

DOG DAYS OF AUGUST ... Shawn Roof leads the Flying Tigers with a .394 average in the month of August while William Bergolla has a .353 mark this month. Eric Roof and Jordan Lennerton are also over .300 with .333 and .324 averages, respectively.

HITTIN’ AND GIVIN’ ... The Manatees have hit 92 homers as a team, the second-highest total in the FSL while the Flying Tigers have allowed the fifth most homers of any FSL pitching staff. On the other side of the field, the Lakeland has hit 67 round-trippers, fourth fewest in the league while Brevard County has given up the third most dingers of any league staff.

FILM AT 11 ... With Friday’s doubleheader, Lakeland has just 11 scheduled home dates left in the 2011 season. Following this two-game homestand, the Flying Tigers will be at home on Aug. 17-18 against Tampa and Aug. 19-21 to face Clearwater. The squad then hits the road for eight days before returning to Joker Marchant Stadium for games versus Dunedin on Aug. 30-31. Lakeland concludes the regular season with single home dates on Sept. 2 and 4 against Tampa. The final home game on Sept. 4 will be a special Sunday morning 11:00 start.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is third with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman is first with 85 runs batted in (nine more than the second place total), is tied for third with 46 extra base hits and is fourth with 199 total bases ... Trevor Feeney is second with 137.2 innings pitched and fourth with 1.83 walks allowed per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 86 walks ... Lakeland is second with a .979 fielding percentage ... Corey Jones (2B, .975) and Wade Gaynor (3B, .955) lead their respective positions in fielding percentage. Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (106), total chances (331), putouts (89), assists (227) and double plays (21).

CROWDED AT THE TOP ... Three teams sit atop the North Division as Clearwater, Dunedin and Tampa all sport identical 25-22 records. Daytona, the first half winner, and Brevard County are tied at 2.5 games back while the Flying Tigers are 4.5 games back.

UP ON THE FARM ... Here’s a look at how some of the former Lakeland players are doing in their advanced careers in the Detroit organization:

Justin Verlander has a Major League leading 17 wins and is also tops in the Majors with 196 strikeouts. He is third in the American League with a 2.35 ERA
Duane Below is fifth in the International League (IL) with a 3.13 ERA at Toledo and is third with a .232 opponent’s batting average.
Ryan Strieby is fifth in the IL with 69 runs batted in for the Mud Hens.
Justin Henry is eighth in the Eastern League (EL) with a .303 batting average and third with a .405 on-base percentage at Erie.
Jacob Turner is eighth in the EL with a 3.48 ERA for the SeaWolves.

LAKELAND IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Tony Plagman leads among Detroit minor leaguers with 85 runs batted in and second with 16 home runs ... Jordan Lennerton is fourth among the minor Tigers with 56 runs batted in ... Jared Wesson has an organization best 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk’s 20 saves leads all Detroit minor league pitchers ... Lakeland’s team batting average of .258 is third highest among the six Detroit minor league teams while the staff ERA of 3.85 ranks fourth.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 9-11)

2011-08-08T23:26:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games in this series at Lakeland’s Joker Marchant Stadium and will all get underway at 7 pm. Each game can be heard via the Cubs’ internet broadcasts.

THE FLYING TIGERS (54-58 all, 18-24 2nd half, 6th, 5.0 GB) ... Lakeland has dropped its last three games including back-to-back one-run losses. On Sunday, the club battled Brevard County to a 4-4 tie through 10 innings of a scheduled seven inning game before the contest was suspended due to rain. Coming back on Monday, the Manatees prevailed in 13 innings posting a 5-4 win. In the game that followed, the teams swapped leads before Hunter Morris hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 5-5 tie and lift Brevard County to the 6-5 win in seven innings. The Flying Tigers are now 18-13 in one-run games.

THE CUBS (68-46, 21-23 2nd half, 5th, 3.0 GB) ... Daytona is coming off a 2-1, ten-inning, loss at Clearwater on Monday. The loss is the Cubs’ fourth in their last five games and drops the club into fifth place after capturing the first half pennant with a 47-23 record. Justin Bour is tied for second in the Florida State League with 21 homers, just one behind the leader, Brad Glenn of Dunedin, while his 75 RBI is second to Lakeland’s Tony Plagman’s 85 ribbies. Evan Crawford is sixth in the FSL with a .313 batting average and is fourth with 28 stolen bases while Logan Watkins is tied for first with 11 triples.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tuesday (8/09) - Mark Sorensen (1-2, 4.91) recorded his first win in four starts for Lakeland by defeating Daytona on Aug. 4 in his last start. Sorensen held the Cubs to three runs on five hits over 7.0 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. He has a 2.77 ERA and a 1-1 record in his last two starts allowing four earned runs.
Wednesday (8/10) - Jared Wesson (12-8, 4.77) has won his last two starts including a win over the Cubs on Aug, 5 despite allowing six earned runs over 6.0 innings. Wesson is 3-1 versus Daytona this season. His 12 wins is tied for fifth most for a Lakeland pitcher and is the most since Jonah Nickerson finished 12-4 for the 2008 Flying Tigers..
Thursday (8/11) - Brian Stroud (0-2, 9.00) has lost both his starts since joining Lakeland on July 30. He has allowed six runs in each of his two starts and has surrendered 18 hits in the two outings. Stroud has racked up 10 strikeouts and walked just one in his two appearances.
THIS SEASON ... Lakeland had taken 10 of the 15 meetings between these two clubs and seven of the last nine, including the last two straight. The 10 wins is the most wins over any FSL team by Lakeland this season. Three of those victories belong to Jared Wesson who is 3-1 against the Cubs, despite a 6.04 ERA in his four starts. William Bergolla has a .424 in nine games versus Daytona with a pair of homers while Tony Plagman carries a .339 average against Daytona with six doubles and 14 RBI in the 15 games. Rob Brantly had five hits, including a home run, in the recent three game series at Daytona. The Cubs have won just once in six games in Lakeland this season.

BOMBS AWAY ... Lakeland hit homers in both games at Brevard County and has hit at least one round-tripper in six of the last seven games.

PATIENCE, MY YOUNG MAN ... The Flying Tigers have struck out 30 times over the last three games with half of those K’s coming in the first game at Brevard County on Aug. 7. On the other side of the plate, Lakeland has drawn just nine walks in those three games.

MANATEE MAKE-UPS ... The first game of Lakeland’s doubleheader at Brevard County on Sunday, Aug. 7 was suspended in the bottom of the 10th inning. The game was completed Monday (the Manatees won 5-4 in 13 innings) forcing Monday’s scheduled doubleheader games to be pushed back to the next series. One game will be made up in Lakeland on Aug. 12 as a DH while a second game will made up Aug. 14 in Brevard County as part of a twin-bill.

STARTERS STRUGGLE ... Lakeland’s starting pitchers have allowed four of more runs in each of the last four starts for a 8.49 ERA. Meanwhile, the bullpen has a 2.86 earned run average since July 27.

NADA FOR NELSON ... Cole Nelson continues his fine run in the Flying Tiger bullpen having surrendered just two runs since moving to the ‘pen on July 11. He has not given up a run in 12.0 innings over his last six outings. He now has a 1-0 record and a 1.10 ERA out of the bullpen opposed to a 4-10 record and a 5.36 mark as a starter.

TOUGH FOR TEUFEL ... While Cole Nelson has achieved success going from starter to reliever, Shawn Teufel has gone from reliever to starter and has struggled. He has a 1-3 record in his last five starts with a 6.39 earned run average. Teufel has a 5.05 ERA as a starter and was 2-0 with a 2.00 mark as a reliever.

BERGOLLA AT NINE ... William Bergolla has hits in each of his last nine games and is 12-for-33 for a .364 average with eight runs scored and seven runs batted in with a double and a homer.

JOLLY JORDAN ... Jordan Lennerton is 8-for-17 over his last four games with a .471 average with five runs scored and five more batted in with two homers and a double.

ROOF BROTHER #1 ... Eric Roof has hits in his last six games and is 9-for-21 during those games for a .429 mark. He has also scored nine runs and driven in three in those six games.

ROOF BROTHER #2 ... Shawn Roof had a seven-game hit-streak snapped on Monday. Prior to an 0-for-4 night in his last game, Roof was 13-for-28 for a .464 mark. He is now 13-for-34 (.382) since July 28.

GET YOUR FREE PASS HERE ... Jordan Lennerton has drawn a team-high 85 walks this season - that’s the second highest total in Lakeland history. The franchise record is 114 free passes earned by Bernie Anderson in 1987.

EVEN DOZEN FOR WESSON ... With his win on Friday, Jared Wesson is now 12-8 on the season. The 12 wins is the most for a Flying Tiger pitcher since Jonah Nickerson finished the 2008 season with a 12-4 record. Jordan Tata was the last Lakeland hurler to record 13 wins, completing his 2005 campaign at 13-2. Prior to that, you’d have to go back to 1997 to find a Lakeland pitcher with 13 wins as Brian Powell turned in a 13-9 record that season. The Lakeland franchise record is held by Mike Chris who went 18-5 in 1977.

TEN FOR 100 ... Trevor Feeney has a team-best 90 strikeouts this season. With 10 more punch outs, Feeney would become the 33rd Lakeland pitcher to reach triple digits in strikeouts.

THANKS FOR DROPPING BY ... Carlos De Los Santos was added to Lakeland’s roster on Aug. 5 from the Gulf Coast League Tigers, but was sent back to the club on Aug. 7.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman is first with 85 runs batted in (10 more than the second place total) and tied for fourth with 44 extra base hits and is also fourth with 195 total bases ... Trevor Feeney is fourth with 137.2 innings pitched and 1.83 walks allowed per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 85 walks ... Lakeland is second with a .979 fielding percentage ... Corey Jones (2B, .975) and Wade Gaynor (3B, .954) lead their respective positions in fielding percentage ... Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (104), total chances (324), putouts (86), assists (223) and double plays (21).

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 6-8)

2011-08-06T00:56:00.003-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... These two teams will face off five times in the next three days. After a 6 p.m. game Saturday in Lakeland, the two clubs travel to Brevard for a pair of doubleheaders to make up two rains outs on June 24 and 25. Sunday’s twin-bill gets underway at 4:05 p.m. while Monday’s doubleheader is set for 5:05 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (54-55 all, 18-21 2nd half, 5th, 3.0 GB) ... Lakeland took two of three at Daytona including an 11-6 victory on Friday in a game that saw Jordan Lennerton hit two home runs and drive in five runs. He is the second Lakeland player to drive in five runs in a game this season, joining Tony Plagman who accomplished the feat on July 29 on a 4-for-6 night at Fort Myers. The 15 hits marked the fifth time in the last seven games in which the Flying Tigers have had ten or more hits. Lakeland is batting .316 in those seven games with 55 run scored.

THE MANATEES (44-64, 18-21 2nd half, T-3rd, 2.0 GB) ... Brevard County lost to Dunedin by a 9-3 score on Friday. It was the Manatee’s second straight loss and the team’s seventh in the last eight contests. Prior to the last eight games, the squad had won five in a row. Brevard County has been outscored 50-14 in the last six games with eight of those runs coming in one outing. Two big reasons for the collapse is the departure of Brock Kjeldgaard, who was fourth in the FSL with 18 homers, and Khris Davis, who was 10th in the league with a .309 average. The offense still features Scooter Gennett, who leads the league with 129 base hits, and Kentrall Davis, who is second in the FSL with 30 stolen bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Friday (8/06) - Brian Stroud (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 1 GS) struck out six and walked one in 6.0 innings, but gave up six runs on ten hits in taking the loss on July 30 against Fort Myers in his Lakeland debut. .
Saturday (8/07 - Gm. 1) - Shawn Teufel (3-3, 3.71 ERA) had his best and longest outing in his last start on July 31 against Fort Myers. The former reliever struck out four and walked two in holding the Miracle to two runs on four hits. The win was his first as a starter and snapped a three-game losing streak for Teufel.
Saturday (8/07 - Gm. 2) - Zach Samuels (1-1, 1.41 ERA) last made a spot start on Aug. 1 against Fort Myers working 4.0 innings with three strikeouts in holding the Miracle to a pair of unearned runs on six hits.
Sunday (8/08 - Gm. 1) - Trevor Feeney (7-10, 4.24 ERA) struck out seven and walked three in limiting Daytona to two runs on five hits in his last start on Aug. 3. He is looking for his first win since beating Bradenton on July 11.
Sunday (8/08 - Gm. 2) - Luke Putkonen (1-5, 6.48 ERA) will be starting his first game since beating Bradenton on July 9. He was 0-4 with a 6.60 ERA in five games as a starter and has a 1-1 mark with a 6.17 earned run average in eight games as a reliever.
THIS SEASON ... These two clubs have met ten times prior to this series with the Manatees holding a 6-4 edge in games won. Wade Gaynor sports a hefty .351 average in the ten games while Avisail Garcia is close behind with a .341 mark and a pair of home runs. Tony Plagman has clubbed three round-trippers in the series.

DUAL ROUND TRIPPERS ... Jordan Lennerton slammed two home runs against Daytona on Friday to drive in five runs. He is the first Flying Tiger to have two homers in once game since Jordan Newton hit a pair against Saint Lucie on July 30, 2009.

NOT THE ONLY ONE ... Jordan Lennerton’s two homers on Friday capped a four-game spurt that has seen Lakeland club seven homers.

DOUBLE DOWN ... With doubles by Sean Roof and Ron Brantly on Friday, the Flying Tigers have had at least one double in seven straight games including five games with two or more two baggers.

GOING DOWN IN STYLE ... William Bergolla suffered an injury on a home run swing on Thursday at Daytona. He was replaced at shortstop by Shawn Roof. The homer gave Bergolla a hit in eight straight games. He was 11-for-28 (.393) with six runs scored and five runs batted in.

MARKING HIS PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY ... New Flying Tiger catcher Rob Brantly has adjusted nicely to the jump from West Michigan to Lakeland. The former Whitecap has hit safely in his last seven games (9-for-30, .300) with five runs scored and nine more batted in. He has also had a pair of homers and a pair of doubles in those seven games.

ONE AT A TIME ... Daniel Fields has one hit in five straight games and one base hit in 11 of his last 12 games.

SNAP! ... Avisail Garcia was held hitless in two at bats on Friday, snapping a nine-game hit streak in which he was 15-for-36 (.417) with a home run and three doubles. Tony Plagman took a nine-game hit streak into Friday’s game, but was also held without a hit to see a stretch in which he was 14-for-37 (.378) with seven runs scored and 13 RBI with a pair of homers and a double come to a close.

NO ROUGH GOING FOR THE ROOFS ... The Brothers Roof, Eric and Shawn, have carried hot bats in the last few games. Eric, the catching Roof brother, has seven hits in 14 at bats in his last four games while Shawn, who has moved to shortstop, has 11 hits in 20 at bats in his last five games, including seven hits in the last two games.

EVEN DOZEN FOR WESSON ... With his win on Friday, Jared Wesson is now 12-8 on the season. The 12 wins is the most for a Flying Tiger pitcher since Jonah Nickerson finished the 2008 season with a 12-4 record. Jordan Tata was the last Lakeland hurler to record 13 wins, completing his 2005 campaign at 13-2. Prior to that, you’d have to go back to 1997 to find a Lakeand pitcher with 13 wins as Brian Powell turned in a 13-9 record that season. The Lakeland franchise record is held by Mike Chris who went 18-5 in 1977.

WELCOME IN AND WELCOME BACK ... Lakeland welcomed a new infielder on Friday as Carlos De Los Santos joined the club from the Gulf Coast League Tigers. De Los Santos, a non-drafted free agent signed by Detroit in 2010, was batting .199 in 36 games in the GCL after hitting .261 in the 2010 Dominican Summer League. Another new face is a familiar one as Ryan Robowski rejoins the club after a short stint in AAA Toledo where he appeared in one game, striking out one and walking one in one inning of work. Robowski was 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and two saves in 27 appearances for the Flying Tigers before lending an arm to the Mud Hens on July 26.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... With his win on Friday, Jared Wesson is second with 12 wins ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves and first among relievers with 11.34 strikeouts per nine innings ... Tony Plagman is first with 84 runs batted in (nine more than the second place total) and fourth with 191 total bases ... Trevor Feeney is fourth with 131.2 innings pitched ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 82 walks ... Wade Gaynor is tied for fourth with 26 doubles ... Lakeland is tied for first with a .979 fielding percentage ... Corey Jones (2B, .975) and Wade Gaynor (3B, .952) lead their respective positions in fielding percentage ... Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (101), total chances (315), putouts (83), assists (217) and double plays (21).

COUNTDOWN TO 3800 ... The Lakeland franchise entered the 2011 season with 3,744 overall wins dating back to 1963. With 54 wins this season, Lakeland now has 3,798 wins, needing two more for 3,800.

Mission Notes vs. Fort Myers (July 29-Aug. 1)

2011-07-29T14:46:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played in Fort Myers beginning with 7:05 p.m. start times on Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s game gets underway at 1:05 p.m. while Monday’s game moves back to 7:05 p.m. All games will be carried live on internet radio. Check the Miracle’s website for details.

THE FLYING TIGERS (49-53 all, 13-19 2nd half, 6th, 6.0 GB) ... Lakeland dropped a doubleheader last night to Palm Beach losing 6-5 and 3-1 in a twin bill delayed 1:19 due rain. Both games were over 2:18 long with game two ending at 11:40 p.m. The pair of losses gives Lakeland a 2-9 record over the last 11 games. An obvious big part of the problem is a rack of run production as the Flying Tigers have been shut out three times and held to one run four times in that skid. A key hit here or there could’ve changed the fate of some games as Lakeland has averaged 8.0 runners left on base in the last 11 games. The Flying Tigers are batting .255 as a team with a 3.80 ERA.

THE MIRACLE (48-56, 14-20 2nd half, 6th, 5.5 GB) ... Fort Myers will be looking to snap an eight game losing streak dating back to July 21. The Miracle have been outscored 51-13 in the last eight games, including a 12-1 loss to Tampa on Thursday. Aaron Hicks is third in the league with 25 doubles, but hasn’t hit a two-bagger since July 19. Fort Myers is hitting .253 as a team (second lowest in the Florida State League) and has a 4.61 ERA (the highest in the FSL).

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

Friday (7/29) - Jared Wesson (10-8, 4.81 ERA) took the loss in his last start on July 24 against Jupiter despite holding the Hammerheads to three runs on nine hits. It was his second loss in a row and third in his last four starts. Wesson has allowed seven earned runs in nine innings over his last two starts after tossing five scoreless innings on July 14. Righthanders are batting a robust .310 against Wesson while he is holding lefties to a .232 mark.
Saturday (7/30) - Brian Stroud (1-4, 2.76 ERA for Gulf Coast Tigers) will be making his Lakeland debut after going 1-4 with the GCL club. A 31st round pick out of Western Michigan University, he is the first 2011 Detroit draft pick to play for the Flying Tigers. Stroud has dropped his last three starts despite allowing a total of five earned runs and striking out 16 and walking just one batter. He went 1-3 in July but posted a 1.80 ERA with 22 K’s in 25.0 innings.
Sunday (7/31) - Shawn Teufel (2-3, 3.89 ERA) will be looking for his first win as a starter since moving into the rotation on July 16. As a starter he has allowed 12 earned runs in 13.0 innings for a 6.88 ERA in three starts. In his last start on July 28, he gave up five runs – four earned – on five hits and four walks in 3.0 innings. Teufel, son of former major leaguer Tim Teufel, is holding lefties to .171 while righthanders are batting .273 against him.
Monday (8/01) - Trevor Feeney (7-10, 4.27 ERA) has lost his last two starts allowing 10 runs on 18 hits in 9.0 innings. In his last start on July 28 against Palm Beach he allowed six runs on eight hits, but struck out five batters. Prior to the last two outings, he had not been touched for a earned run in 11.2 innings over two previous starts. Lefties are hitting .289 against Feeney while righthanders are batting .277 against him.

THIS SEASON ... Lakeland swept Fort Myers in four games in Lakeland back on May 31-June 3 by a combined score of 31-13 including a 13-2 victory in the opener (despite leaving 13 men on base) behind four hits each by Avisail Garcia and Corey Jones. Lakeland batted .329 in the series with 10 doubles, two triples and three homers. Fort Myers batted .239 in the four games. Should Lakeland go on to sweep these four games, it would be the first season series sweep since claiming eight wins over Jupiter last season.

CLOSE ONES ... The 6-5 loss to Palm Beach in the opening game of Thursday’s doubleheader was the 28th one-run game for Lakeland this season. The Flying Tigers are 18-10 in one-run games, the best record in the FSL.

SMYLY SMILING WITH PROMOTION ... With a 3-0 record and a string of 17 scoreless innings over his last three games, Drew Smyly earned a promotion to AA Erie on Friday. Smyly had allowed a run in the first inning against St. Lucie on July 15 and then tossed four shutout innings before holding Charlotte scoreless thru six innings on July 20 and blanking Palm Beach thru seven innings in his last start on July 25. Overall, the 2010 second round draft was 7-3 with a 2.58 ERA with 77 strikeouts and 21 walks in 80.1 innings for Lakeland. He’ll join fellow 2011 Flying Tigers Gustavo Nunez, Tyler Stohr and Jay Voss in Erie.

ROBUST ROBOWSKI MAKES MUD HEN RUN ... Drew Smyly wasn’t the only Flying Tiger pitcher taking a flight out of town. Earlier in the week Ryan Robowski was promoted to AAA Toledo on July 26. The former Flying Tiger made his Mud Hen debut on July 28 tossing one shutout inning against Norfolk, limiting the Tides to one hit with one strikeout.

FIRST DRAFTEE ... Brian Stroud becomes the first 2011 Detroit Tiger draft pick to play for the Flying Tigers this season. A 31st round pick out of Western Michigan University, Stroud made his professional debut on June 24 for the Gulf Coast League Tigers and joined Lakeland on July 29 after posting a 1-4 mark with a 2.76 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 32.2 innings for the GCL club.

A LITTLE BIT HERE AND THERE ... The run allowed by Matt Little in his last appearance on July 28 against Palm Beach was his first allowed in eight outings dating back to July 1 and just his second tally surrendered since May 5.

MORE ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER ... Reliable Michael Morrison was tagged for four runs in his last outing on July 26 matching the amount of runs he had allowed in his previous 33.1 innings over 27 appearances.

WHAT A RELIEF ... Cole Nelson seems to be adjusting quite well to his new role as a relief pitcher. Opening the season as a starter, Nelson struggled to a 4-10 mark and a 5.36 ERA. However, since moving into the Flying Tiger bullpen on July 11, he has a 1.74 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched.

ZILCH FOR ZACH ... Reliever Zach Samuels has been untouchable as of late, tossing 10.1 scoreless innings in his last five appearances.

FIRED UP FIELDS ... Daniel Fields carries a mini five-game hit streak into the series with one hit in each game including a triple on July 26 and a three-run homer on July 28.

DH DEUCES ... Avisail Garcia had two hits in each game of the doubleheader against Palm Beach on Thursday and is 5-for-10 his last three games.

ONE IN 11 ... Lakeland will play just one home game (Aug. 4) in the next 11 days with one off day (Aug. 2).

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Trevor Feeney is first with 126.1 innings pitched and fourth with 1.78 walks per nine innings ... Jared Wesson remains tied for second with 10 wins ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman is tied for first with 73 runs batted in ... Brent Wyatt is third with a .416 on-base percentage ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 73 walks ... with six errors in the Palm Beach series, Lakeland has dropped to second with a .979 fielding percentage ... Corey Jones (2B, .976) and Wade Gaynor (3B, .953) lead their respective positions in fielding percentage. Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (95), total chances (295), putouts (80), assists (201) and double plays (20) while Wyatt is tied for the lead with 17 outfield assists.

Mission Notes vs. Palm Beach (July 25-28)

2011-07-25T06:37:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium and the first pitch for each contest will be 7:00 p.m. Lakeland brings a 22-18 record against South Division teams into this series.

THE FLYING TIGERS (48-50 all, 12-16 2nd half, 6th, 3.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a series in Jupiter where it was swept in four games. The Flying Tigers have now lost six of their last seven games. Sunday’s game was a 4-0 shutout by the Hammerheads, the second blanking of the series and the third time in the last six games in which the Flying Tigers have been held scoreless. Overall, the Flying Tigers have been shutout ten times this season. Lakeland has scored 17 runs in the last seven games with 11 of those coming in one contest. The Flying Tigers have a .255 team batting average and a 3.77 staff ERA.

THE CARDINALS (45-55, 16-15 2nd half, 4th, 2.0 GB) ... Palm Beach has lost five of its last eight games. Palm Beach is led by Kyle Conley who has hit .282 in 34 games while Raniel Rosario has a .277 mark in 89 games. Both players have hit seven homers. Xavier Scruggs leads the club with nine homers and Edgar Lara is next with eight round-trippers. The Cardinals have a .252 team batting average (second lowest in the FSL) and a 3.81 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Monday (7/25) - Drew Smyly (6-3, 2.82 ERA) tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his last start on July 20, scattering five hits against Charlotte with six strikeouts and three walks. In his last three games, he has allowed just two earned runs for a 1.20 ERA and has 13 strikeouts his last two games. Smyly allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts in 5.0 innings in a loss against Palm Beach back on May 28.
Tuesday (7/26) - Shawn Teufel (2-2, 3.29 ERA) was tagged for five runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings in his last start on July 21 against Jupiter. He is 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA since moving into the starting rotation on July 10 after going 2-0 with a 2.00 in 12 relief appearances. Teufel worked 2.1 innings of relief on May 26 against the Cardinals allowing one run on a homer by Kyle Conley.
Wednesday (7/27) - Trevor Feeney (7-9, 3.97 ERA) surrendered four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings in his last start on July 22 against Charlotte. In his two previous starts he had not allowed an earned run in 11.2 innings. Feeney worked 7.0 innings on May 29 in a win against Palm Beach giving up three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.
Thursday (7/28) - Mark Sorensen (0-1, 8.00 ERA) has allowed four runs of each of his two starts since joining Lakeland. In his last start, he allowed six hits in 7.0 innings with one strikeout and two walks. Sorensen was not with Lakeland in May to face the Cardinals.
THIS SEASON ... The two clubs split their four-game series on May 26-29 with the Cardinals taking games one (8-2) and three (2-0) while the Flying Tigers took games two (3-2) and four (5-3). Jordan Lennerton and Gustavo Nunez each had six hits in the series while Brent Wyatt and Tony Plagman both had four hits. Trevor Feeney and Jared Wesson each got wins in the series while Kenny Faulk saved both games.

THE IN CROWD ... Rostered catcher Eric Roof started at third base on Sunday for Lakeland. It was his first carer start a the hot corner in three seasons for Roof. Wade Gaynor, who is Lakeland’s regular third baseman, was the designated hitter on Sunday. On Friday, outfielder Brent Wyatt started at second base for the second time this season

TREYS AND DEUCES ... Corey Jones went 6-for-12 over the weekend with three hits in both games on Saturday and Sunday. He also doubled in both games. Third baseman Wade Gaynor has had two hits in each of the last three games and is 6-for-16 (.375) in that trio of games.

FIELDS BREAKS THROUGH ... Daniel Fields has singled in each of his last two games. Saturday’s single snapped an 0-for-30 slump for the Flying Tiger centerfielder.

PEAKED ROOF ... Eric Roof brings a mini five-game hit streak into the series and is 6-for-18 (.333) in those five games with a home run.

PLAGMAN PLUGGING ALONG ... Tony Plagman has had two hits each in four of his last six games with a double and a home run and is 10-for-25 for a .400 batting average in his last seven games.

GETTING OFF TO A BAD START ... Lakeland starting pitchers were victimized for 16 runs in the four games at Jupiter for a 6.55 earned run average. In the last six games, the starters have surrendered 24 earned runs for a 6.35 ERA.

CLOSING STRONG ... Meanwhile, the Lakeland relief corps has allowed just two runs in the last five games for a 1.38 ERA. Michael Morrison been scored upon just once in his last 15 appearances while Matt Little has given up just one run in his last 12 outings.

ROSTER RUMBLIN’ .... Scott Green was activated Thursday, July 21, from a lengthy stay on the disabled list and was sent to the Connecticut team.

NEW CREW MEMBER ... With the trade last week of Julio Rodriguez, Wes Thigpen was brought over from the Gulf Coast League club to serve as a back-up for the game. He was sent back to the GCL team the next day. To fill the full-time roster spot, Rob Brantly joined the club from West Michigan where he was batting .303 with seven homers and 44 RBI in 75 games. Brantly was a third-round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of the University of California-Riverside. He was a non-rostered invitee to this year’s Spring Training camp after batting .300 last year for West Michigan with hit streaks of 16 games (22-for-62, .355) and 12 games (12-for-40, .300) during the season.

GOOD TO SEE YA, BRO ... The Roof brothers are reunited as Shawn Roof joined his brother, Eric, on the Lakeland club on Friday from AA Erie. A roster spot was made available as Alexander Moreno was assigned to Connecticut. Shawn, who also played partial seasons in Lakeland in 2007, 2008, and 2009, began the 2011 campaign with the Flying Tigers playing in just two games before being promoted to Erie on April 11. He was hitting .358 for the SeaWolves back on June 20, but saw his average drop to .302 in the past month.

Y’ALL COME BACK NOW ... In the first two games at Jupiter, Lakeland faced pitchers that entered the series with a combined 3-24 record. In game one, the Flying Tigers were shutout over six innings by Chad James who lost his first 13 decisions and has now won two in a row. Up next was Edgar Olmos who was 2-11 entering the contest and left 3-11 after posting five scoreless innings. Both pitchers held Lakeland to four hits.

COUNTDOWN TO 3800 ... Lakeland entered the 2011 season with 3,744 overall franchise wins dating back to 1963. With 45 wins so far this season, the Flying Tigers now have 3,792 needing eight more victories to reach 3,800 all-time.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson remains tied for second with 10 wins, two behind the leader Clearwater’s Julio Rodriguez ... Trevor Feeney is first with 122.1 innings pitched and third with 1.77 walks per nine innings ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves ... Tony Plagman is tied for first with 71 runs batted in and is fifth with 170 total bases ... Brent Wyatt is second with a .416 on-base percentage ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 73 walks ... Lakeland has jumped back into a tie for the league lead with a .980 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor (3B, .954) and Brent Wyatt (OF, .994) lead their respective positions in fielding percentage. Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (91), total chances (285), putouts (76), assists (196) and double plays (20). Wyatt is tied for the lead with 16 outfield assists.

Mission Notes vs. Jupiter (July 21-24)

2011-07-21T07:18:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be on the road at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter with the first three games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6:25 and the final game Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Audio of the games will be available on the internet. Lakeland takes a 22-14 record into the series against South Division teams.

THE FLYING TIGERS (48-46 all, 12-12 2nd half, 2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland shut out Charlotte 11-0 on Wednesday to split a four-game series with the Stone Crabs. Eric Roof hit his first homer of the season while Tony Plagman added his 14th round-tripper as Lakeland posted its largest shutout margin of the year and matched the largest margin of victory. The win is the seventh in the last 11 games for Lakeland and places the Flying Tigers in second place in the FSL North Division, just 1.0 game behind front-running Tampa. Lakeland has stolen the fewest bases of any team in the league, swiping a bases just 39 times.

THE HAMMERHEADS (40-55, 8-17 2nd half, 6th, 8.0 GB) ... Jupiter fell 10-3 to Tampa on Wednesday, suffering its second loss in the last five games. Kyle Jensen leads the Florida State League with 20 home runs and a .568 slugging percentage; fourth with a .318 batting average; and fifth with 62 RBI and 103 hits. The Hammerheads have the lowest team batting average in the league at .247 and have scored the fewest runs of any FSL team. On the flip side, Jupiter has the best staff ERA of 3.47 on any league team.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Thursday (7/21) - Shawn Teufel (2-1, 2.50 ERA) took the loss in his last start on July 16 allowing St. Lucie three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and five hits in a season-long 5.0 innings. Teufel moved into the starting rotation on July 10 and is 0-1 as a starter with a 4.00 ERA in two starts. As a reliever he had a 2-0 record and a 2.00 ERA in 12 appearances.
Friday (7/22) - Trevor Feeney (7-8, 3.84 ERA) did not factor into the decision in his last start despite holding Charlotte to four hits and two unearned runs over 5.2 innings with four strikeouts and three walks. He has alternated wins and losses over his last eight decisions and has dropped his ERA to 2.35 since the All-Star game with a 2-2 record.
Saturday (7/23) - Mark Sorensen (0-1, 18.00 ERA) made his 2011 season for Lakeland on July 18 against Charlotte and it was probably one he’d like to forget allowing eight runs – four earned – on nine hits in just 2.0 innings. Prior to joining Lakeland, Sorensen was 7-7 with a 6.49 ERA in 17 starts at AA Erie.
Sunday (7/24) - Jared Wesson (10-7, 4.78 ERA) dropped his last decision surrendering five runs – four earned – on five hits with four walks over 4.0 innings on July 19 against Charlotte. The game continued Wesson’s roller coaster ride as of late. The 6’5” lefty has a 3-0 record and a 1.10 ERA in three wins on June 20, July 2 and 14 and a 0-3 mark with a 7.07 earned run average in alternate starts on June 27, July 9 and 19.
THIS SEASON ... Lakeland and Palm Beach split a four-game series at Roger Dean Stadium back on May 26-29 with the Cardinals winning games one (8-2) and three (2-0) and the Flying Tigers taking games two (3-2) and four (5-3). Jordan Lennerton was 6-for-15 in the series with two doubles and four runs batted in while Gustavo Nunez was also 6-for-15 with four runs scored. Lakeland hit just .217 over the four games as Cardinal pitchers recorded 39 strikeouts in the series. Trevor Feeney and Jared Wesson picked up wins while Kenny Faulk saved both wins.

FINALLY! ... Jupiter Chad James finally picked up his first win on July 16 tossing 6.0 scoreless innings against Brevard County while striking out seven. The win snapped a 0-13 start to the season for the 6’3” lefty. James had a 3.81 ERA with 82 strikeouts and just 30 walks in 101.2 innings during the losing streak.

DEUCES WILD ... Jupiter’s Jaime Ortiz has had two hits in each of his last four games and is 8-for-15 during that streak with five runs scored.

ROSTER RUMBLIN’ .... Kenny Faulk was activated off the disabled list on Tuesday, July 19. To make room for him on the roster, Nate Newman was sent to West Michigan. Faulk was 1-2 with 20 saves and a 2.88 ERA before heading to the disabled list while Newman was 1-1 with a 4.40 earned run average in ten games. Faulk returned to action on Wednesday with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball against Charlotte holding the Stone Crabs to one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.

RODRIGUEZ TRADED ... Detroit traded for a third baseman on Wednesday, picking up Wilson Betemit from Kansas City in exchange for Lakeland catcher Julio Rodriguez and West Michigan pitcher Antonio Cruz. Betemit was hitting .281 with 15 doubles, three homers and 27 runs batted in for the Royals. Rodriguez was hitting .283 with 11 doubles, one homer and 27 RBI for the Flying Tigers while Cruz was 2-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 22 appearances (10 starts) for the Whitecaps.

NEW CREW MEMBER ... Taking Julio Rodriguez’s place on the Lakeland roster is Wes Thigpen who joins the club from the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Thigpen, who signed with Detroit as a free agent in 2011 out of Mississippi State University, was batting .238 with two homers and four runs batted in over 14 games.

BAT OF BERGOLLA ... William Bergolla has hit safely in the last three games and nine of his last ten games with one hit in each of those games. He is now 9-for-38 (.237) since the streak began on July 10.

SAILING ALONG ... Avisail Garcia has 13 hits in his last 11 games and is 13-for-41 (.317) over that time, dating back to July 6.

TREYS FOR GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has driven in three runs in each of the last two games in his last four starts, collecting three RBI on a homer on July 17 and three more runs batted in with a double on July 20.

PLAGMAN PLUGS ALONG ... Tony Plagman has two hits in each of his last two games and is 5-for-9 (.556) in those games. Plagman homered on Wednesday and Lakeland is now 9-3 in the last 12 games that he has homered.

WICKED WYATT ... Brent Wyatt has hits in each of his last four games and is 6-for-16 (.375) with four runs scored and three doubles.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... With a two-run homer on Wednesday, Tony Plagman remains on top of the FSL with 70 runs batted in and is fourth with 164 total bases. Plagman has also been intentionally walked a FSL-high six times ... Jared Wesson is tied for second with 10 wins, one behind the leader Clearwater’s Julio Rodriguez ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves ... Trevor Feeney is first with 117.1 innings pitched and third among starters with 1.69 walks issued per nine innings ... With a hit and two walks on Wednesday, Brent Wyatt remains tied for the league lead with a .426 on-base percentage ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 72 walks ... Despite five errors in the recent Charlotte series, Lakeland has jumped back into a tie for the league lead with a .980 fielding percentage ... two current Flying Tigers lead their respective positions in fielding percentage: Wade Gaynor (3B, .956) and Brent Wyatt (OF, .994). Gaynor leads all third baseman in games played (88), total chances (275), putouts (75), assists (188) and double plays (20).

BELOW DEBUT ... Former Flying Tiger Duane Below made his major league debut on Wednesday tossing 5.0 innings in a start for Detroit against Oakland. Below held the A’s to five hits and three runs – one earned – with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. Below posted a 9-11 mark and a 4.22 ERA in two seasons in Lakeland, playing for the Flying Tigers in 2008 and 2009.

Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (July 17-20)

2011-07-17T06:39:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played in the friendly confines of Lakeland’s Joker Marchant Stadium. Sunday’s game is a 1 pm start with the next three games at 7 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

THE FLYING TIGERS (46-44 all, 10-10 2nd half, T-2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland fell 8-2 to St. Lucie Saturday night. The loss was just the second in the last seven games for the Flying Tigers which now have a 19-12 record against teams from the South Division. The split with the Mets has allowed Lakeland to keep pace with the top of the South Division as Daytona and Dunedin each sport 11-11 records while Lakeland is 10-10. Tampa leads the North with a 12-10 mark.

THE STONE CRABS (43-48, 13-9 2nd half, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Charlotte dropped a 4-1 loss to Clearwater on Friday but still sits atop the South Division with a half game over St. Lucie, Bradenton and Palm Beach. Hak-Ju Lee ranks third in the Florida State League with a .326 batting average; leads with nine triples; and is second with 62 runs scored. Tyler Bortnick leads the league with 28 stolen bases; second with 64 run scored; and is third with a .417 on-base percentage.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sunday (7/17) - Trevor Feeney (7-8, 4.03) tossed six shutout innings in his last start on 7/11 at Bradenton, limiting the Marauders to three hits with six strikeouts and one walk. He is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA in his last eight starts dating back to May 29. Feeney has struck out 24 percent of the righthanded batters he has faced (47/196), but just 9 percent of lefthanded batters (21/222).
Monday (7/18) - Mark Sorensen (7-7, 6.49 at AA Erie) will be making his first start for Lakeland this season. He has dropped four of his last five starts and has allowed 33 earned runs in 24.1 innings for a 12.21 ERA. Part of the problem has been homers, as Sorensen allowed 10 dingers in his last five starts and 17 on the season. The righty is making his third stint in Lakeland having pitched here in 2009 and 2010 with a 10-12 mark and a 4.03 ERA in 147.1 innings last season.
Tuesday (7/19) - Jared Wesson (4-3, 3.18 ERA) picked up his 10th win (second in the FSL) in his last start on July 14 tossing five scoreless innings against St. Lucie, holding the Mets to four hits over 5.0 innings with four strikeouts and one walk. He has been on a roller coaster his last six starts with a 17.33 in games one, three and five, and a 1.10 ERA in games two, four and six. Lefties are hitting .218 against Wesson (22 hits in 101 at bats) while righties enjoy a .302 mark (79 hits in 262 at bats).
Wednesday (7/20) - Drew Smyly (5-3, 3.07 ERA) picked up the win in his last start on July 15 against St. Lucie, holding the Mets to one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. He has allowed two earned runs in 9.0 innings over his last two starts and just seven over his last five starts for a 2.52 ERA and has struck out 33 and walked just five in those five starts. Wesson is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA in his last eight starts dating back to June 3.
THIS SEASON ... Lakeland took three of the four games played May 14-17 in Charlotte. The Flying Tigers batted .277 in the series with Ryan Soares collecting six hits, including three homers, in the four games. Daniel Fields also had six hits, with a homer, and drove in seven runs while Jeff Kunkel had five hits in two games played. Lakeland dropped the first game 4-3 after rallying to score twice and leave the bases in the top of the ninth. The Flying Tigers, which hit nine homers in the series, erupted for seven runs in the third inning to cruise to a 10-1 win in game four.

LEWIS-CLARK TEAMMATES ... Charlotte’s Matthew Stabelfeld and Lakeland’s Brent Wyatt were teammates at Lewis-Clark State College in 2008. Wyatt went to Detroit in the 2008 draft while Stabelfeld was a pick of the Rays a season later.

ROSTER RUMBLIN’ .... With the addition of pitcher Mark Sorensen, Victor Larez was sent to West Michigan.

START STRONG, FINISH STRONGER? ... The Flying Tiger starting staff has a 2.86 ERA in the last seven games while the bullpen has a 2.73 earned run average over the same time frame. The numbers (based on earned runs) are a bit misleading, however, as the starters have allowed 11 runs in those seven games while the bullpen has surrendered 18 total runs. The starting rotation has walked just four batters in the seven games while the pen issued 13 free passes.

MO’ LITTLE ... Reliever Michael Morrison has allowed just one walk in his last 14 outings and 17.1 innings while fellow bullpen mate Matt Little has issued just one free pass over his last ten appearances spanning 12.1 innings.

ONE AT A TIME ... William Bergolla has one base hit in each of his last six games for a .261 average.

CROWED AT THE TOP ... With two hits on Saturday, Avisail Garcia now has 21 games with two or more hits tying him for the team lead with Gustavo Nunez and Tony Plagman. Brent Wyatt is right behind with 20 multi-hit games.

FLYING HIGH ... Avisail Garcia has six hits in his last four games (6-for-17) for a .353 average ... Cory Jones has hits in nine of his last 11 games (13-for-41) for a .317 mark with 10 runs batted in with a double and a pair of homers ... Brent Wyatt didn’t get a hit on Saturday, snapping a mini five-game hit streak in which he was 7-for-17 for a .412 clip.

GROUNDED ... Daniel Fields has been held hitless in his last four games for a 0-for-12 slump ... Jordan Lennerton does have a pair of singles in his last two games, but those are the only hits in five games for the first baseman/DH for a .143 average (2x14).

STAGE FRIGHT? ... With 1,237 fans last night, Lakeland has drawn crowds in excess of 1,000 fans on 14 occasions this season, but has dropped 10 of those games (including Saturday) and seven of the top crowds.

TRADE BAIT ... The Stone Crabs’ Hak-Ju Lee came to the Rays’ organization from the Cubs as part of the Matt Garza trade. Lee has competed for the World Team in the last two XM All-Star Futures Game.

THE DIAMOND AND THE GRIDIRON ... Charlotte’s Anthony Scelfo was a two-sport athlete at Tulane University. Along with playing baseball, he played quarterback for two seasons on the Green Wave football team, passing for 1,400 yards and six touchdowns in 2007.

THE BREEZE IS NOT FROM LAKE PARKER ... Not really a stat to be proud of, but the top three batters who rank 1-2-3 in number of strikeouts are Flying Tigers. Daniel Fields has struck out a league-leading 98 times while Avisail Garcia is second with 92 and Jordan Lennerton is third with 90 whiffs.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Thanks to a four-RBI night on Friday, Tony Plagman has jumped to the top of the FSL with 68 runs batted in and is tied for fourth with 38 extra-base hits ... Brent Wyatt leads the league with a .425 on-base percentage ... Jared Wesson is second with 10 wins, one behind the leader Clearwater’s Julio Rodriguez ... Kenny Faulk, currently on the disabled list, is second with 20 saves ... Trevor Feeney is first with 111.2 innings pitched and third among starters with 1.53 walks issued per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 68 walks ... Lakeland remains second with a .980 fielding percentage ... two current Flying Tigers lead their respective positions in fielding percentage: Wade Gaynor (3B, .954) and Brent Wyatt (OF, .994) ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 38.7 percent of opposing would-be base stealers, a mark which ranks second among all league catchers.

Mission Notes vs. St. Lucie (July 13-16)

2011-07-12T18:54:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games of this series will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. The first three games are slated for 7 pm starts with the series finale Saturday at 6 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (44-42 all, 8-8 2nd half, T-3rd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland has won three in a row to pull within two games of Dunedin and Tampa in the win column. The Flying Tigers are tied with the Blue Jays and Yankees in the loss column. Lakeland took three straight in the recent four game series with Bradenton, including a 9-2 triumph in their last game on Tuesday. In the three wins, the starting pitchers allowed just two earned runs for a 1.29 ERA with 11 strikeouts and just three walks. On the other side, the Flying Tiger bullpen has a 3.89 ERA in the last nine games. Lakeland has climbed to eighth in the league with a .257 team batting average and is in fifth place with a 3.83 staff earned run average.

THE METS (48-39, 10-7 2nd half, T-1st, 0.0 GB) ... Coming off a split of a four-game series with Tampa, St. Lucie sits atop the FSL South standings along with Palm Beach. The Mets were met with a 10-1 defeat in their last game on Tuesday, losing to the Yankees at home and is now 4-4 its last eight games. Juan Lagares leads the Florida State League with a .339 average while teammate Pedro Zapata is fifth with a .319 mark and second with 25 stolen bases. The league’s top two pitchers are also Mets in Darin Gorski and recently promoted Matt Harvey. Gorski is a perfect 8-0 with a lowly 1.56 ERA to go with his 96 strikeouts (second in the FSL). Harvey was 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA and 92 K’s prior to his promotion to AA. St. Lucie has the third highest team batting average in the league at .270 while the staff ERA of 3.94 ranks eighth in the FSL.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ... (With two rain outs last week and a doubleheader Saturday coupled with a day off Tuesday, these probable starters are definitely in the probable category.)

Wednesday (7/13) - Victor Larez (5-3, 4.00) gets the nod in the series opener and will be making his first start for Lakeland since June 2. Originally in the starting rotation, Larez was moved to the bullpen in late May. He was 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA in ten starts and has a 1-0 mark with a 4.11 ERA in seven relief appearances. He last worked on July 7, tossing three no-hit innings against Dunedin in a relief role striking out three and hitting one batter.
Thursday (7/14) - Jared Wesson (9-6, 4.85) was tagged early and often in his last start on July 9, lasting just 1.2 innings at Bradenton. The Marauders jumped on Wesson for six runs on five hits, including a homer while the Lakeland starter didn’t help himself with three walks and a hit batter. In his previous start, he held Clearwater to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings of work to get the win. He was 8-4 with a 4.32 ERA in the first half, but has stumbled to a 1-2 mark with a 8.25 ERA since.
Friday (7/15) - Drew Symly (4-3, 3.18 ERA) held Bradenton to one run on three hits in 4.0 innings of work in his last start on July 9 with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. He has struck out 22 batters and walked four over 20 innings in his last four starts while giving up 18 hits and just six runs (four in one game) for a 2.70 ERA. Smyly is 3-1 with a 3.70 in four home starts and 1-2 with a 2.84 in seven road outings. In five starts in June he was 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA and 31 strikeouts and three walks.
Saturday (7/16) - Luke Putkonen (1-4, 6.19 ERA) picked up his first win as a Flying Tiger this season with 2.0 shutout innings of relief on July 9 in the second game of a doubleheader at Bradenton. In his last start on July 4, Putkonen gave up four runs on seven hits to take the loss to Dunedin. He began the season at AA Erie and made his first start for Lakeland on June 9.

THIS SEASON ... The two clubs split a four-game series on May 10-13 in St. Lucie. Lakeland took game one, 10-2, as Jordan Lennerton drove in four runs with a grand slam and Brent Wyatt plated two more runs with a home run of his own. The Mets posted back-to-back shutouts in games two and three by scores of 6-0 and 7-0. The Flying Tigers rallied back from a 5-0 deficit in game four with a five-run sixth inning enroute to a 7-6 win.

ROSTER SHUFFLING ... Kenny Faulk was placed on the disabled list on Monday with newcomer Trevor White joining the club from the Gulf Coast League club. Also making the move across the complex from the GCL is Alexander Moreno who was with Lakeland from June 10-25, but did not participate in any games. White was a 20th round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of the University of Alabama. He played in the GCL and at Connecticut last season and was 0-0 with a 1.80 in five innings over four games this season with the Gulf Coast Tigers. Moreno played in six games with the GCL club going 4-for-18 in those half dozen games.

FORMER FSC MOC RETURNS TO LAKELAND ... St. Lucie shortstop Robbie Shields was the Mets’ third-round draft pick out of Florida Southern College in 2009 (the first Division II player chosen in the draft that year). Shields started the 2011 season with the Savannah Sand Gnats and was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team, but was promoted to St. Lucie prior to the game. He has played in 11 games with the FSL club but has not played since June 30 due to back stiffness.

FUTURES GAME PARTICIPANTS ... St. Lucie’s Jefry Marte played for the World Team in the recent XM All-Star Futures Game in Phoenix as part of the festivities leading up to the Major League All-Star Game. Pitcher Matt Harvey, who played for the USA Squad, was promoted in late June and was leading the FSL in strikeouts with 92 at the time of his move to AA.

TITAN TRIO ... St. Lucie’s Jeffrey Kaplan and Lakeland’s Corey Jones and Michael Morrison were all teammates on the Cal State Fullerton baseball team in 2008. Kaplan was drafted in 2008, Morrison in 2009 and Jones in 2010.

BEAVER BUNCH ... Lakeland’s Jordan Lennerton and St. Lucie’s Greg Peavey were teammates on the 2008 Oregon State baseball team.

BIG LEAGUE DAD ... The Mets’ Francisco Pena is the son of former Major League catcher Tony Pena.

BACK IN THE INFIELD ... Brent Wyatt started at shortstop for Lakeland in the second game of the Flying Tigers’ doubleheader at Bradenton on Saturday. It was his first start at shortstop since 2009 when he played six games there for West Michigan. Wyatt did start 18 games at short for Oneonta in his first year as a professional in 2008.

JONES CRANKS IT UP ... Corey Jones’ bat was a big reason Lakeland won its last three games over Bradenton. The Flying Tiger second baseman homered to drive in two runs in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader and followed with a second two-run blast on Sunday. In Monday’s game, Jones was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs batted in.

PLAGMAN BACK AT IT ... Tony Plagman must not like talking to first base coach Larry Herndon. In the last three games, Plagman has had four hits – all for extra bases including a triple and three doubles.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with nine wins ... Kenny Faulk is second with 20 saves and third among relievers with 11.27 strikeouts per nine innings pitched ... Tony Plagman is third with 63 runs batted in ... Brent Wyatt is second with a .418 on-base percentage ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 64 walks ... Trevor Feeney is first with 111.2 innings pitched and third among starters with 1.53 walks issued per nine innings ... Lakeland dropped to second with a .981 fielding percentage ... two current Flying Tigers lead their respective positions in fielding percentage: Corey Jones (2B, .980); Wade Gaynor (3B, .959); Brent Wyatt (OF, .993) ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 36.9 percent of opposing would-be base stealers, a mark which ranks second among all league catchers.

Mission Notes vs. Bradenton (July 8-11)

2011-07-08T08:16:00.000-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland hits the road for four games at Bradenton beginning Friday at 7 pm. Saturday is also at 7 pm while Sunday moves up for a 5 pm start. It’s back to 7 pm for Monday’s series finale. All four games can be heard via the internet. Check the Marauders website for the audio link.

THE FLYING TIGERS (41-41, 5-7, T-5th, 2.0 GB) ... Lakeland climbed back to .500 on the season by downing Dunedin 11-5 in its last game on Wednesday, despite collecting just nine hits. Blue Jay pitchers issued 11 walks in the game including five in the eighth inning. Wade Gaynor led the club with a 3-for-4 night and three runs batted in while Tony Plagman also drove in three runs. The Flying Tigers put up seven runs in the third frame, the third time this season the club has scored as many runs in an inning. Lakeland’s team batting average of .259 is eighth in the league while the 43 team home runs is fourth fewest in the FSL. The 3.84 staff ERA is fifth best in the FSL.

THE MARAUDERS (39-46, 9-6, T-1st, 0.0 GB) ... Bradenton had a chance to take over sole possession of first place on Thursday, but split a doubleheader with Palm Beach. After taking the first game by a 6-4 score in extra innings, the Cardinals took game two 8-4. Heading into the All-Star break on a four-game losing skid, the Marauders came out of the break with a seven straight wins and nine victories in their first eight games back, but have split their last 10 games. Jarek Cunningham is the reigning Florida State League Player of the Week for the week of June 27-July 3 and is fourth in the FSL with 15 homers and second with 23 doubles. For the week, Cunningham had eight hits, including three doubles and three home runs and drove in 10 runs. Aaron Baker is third in the league with 60 RBI. Robbie Grossman has the most walks (72) of any FSL player – 14 more than Lakeland’s Jordan Lennerton who is in second place with 58. The Marauders are second in the FSL with a .271 team batting average and have scored the most runs of any league team (420) as well as hitting the third most homers (64) and stolen the third most bases (76). The staff ERA of 4.01 ranks ninth in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Friday (7/08) - Jared Wesson (9-5, 4.33) worked five innings in his last start on July 2 at Clearwater holding the Threshers to one run on four hits. He has won two of his last three and has six wins in his last nine starts. Wesson has limited his walks to just four over the last two games after having back-to-back games with six walks each.
Saturday (7/09) - Drew Symly (4-3, 3.24 ERA) was chased after three innings of work in his last start on July 3 at Clearwater, giving up seven runs – four earned – on seven hits. It snapped a four-game win streak for Smyly and was hit first loss since May 28. In his last three starts he has a 2.81 ERA and a 1-1 record with one no-decision.
Sunday (7/10) - Luke Putkonen (0-4, 6.60 ERA) will be looking for his first win in 2011 for the Flying Tigers. Putkonen made his first start for Lakeland on June 9 after starting the season at AA Erie. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits in his last start on July 4 against Dunedin with three strikeouts and three walks. He has allowed at least three runs in each of his five starts for Lakeland.
Monday (7/11) - Trevor Feeney (6-8, 4.26 ERA) took the loss in his last start on July 5 at home against Dunedin, giving up three runs on four hits over 7.0 innings. Two of the four hits were of the long ball variety as Feeney has allowed five homers in his last four starts and 13 dingers on the season. He is 2-3 with one no-decision and a 2.49 ERA in his last six starts.
THIS SEASON ... Lakeland took three of four games in the first series between these two clubs on May 22-25 in Lakeland. The Flying Tigers won games one and four by identical 4-3 scores and game two by a 5-2 count while the Marauders’ lone win was a 9-0 shutout in the third meeting. One big highlight of the series was a triple play turned by Lakeland in the series opener on May 22. The Flying Tigers have hit just .220 while the Marauders have a .250 mark in the four games.

RETURN TO OLD FORM ... At the start of the season, Tony Plagman was driving runs on a seemingly nightly basis and then cooled off somewhat. He may be returning to his old ways having racked up seven runs batted in over the last four games on four hits including two doubles and a homer and is now second in the FSL with 61 RBI, just two behind the leader, Justin Bour of Daytona. Plagman has 14 multi-RBI games this season including two games with four runs batted in and six games with three RBI.

MULTI-HITTERS ... Recently promoted Gustavo Nunez had 21 games with two or more hits and still leads Lakeland in that category. Close behind is Avisail Garcia, Tony Plagman, Brent Wyatt and Jordan Lennerton, each having 19 multi-hit games. Garcia has had a team-high four games with four hits and three games with three hits. Plagman has had six three-hit games while Lennerton and Wyatt have had three hits in four and three games, respectively. Both players have had one four-hit game each.

NO RICKEY HENDERSONS HERE ... No one is going to confuse this year’s version of the Flying Tigers with a big base stealing team. Avisail Garcia’s stolen base on Thursday was just the second swipe of a base by a Lakeland player in the second half of the season. Heading into Friday’s games, the Flying Tigers had a league-low 33 stolen bases as a team in 2011. In contrast Tyler Bortnick of Charlotte and Pedro Zapata of St. Lucie are tied the league lead with 24 thefts each. Charlotte and Brevard County each have over 100 team stolen bases.

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN ... Thursday’s rain out was the first suffered by Lakeland at home this season. The scheduled game with Dunedin will be made up as part of a 5 pm doubleheader on August 30, which marks the Blue Jays’ next visit to Lakeland.

THAT’S SOME BULL ... The bullpen was not scored upon in the first six games of the second half, but has allowed 12 runs in the last six games.

FESTIVE FOURTH ... Lakeland drew 5,349 fans on the Fourth of July, but unfortunately all of the fireworks came after the game as the Flying Tigers fell 5-2 to Dunedin. The attendance was around 1,400 fans higher that the average Independence Day crowd (over the last six years) and was the largest Fourth of July attendance since 2005.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is tied with nine wins ... Kenny Faulk is tied for second with 19 saves; third among relievers with 11.34 strikeouts, and fifth with 1.62 walks ... Tony Plagman is second with 61 runs batted in ... Brent Wyatt has climbed back into second with a .422 on-base percentage ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 58 walks ... Trevor Feeney is first with 105.2 innings pitched and fourth among starters with 1.53 walks issued per nine innings ... Lakeland is tied with Clearwater for the league lead with a .982 fielding percentage ... three Flying Tigers lead their respective positions in fielding percentage: Corey Jones (2B, .980); Wade Gaynor (3B, .957); Daniel Fields (OF, .994) ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 37.5 percent of opposing would-be base stealers, a mark which ranks second among all league catchers.

YA GOTTA LOVE THE MINORS ... Where else other than Minor League Baseball can the first 1000 adults attending Saturday’s game at Bradenton receive a free Marauders’ shot glass?

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (July 4-7)

2011-07-07T19:56:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland entertains Dunedin for a four-game set starting with a 5:00 p.m. game on Monday, July 4. Games 2-4 are 7:00 p.m. starts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

THE FLYING TIGERS (40-39, 4-5, 5th, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a split of a two-game series in Clearwater. The Flying Tigers won the first game, 8-4, with a six-run fifth on the strength of a Jordan Lennerton grand slam. The Threshers returned the favor on Sunday, taking a 11-3 decision, highlighted by a seven-run third inning. William Bergolla had five hits in the two games.

THE BLUE JAYS (45-36, 6-5, T-1st, 0.0 GB) ... Dunedin pulled out an 9-8 win on Sunday, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch, an error and a single by Brad McElroy. The Blue Jays have won four of their last six contests. Six of Dunedin’s last seven games have featured rain delays from 18 to 61 minutes. A.J. Jimenez leads the Blue Jays with a .317 average while Kenny Nolan and Ryan Goins are each hitting .293 on the season. Nestor Molina is 7-3 with a 2.91 ERA while closer Wes Etheridge leads all of professional baseball with 28 saves. Dunedin has hit a league-leading 64 home runs with Brad Glenn hitting 16 homers to top the team (although he has hit just one since June 5 and twice dating back to May 27).

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Monday (7/04) - Luke Putkonen (0-3, 6.75 ERA) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak and get his first win for the Flying Tigers this season. The righthander has struck out 16 and walked five in 24.0 innings but has surrendered four homers in four starts. In his last start, Putkonen allowed five runs - three earned - on nine hits to Dunedin on June 29. Throw in 11 starts at AA Erie and Putkonen is 1-10 this season with a 7.31 earned run average.
Tuesday (7/05) - Trevor Feeney (6-7, 4.29 ERA) scattered five hits over 7.0 innings while holding Dunedin to one run on four strikeouts in his last start on June 30. He is 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA in his last five starts. Feeney is 3-3 with a 3.74 ERA in seven starts at Joker Marchant Stadium and is 3-4 with a 4.72 ERA in nine road starts. He worked a season-high 8.0 innings on June 4 and has gone 7.0 in six other starts.
Wednesday (7/06) - Cole Nelson (4-10, 5.40) didn’t make it out the first inning in his last start on July 1 at Dunedin, allowing five runs – four earned – on four hits and three walks in just two-thirds of an innings. He is 1-4 with a 6.85 ERA over his last five starts with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks and has dropped six of his last seven starts.
Thursday (7/07) - Jared Wesson (9-5, 4.33) Worked five innings in his last start on July 2 at Clearwater holding the Threshers to one run on four hits. He has won two of his last three and has six wins in his last nine starts. Wesson has limited his walks to just four over the last two games after having back-to-back games with six walks each.
THIS SEASON ... Lakeland holds a slim 5-4 advantage in the series. The Flying Tigers took the first two games while the Blue Jays have won four of the past seven with the two clubs alternating wins. Wade Gaynor is Lakeland’s top active player in the series with a .273 average and two homers and seven runs batted in. Tony Plagman carries a .267 average in the series while Brent Wyatt is hitting .233 in the nine games. Lakeland is batting just .221 while Dunedin has a .264 average in the nine games. Trevor Feeney is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA against the Blue Jays.

GLAD HE’S GONE ... Dunedin may be happy that Gustavo Nunez is no longer with Lakeland as the Flying Tiger shortstop had 13 hits in 23 at bats in his six games versus the Blue Jays. Nunez, now at AA Erie, scored eight runs with three doubles, two triples and a homer against Dunedin this season.

LENNERTON DOES IT AGAIN ... Jordan Lennerton hit a bases-loaded homer in a six-run fifth inning on Saturday. It was the Flying Tiger’s second grand slam of the season – both by Lennerton.

WALKS EQUALS WINS? ... The Flying Tigers have lost three of the last five games and in each loss failed to draw a walk and were shutout in two of those games. In the two wins, they walked a combined eight times. Lakeland was not issued a free pass in three others game, losing twice and strangely enough, in the third, picking up the win in an 10-1 triumph over Charlotte.

SIX-SHOOTER FOR WYATT? ... Brent Wyatt brings a five-game hit streak into this season going 6-for-21 in those five games with three runs, two runs batted in and two doubles.

THIRD PLAYER EJECTED ... Drew Smyly was tossed at the conclusion of the third inning on Sunday after surrendering seven runs (four earned) in the frame. He is the third player ejected this season joining Wade Gaynor (June 2) and Avisail Garcia (June 29). Manager Dave Huppert got an early trip to the showers on April 27 at Clearwater.

IT’S TIME FOR ONE RUN ... Lakeland starting pitchers have allowed just one run in every other game since June 28. In the alternating games, the starters were tagged for 4, 5, 5, and 7 runs.

GATE LEFT OPEN IN THE PEN ... The Lakeland bullpen was victimized for seven runs over the last two games on nine hits and six walks.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN? ... Lakeland hopes history repeats itself as one year ago, the Flying Tigers posted a 14-0 shutout over the Blue Jays on July 4. Jordan Lennerton had four-hits to spark a 17-hit attack while Alexander Moreno added three hits and Brandon Douglas and John Murrian each had two hits. Murrian drove in three runs with a home run while Brent Wyatt also drove in three runs.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR? ... In addition to Lakeland’s 14-0 win over Dunedin in 2010, the Flying Tigers shut out Tampa, 4-0, on July 4, 2009. In 2008, Lakeland fell 2-1 to Fort Myers in 14 innings.

BANG UP CROWDS ... Lakeland has averaged almost 4,000 fans (3,982) in the last five Fourth of July games with a high of 5,248 in 2009. Only once has the event been rained out with a soggy night in 2007.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson leads with nine wins ... Kenny Faulk is tied for second with 19 saves; third among relievers with 11.69 strikeouts, fifth with 1.39 walks and fourth with 8.91 baserunners allowed per nine innings ... Tony Plagman is fourth with 56 runs batted in ... Brent Wyatt has dropped to third with a .423 on-base percentage ... Trevor Feeney is first with 98.2 innings pitched and fourth among starters with 1.55 walks issued per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is tied for second with 56 walks ... Lakeland is tied with Clearwater for the league lead with a .982 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman with a .954 fielding percentage while Daniel Fields leads all outfielders with a .994 fielding mark ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 38.7 percent of opposing would-be base stealers, a mark which ranks second among all league catchers.

STARS OF TOMORROW ... According to research by the Clearwater Threshers staff, 32 players from the AL and NL Major League Baseball All-Star teams played in the Florida State League prior to making it to the majors.

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (July 2-3)

2011-07-02T09:25:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Both games of this mini-series will be played at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. Saturday’s game is at 6:30 p.m. while Sunday’s start is at 6:00 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (39-38, 3-4, T-3rd, 2.0 GB) ... Lakeland has split its last six games, alternating wins and losses. The team is coming off a three-game set at Dunedin in which they were shutout twice in the three games. In the last game on Friday, Dunedin jumped on Lakeland starter Cole Nelson for five runs in two-thirds on an inning. The Flying Tigers are sixth in the Florida State League with a .260 team batting average while their staff ERA of 3.76 is fifth best.

THE THRESHERS (42-36, 3-6, 6th, 3.0 GB) ... Like Lakeland, Clearwater was shutout in its last game as well, losing 8-0 to Brevard County. The Threshers, who were 16 games above .500 on June 6, have lost 15 of their last 20 games. Pitcher Julio Rodriguez is tied, along with three others, including Lakeland’s Jared Wesson, for the league lead with eight wins, while opponents are heading a league-low .198 against him. Fellow pitcher Jonathan Pettibone is 7-5 with a 2.91 ERA which ranks ninth in the league while Trevor May has struck out a FSL-high 108 batters – 16 more than the second place total. First baseman Darin Ruf has a league-leading 25 doubles. Clearwater has the best team ERA in the league at 3.36 and is fifth in the FSL with a .266 team batting average.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Saturday (7/02) - Jared Wesson (8-5, 4.48 ERA) was tagged for a season-high 11 hits in his last start on June 27 against the Threshers at home. Clearwater scored four runs off Wesson as the lefty struck out three and walked three. Wesson has had an up and down season, going 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA in April and then turning in a stellar 5-1 mark with an impressive 2.52 ERA in May, but fell to 2-2 with a 4.23 number in June. Righthanded batters are hitting almost 100 points better than lefties with a .304 average verus a .207 mark.
Sunday (7/03) - Drew Smyly (4-2, 2.77 ERA) worked 6.0 innings and struck out eight with one walk in holding Clearwater to one run on five hits in his last start on June 28. He began the season 0-2 with a 3.97 ERA and is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA since June 3. Twice in his last four starts he has worked 7.0 scoreless innings. Smyly has struck out eight batters in each of his last two starts allowing just one earned run on eight hits with one walk. In four home starts, he is 3-1 with a 3.70 ERA, but is 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA in five road starts.
THIS SEASON ... These two squads have faced each other nine times in the past with the Threshers taking six of the nine games. Lakeland took two of the last three games played last week on June 26-28 in Lakeland. Julio Rodriguez has a .458 average (11-for-24) in seven games of the series while Avisail Garcia has a .359 (14-for-39) in nine games. The Flying Tigers have a .274 team batting average in the series while the Threshers are batting at a .288 clip. The two teams have identical staff ERAs of 3.36 over the nine games.

HOT AND COLD BATS ... The Flying Tigers collected 12 hits in in a 7-1 win against the Threshers on June 28. The next night in Dunedin Lakeland was shutout, 5-0 on four hits. Rebounding on June 30, the Flying Tigers had 11 hits in a 5-1 win. The bats went cold in their last game, getting shutout once again, 4-0, on three hits.

WHAT’S IN STOHR ... Pitcher Tyler Stohr has earned a promotion to AA Erie. Stohr was 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA in 24 relief appearances for Lakeland with 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 31.1 innings.

NEW MAN IS NEWMAN ... Taking Stohr’s roster spot is Nate Newman who was 1-0 with one save and a 4.20 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four walks in 15.0 innings pitched at West Michigan.

THE INCREDIBLE FAULK ... Kenny Faulk is 19 for 20 in save opportunities this season and has not allowed a run in his last five appearances and just four runs (all in one outing) since May 25. His 19 saves is already tied for sixth most ever by a Lakeland pitcher (the franchise record is 29 set by Chris Homer in 2005). The 19 saves is already 10 more than last year’s co-leaders, Lester Oliveros and Jared Gaynor, who each had nine saves.

LITTLE ERA ... Matt Little was touched for one run on July 1 at Dunedin. It was the first run allowed since May 5 for the Flying Tigers (he spent most of June at West Michigan) and now has a 1.08 ERA in his last six appearances out of the bullpen.

BE LIKE MIKE ... Michael Morrison has not allowed a run in his last 10.1 innngs over nine appearances on four hits with 11 strikeouts and four walks. He has been scored upon just one run in his last 15 appearances dating back to May 1.

ALMOST ZILCH FOR ZACH ... Another hot reliever is Zach Samuels who has allowed just one score in his last 12.0 innings and nine appearances dating back to May 12 for a 0.75 ERA. He has mowed down 11 batters and issued just one free pass in that stretch.

LEAVE IT TO THE PEN ... The Lakeland bullpen has allowed just one run in the second half (that coming in 7.1 innings of relief on July 1) for a miniscule 0.35 ERA since the first half ended. Conversely, the starting rotation has been tagged for a 4.89 ERA. With the performance of the bullpen, Lakeland has been able to post a 30-1 record when leading after seven innings and a 13-7 record in 1-run games. However, the Flying Tigers are 1-4 in extra inning games.

DANDY DANIEL ... Daniel Fields has hits in 12 of his last 15 games for a .300 average (15-for-50).

BANG UP CROWDS ... Lakeland has averaged almost 4,000 fans (3,982) in the last five Fourth of July games with a high of 5,248 in 2009. Only once has the event been rained out with a soggy night in 2007.

FROM THE FARM TO THE SHOW ... As of Friday, there were 12 former Flying Tigers on the big league team, including pitchers Charlie Furbush (1-1, 2.49), Lester Oliveros (made his major league debut on Friday), Ryan Perry (0-0, 9.00), Rick Porcello (6-6, 5.06), Justin Verlander (11-3, 2.32) and Brayan Villarreal (1-1, 6.32). Among the position players are Brennan Boesch (.303-10-38), Andy Dirks (.255-6-15), Don Kelly (.250-2-10), Ryan Raburn (.203-7-28), Ramon Santiago (.219-1-7) and Casper Wells (.250-4-12).

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is in a four-way tie for the league lead with eight wins while Kenny Faulk is tied for second with 19 saves; third among relievers with 11.69 strikeouts, fifth with 1.39 walks and fourth with 8.91 baserunners allowed per nine innings ... Tony Plagman is fifth with 52 runs batted in ... Brent Wyatt continues to lead with a .429 on-base percentage ... Trevor Feeney is first with 98.2 innings pitched and fourth among starters with 1.55 walks issued per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is tied for second with 56 walks ... Lakeland is tied with Clearwater for the league lead with a .982 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman with a .953 fielding percentage while Daniel Fields leads all outfielders with a .994 fielding mark ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 38.7 percent of opposing would-be base stealers, a mark which ranks second among all league catchers.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (June 29-July 1)

2011-06-29T07:12:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games will be played in Dunedin with 7:00 p.m. start times.

THE FLYING TIGERS (38-36, 2-2, T-2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland took two of three from Clearwater in its most recent series including a 7-1 victory in Tuesday’s game behind eight strikeouts by Drew Smyly and four hits by Avisail Garcia. Lakeland is batting .263 as a team and has a 3.78 staff earned run average. The Flying Tigers have stolen the fewest bases as a team (32) of any team in the FSL.

THE BLUE JAYS (42-34, 3-3, T-2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Dunedin is coming off a 3-0 shutout at Daytona on Tuesday and is 4-3 in the its last seven games, alternating wins and losses. A.J. Jimenez leads the Blue Jays with a .313 average in 55 games while three hitters have double digit home runs in Brad Glenn (16, tied for the league lead), Jon Talley (10) and Sean Ochinko (10). Dunedin’s closer, Wes Etheridge leads the FSL with 28 saves in 28 save opportunities and has a 1.40 earned run average. Dunedin bats .256 as a team and has a 3.88 staff ERA. The Blue Jays lead the league with 159 doubles and are second with 61 home runs.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wednesday (6/29) - Luke Putkonen (0-2, 7.11 ERA) will be looking for his first victory since joining the club on June 9. He has dropped his last two decisions, allowing six runs in each game, and also pitched six innings in each game while allowing 18 hits in the two games.
Thursday (6/30) - Trevor Feeney (5-7, 4.52 ERA) took the loss in his last start, allowing four runs on a pair of homers in five innings against Brevard County. Giving up the long ball is something Feeney has had problems with this year, surrendering 11 dingers on the season. After tossing seven shutout innings against Daytona on June 10, he has allowed seven runs over his last two starts.
Friday (7/01) - Cole Nelson (4-9, 5.01 ERA) picked up the win in his last start on June 26 against Clearwater with five strikeouts. He held the Threshers to two runs on four hits over 6.0 innings pitched. It was his second consecutive game working 6.0 innings and holding opponents to two earned runs. Nelson has struck out 20 batters over his last four starts.
THIS SEASON ... The Blue Jays have won four of the six previous meetings, but Lakeland took the last series two games to three back on April 17-19. Gustavo Nunez had batted .565 in the six games while Wade Gaynor was 7-of-23 for a .304 average and two home runs. Gaynor drove in seven of Lakeland’s 25 runs in the series.

BIG LEAGUE VISITOR ... Detroit Tiger Carlos Guillen is with the Lakeland team on a rehab assignment, recovering from microfracture knee surgery. He has been on the disabled list since last August.

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER ... The Flying Tigers’ bullpen has not allowed a run in their last 14.2 innings and just one run over the last 21.1 innings dating back to June 16 and has combined for 17 strikeouts and two walks.

HITS ARE GOOD ... Lakeland is 25-9 when outhitting their opponents and 9-24 when being outhit. In seven games in which the two teams have had the same number of hits, Lakeland has won four times.

HAIL, HAIL, AVISAIL ... Avisail Garcia collected four hits in Tuesday’s game and has six hits in his last eight at bats. The Flying Tiger right fielder is 8-for-16 (.500) with four runs scored, two runs batted in and a double over four games. The four hits marked the third time Garcia has had four hits in a game and the 18th time this year he has had two or more hits in a game - the second most on the team.

JONES IN THE ZONE ... Corey Jones carried a 17-game hit streak from May 29 to June 22 and now has hits in 19 of his 21 games. The Flying Tigers’ second baseman is 30-for-80 (.375) since May 29 with 11 runs scored, six doubles and 12 runs driven in.

ONE LEFT ... Prior to Tuesday’s game, Tony Plagman and Jordan Lennerton had played in every one of their team’s game this season–the only two players in the league to do so. However, Lennerton was given a day off on Tuesday as Carlos Guillen started as the DH, leaving Plagman tied for the league lead in games played with 74.

WOO-HO JULIO ... Julio Rodriguez has three hits in two of his last three games and is 7-for-11 (.636) during those three games. The two three-hit games gives him three on the season and now has 12 multi-hit games.

BERGOLLA, BERGOLLA ... William Bergolla has had two hits in each of his last two games and is 4-for-9 in those two games.

INSIDE THE LONG BALL ... Here is a breakdown of Lakeland’s record when various batters have hit a home run: Daniel Fields (4-0); Avisail Garcia (4-1); Wade Gaynor (4-2); Corey Jones (1-0); Jordan Lennerton (2-2); Tony Plagman (5-5); Julio Rodriguez (1-0); Brent Wyatt (0-2).

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Brent Wyatt leads with a .431 on-base percentage (ranks seventh among all Class A players) ... Kenny Faulk is second with 19 saves; third among relievers with 11.78 strikeouts, fifth with 1.44 walks and 8.90 baserunners allowed per nine innings ... Trevor Feeney is second with 91.2 innings pitched and third among starters with 1.57 walks issued per nine innings ... Jordan Lennerton is third with 53 walks ... Tony Plagman is fourth with 52 runs batted in ... Lakeland is tied for the league lead with a .982 fielding percentage ... Wade Gaynor leads all third baseman with a .960 fielding percentage while Daniel Fields leads all outfielders with a .994 fielding mark ... Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 39.0 percent of opposing would-be base stealers which ranks second.

LEAGUE TOTALS ... As a league, the FSL teams are batting a combined .262 with a 3.87 league earned run average.

A LOOK AT THE DETROIT ORGANIZATION ... Detroit leads the American League Central Division with a 43-37 record and has a 1.0 game lead over Cleveland ... Toledo is in last place in the International League’s West Division with a 32-48 record, 21.5 games out of first place ... Erie is fourth in the Eastern League Western Division with a 38-39 record and is 6.0 games out of first place ... Lakeland is 38-36 overall and is 2-2 in the second half in the Florida State League North Division, 1.0 games out of first place ... West Michigan is 34-40 overall and 2-3 in the second half of the Midwest League Eastern Division, 2.0 games back ... Connecticut is off to a 5-5 start and is in third place in the New York-Penn League Stedler Division, 1.0 game out of first place ... the GCL Tigers are 3-5 and are tied for third in the Gulf Coast League’s North Division, 3.0 games back.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman leads with 52 RBI and is second with 10 homers ... Jared Wesson leads with eight wins ... Kenny Faulk leads with 19 saves ... Lakeland’s .263 team batting average is second highest in the organza ti on while the staff ERA of 3.78 is fourth best ... former Flying Tigers Rawley Bishop, Brandon Douglas, Gustavo Nunez and Justin Henry, all playing at Erie, are all tied for the organizational lead with 14 stolen bases.

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (June 26-28)

2011-06-26T07:26:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Break out the sunglasses and sunscreen as two games in this series are day games. Game one is Sunday afternoon at 1:00 while game three is the Flying Tigers’ annual Parks & Recreation Department Day with a 10:30 a.m. start on Tuesday. Sandwiched in between is a normal 7:00 p.m. start time on Monday.

THE FLYING TIGERS (36-35, 0-1, 6th, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland finished in fifth place in the first half with a 36-34 record, trailing Daytona by 11.0 games. The Flying Tigers second-half opening series at Brevard County was cut short by rain as the clubs played just one game with the Manatees, coming out on top by a 4-2 score on Thursday. Friday and Saturday’s games were rained out and will be made up at a later date (see below). Lakeland is hitting .263 as a team, good for sixth highest in the league while the staff ERA of 3.84 ranks fifth.

THE THRESHERS (40-32, 1-2, T-4th, 1.0 GB) ... Clearwater finished in second place with a 39-30 record but was outdistanced by the Cubs by 7.5 games. The Threshers are 3-11 since June 7 and have won just once in their last seven contests. Clearwater is fourth in the league with a .270 team batting average while the Threshers’ staff ERA of 3.26 is lowest in the league. The staff has mowed down 595 batters, second highest strikeout total in the league. Sebastian Valle leads the Threshers with a .350 average in his 44 games played while Jeremy Barnes is next at .268, also in 44 games played. Darin Ruf (.282) has the highest mark among those batter with 60 or more games played.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sunday (6/26) - Drew Smyly (3-2, 2.92 ERA) struck out eight and walked none while holding Daytona to two unearned runs on just three hits, but did not factor into the decision on June 21. Smyly, who had won his three previous starts, has a 2.03 earned run average in his last four starts with 23 strikeouts and seven walks.
Monday (6/27) - Luke Putkonen (0-2, 7.11 ERA) will be looking for his first victory since joining the club on June 9. He has dropped his last two decisions, allowing six runs in each game, and also pitched six innings in each game while allowing 18 hits in the two games.
Tuesday (6/28) - Trevor Feeney (5-7, 4.52 ERA) took the loss in his last start, allowing four runs on a pair of homers in five innings against Brevard County. Giving up the long ball is something Feeney has had problems with this year, surrendering 11 dingers on the season. After tossing seven shutout innings against Daytona on June 10, he has allowed seven runs over his last two starts.
THIS SEASON ... Clearwater has won five of the six meetings this season and swept the three-game series on May 3-5. The middle game of that set was a 14-inning affair, won by the Threshers 3-2 in Lakeland. Julio Rodriguez is 7-for-17 in five games in the series for a .412 mark while Brent Wyatt is 6-for-19 for a .316 average in five games.

RARE RAIN OUTS ... Friday’s rain out at Brevard County was the first of the year for Lakeland who had played all 71 contests this season on the date the game was originally scheduled. Saturday’s game was also a washout. Both games will be made up as part of doubleheaders on Sunday, August 7 at 4:05 p.m. and Monday, August 8 at 5:05 p.m.

JONES' STREAK SNAPPED AT 17 ... During the 17-game streak, Jones was 27-for-70 (.386) with 10 runs scored. The 17-game streak was the longest in the Florida State League this season.

LOTSA WINS ... Lakeland’s Jared Wesson is tied for the Florida State League lead with eight wins along with Clearwater’s Julio Rodriguez and two other starters. The Thresher’s Jonathan Pettibone is rightbehind with seven victories.

LAKELAND HAS HIS NUMBER ... Jonathan Peittibone has faced Lakeland twice this season with one loss and a no-decision. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA against Lakeland and is 7-3 with a 2.51 ERA against the rest of the league.

MOTHER MAY I ... Clearwater’s Trevor May leads the league with 102 strikeouts and 11.77 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

LESS IS MORRISON ... Michael Morrison has surrendered just one run in his last 14 outings dating back to May 4 and just three earned runs since April 11.

TOP DEFENSIVE SQUADS ... Lakeland and Clearwater sit atop the league’s defensive standings with identical .982 fielding percentages. The Threshers have committed a league-low 48 errors while the Flying Tigers are right behind with 50. Both teams are in the middle of the league in double plays turned (66 for Clearwater and 64 for Lakeland). Wade Gaynor continues to lead FSL third baseman with a .958 fielding percentage while Daniel Fields leads league outfielders with a .993 mark.

GUNS BEHIND THE PLATE ... Lakeland’s Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 38.6 percent of would be base stealers this season which is second best in the league while Clearwater’s Sebastian Valle is third with a 37.1 efficiency mark.

FLYING HIGH ... Brent Wyatt is 0-for-6 his last two games, but 19-for-48 (.396) since June 8 ... William Bergolla is 10-for-27 (.320) with two doubles and homer in his last seven games ... Daniel Fields is 4-for-13 (.308) his last four games ... Avisail Garcia is 14-for-49 (.286) since June 10 ... Julio Rodriguez had three hits in his last game on June 23 and has 12 hits, including three doubles and a homer since June 9.

GROUNDED ... Wade Gaynor is 1-for-14 (.071) his last four games ... Jordan Lennerton is 1-for-12 (.083) his last four starts ... Eric Roof is 4-for-29 (.138) his last eight games ... Tony Plagman is 4-for-14 (.222) his last five games.

RE-ENTRY ... Michael Rockett has rejoined the Flying Tigers from AA Erie where he was batting .309 in 23 games. To make room on the roster, Alexander Moreno was sent to the Gulf Coast League team. Moreno had been with Lakeland since June 10, but didn’t see any game action. In addition, Matt Little has been activated from the disabled list where he had been since June 2.

NUNEZ MAKES AN IMPACT ... Recently promoted shortstop Gustavo Nunez hit an inside-the-park home run in his fourth game as a member of the Erie SeaWolves.

LAKELAND ALUM NAMED TO FUTURES SQUAD ... Former Flying Tiger Francisco Martinez has been named to the World roster for the 2011 XM All-Star Futures Game to be played at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 10 as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star week festivities.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Kenny Faulk is third with 18 saves and also third among relievers with 11.57 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and second with 1.19 walks per nine innings ... Brent Wyatt continues to lead with a .438 on-base percentage ... Tony Plagman is tied for third with 52 runs batted in ... Jordan Lennerton is third with 50 walks ... Tyler Stohr is tied for second with seven holds.

Mission Notes vs Brevard County (June 23-25)

2011-06-23T07:47:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games are 7:05 p.m. starts at Spacecoast Stadium in Viera. Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on cable’s Bright House Sports Network (BHSN). Check your local listings for the availability of BHSN. In Lakeland, the game can be seen on Bright House Networks, Channel 47. Thursday’s and Friday’s games can also be heard via the internet at gofnlr.com or 1300wmel.com. Saturday’s game will not be broadcast.

THE FLYING TIGERS (36-34, 5th 1st Half, 10.0 GB) ... Lakeland closed out the first half with a 6-3 loss at Daytona, spoiling a shot at a third series sweep of the Cubs this season. The Flying Tigers finish in fifth place in the first half standings in the North Division, 10.0 games out of first place behind the first-half champion Daytona Cubs. Lakeland is sixth in the FSL with a .263 team batting average and fifth with a 3.83 staff earned run average. Flying Tiger pitchers have walked the second fewest batters in the league and also hit the second fewest batters in the FSL. Lakeland is tied with Clearwater with a .962 fielding percentage – best in the league.

THE MANATEES (27-42, 6th 1st Half, 19.0 GB) ... Brevard County also closed out the first half with a loss, falling 6-5 to Dunedin. Brock Kjeldgaard sits atop the Florida State League with 18 homers a .590 slugging percentage while Khris Davis is seventh with a .320 average and fourth with a .416 on-base percentage. The Manatees are eighth in the FSL with a .263 team batting average while the pitching staff has the highest ERA in the league with a 4.68 mark. Brevard County has the second worst fielding percentage at .968 committing the second most errors in the league with 82.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Thursday (6/23) - Trevor Feeney (5-6, 4.36 ERA) worked 6.0 innings in a non-decision on June 15 against Tampa holding the Yankees to three runs on six hits. On June 10, he tossed seven scoreless innings against Daytona and has a 2-1 record and a 2.57 ERA over his last four starts with 15 strikeouts and five walks. Opponents are batting .291 against Feeney.
Friday (6/24) - Cole Nelson (3-9, 5.17 ERA) has dropped his last three starts with a 6.32 earned run average in those outings. He has struck out 15 and walked six while surrendering 21 hits. In his last start, Nelson held Tampa to three runs, two earned, on five hits in 6.0 innings pitched. Lefties are batting .322 against Nelson while righties are hitting .303 against the lefty.
Saturday (6/25) - Jared Wesson (0-1, 6.23 ERA) worked 6.1 innings in his last start on June 20 against Daytona and got the win, holding the Cubs to one run, despite walking six batters. He is 5-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.57 ERA. Wesson began the season allowing 17 earned runs in four starts and has allowedonly 20 earned runs in his last 10 starts. Righthanded batters are hitting .291 against Wesson, but he is holding lefties to a .193 mark.
THIS SEASON ... The Manatees hold a slim 5-4 margin in the series this season and took two out of three in the last meetings on June 11-13. The Flying Tigers won their last contest by a 13-6 tally. Lakeland is hitting .292 in the series with Wade Gaynor and Avisail Garcia leading the way. Gaynor carries a .382 average with six doubles in the nine games while Garcia is batting .351 with six runs batted in. Brock Kjeldgaard has the hot bat for the Manatees with a .447 average, two homers and 12 RBI while Khris Davis has a .367 mark with two homers and 11 RBI.

JONES EXTENDS HIT STREAK TO 17 ... Corey Jones singled in his first at bat on Wednesday to extend his hit streak to 17 games – the longest streak in the Florida State League this season. During the streak, Jones is 27-for-70 (.386) with 10 runs scored. The streak is Lakeland’s longest since Kody Kaiser collected hits in 21 consecutive games from May 15-June, 2010.

NUNEZ FINALLY GETS HIS SHOT ... Gustavo Nunez has finally earned a promotion to AA Erie and was sent north on June 20. Nunez led the 2010 squad with 116 hits and was named to the Florida State League Midseason All-Star Team. This season, he was again leading the team with 79 hits and was a repeat selection to the FSL All-Star squad.

NEWEST CREW MEMBER ... Taking Nunez’s spot on the roster is infielder C.J. Retherford who comes to Lakeland from AA Erie where was hitting .176 in six games this season. Originally signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox in 2007, Retherford advanced to AAA, but was released just prior to the start of the 2011 season. He signed with the Atlanta Braves’ organization and played in 41 games at AA Mississippi before joining the Tiger’s system on June 14.

BERGOLLA MOVES IN ... Taking Nunez’s defensive spot at shortstop is William Bergolla, a veteran of 10 previous seasons in the minors and one season in the majors. Bergolla made it to the big leagues in 2005, playing in 17 games for the Cincinnati Reds. Orginally signing with the Reds as a free agent in 1999, Bergolla was released in 2008 and remained out of baseball until joining the Tigers’ system this season.

BERGOLLA’S BAT ... William Bergolla maybe taking Nunez’s bat as well as his position with 12 hits in his last 24 at bats for a .500 clip over six straight games. He has driven in five runs while collecting two doubles and a homer.

WYATT EARPED ... Brent Wyatt was held in check in two at bats on Wednesday to see his 11-game hit streak snapped. During the steak, Wyatt was 14-for-42 for a .452 average with 14 runs scored.

SITUATIONAL FLYING TIGERS ... Lakeland’s top hitter with runners on base is Brent Wyatt who has a .317 average in that situation. Tony Plagman has a team-best .321 batting average with runners in scoring position while Wyatt climbs back atop the situational ladder carrying a .412 mark with two outs and runners in scoring position.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson continues to remain in a three-way tie for the league lead with eight wins while Kenny Faulk is third with 18 saves in 19 situations. Brent Wyatt maintains his lead with a .443 on-base percentage while Tony Plagman remains third with 52 runs batted in. Jordan Lennerton and Brent Wyatt are third and fifth with 50 and 43 walks, respectively. Tyler Stohr is tied for second with seven holds.

TEAM LEADERS ... Brent Wyatt leads with a .308 batting average, 37 runs scored, and 11 times hit by a pitch. Jordan Lennerton has a team-leading eight doubles. Tony Plagman leads with 52 runs batted in and 10 home runs in the first half of the season (in comparsion, Jordan Lennerton and Billy Nowlin each hit nine homers for the entire 2010 campaign to lead the team). Cole Nelson has struck out a team-high 60 batters while Trevor Feeney has worked a team-high 86.2 innings. Feeney, Nelson and Jared Wesson have each started a team-high 14 games.

A LOOK AHEAD ... Break out the sunglasses and sunscreen as the Flying Tigers’ next home series features two day games. Game one of a three-game series against Clearwater is on a Sunday afternoon at 1:00 while game three is the Flying Tigers’ annual Parks & Recreation Department Day with a 10:30 a.m. start on Tuesday. Sandwiched in between is a normal 7:00 p.m. start time on Monday.

Mission Notes vs Daytona (June 20-22)

2011-06-19T08:56:00.003-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Game one of this three game series is at Joker Marchant Stadium at 7:00 p.m. with games one and two at Jackie Robinson Park in Daytona on Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (34-33, 5th, 12.0 GB) ... Lakeland went into the All-Star break losing three straight to Tampa and has now lost five of the last six games. The skid has dropped the team into fifth place in the North Division.

THE CUBS (46-21, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... Daytona lost their final two games before the All-Star break, snapping a four-game win streak. Heading into the break, four Cubs batters were hitting .300 or better – Evan Crawford (.333), Justin Bour (.308). David Macias (.303) and Jae-Hoon Ha (.303). Bour is second in the FSL with 16 homers and 53 RBI while Crawford has swiped 15 bases.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ... (The following is based on the rotation prior to the All-Star break. With three days off, the rotation may change.)

Tuesday (6/14) - Jared Wesson (7-4, 4.58 ERA) allowed three runs on four hits over 5.0 innings in a no-decision in his last start on June 12 against Brevard. He has allowed no more than three runs in any of his last six starts and only once in his last eight outings. Through his first five starts, Wesson was 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA. In his last eight starts dating back to May 1, he is 6-2 with a 2.60 mark.
Wednesday (6/15) - Drew Smyly (3-2, 3.40 ERA) was named the FSL Pitcher of the Week for June 6-12, but was roughed up for six runs – four earned – on six hits in 6.2 innings in his last start on June 13. He still emerged with the win thanks to a late rally. After dropping his first start on May 28 coming off the disabled list, Smyly is 3-0 over his last three starts with a 2.75 ERA.
Thursday (6/16) - Luke Putkonen (0-1, 6.23 ERA) has started two games since joining Lakeland on June 5. In his first start on June 9, he struck out five and walked one while allowing three runs on eight hits in 7.0 innings but did not factor into the decision. In his last start on June 14, he struck out six and allowed 11 hits, including three homers, for six runs in 6.0 innings and the loss.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland has won six of the nine games played in the series so far this season including the last three. In their last meeting, Lakeland blasted the Cubs, 12-1. The Flying Tigers also won the first three games of the series while the Cubs captured the middle three games. Lakeland has a .282 average in the nine games while the Cubs carry a .269 mark.

FLYING TIGERS AT THE ALL-STAR GAME ... The North Division emerged triumphant with a 5-3 victory over the South in the 50th Florida State League All-Star Game played in front of 5,134 fans Saturday in Clearwater. Here’s a look at how the four Flying Tigers fared.

Kyle Faulk ... Faulk struck out the side in the eighth inning, getting the first batter on a called strike three and the next two out on a swinging third strike.
Gustavo Nunez ... Nunez started the game at shortstop and played five innings. Batting lead-off for the North, he flew out in the first inning, grounded out in the third frame and walked in the fifth. Nunez stole second after that walk and later scored. Defensively, he had two assists at short.
Tony Plagman ... Plagman started the game at first base and played six innings. He was hit in the back with a pitch in his first plate appearance, doubled in his second at bat, and flew out in his final trip to the plate. Plagman handled six putouts at first base.
Julio Rodriguez ... Voted to the All-Star game as a catcher, Rodriguez came into the game in the seventh inning at first base, replacing fellow Flying Tiger, Tony Plagman. In his only at bat, Rodriguez singled in a run for the North. He had one putout at first base.

JONES AT 14 ... Corey Jones doubled in his first at bat against Tampa on June 16 and added a second double later in the game. The two doubles extended Jones’ streak to 14 games (tied for the longest active streak in the FSL) in which he is 22-for-54 for a .407 average. The .407 mark is the fourth best average since May 29 in High-A ball. During the streak, the second baseman has had five doubles and driven in six runs.

DIEZ FOR NUNEZ ... Gustavo Nunez singled against Tampa on June 16 to extend his hit streak to an even 10 games. The shortstop is 16-for-47 since June 6 for a .340 average with eight runs scored.

WYATT AT NINE ... Brent Wyatt carries a nine-game streak into this series in which he is 15-for-34 (.441) with 12 runs scored. The third baseman has hit three doubles, a triple and a home run in the last six games.

GALLOPING GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has hits in six straight games and has gone 10-for-25 for a .400 average. The third sacker has scored four runs and driven in five in those six games with three doubles and a home run.

LEAPING LENNERTON ... Jordan Lennerton has hits in 19 of his last 20 games for a .351 average (26-for-74) with nine doubles, two homers and 16 runs batted in. He posted a 16-game hit streak (tied for longest in the FSL this season) from May 26-June 12 in which he hit .390 with 14 runs batted in.

ANOTHER STREAKER ... Tony Plagman was held in check in the Flying Tigers’ last game to see his hit streak snapped at 11 games. During the streak, Plagman was 17-for-48 (.354) with 10 runs scored and 10 more driven in. He had eight extra base his during the streak, including five doubles, a triple and two home runs.

DOUBLE DIGITS ... Lakeland has had 10 or more hits in eight of its last 10 games for 114 hits and a .310 average since June 6.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS ... In their last home game on June 14 against Tampa, Brent Wyatt and Tony Plagman homered in consecutive at bats to give Lakeland its first back-to-back homers of the season. As a team, the Flying Tigers have homered in six of their last eight games for a total of nine homers in that span.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jordan Lennerton and Tony Plagman are the only players in the league to have played in every game ... Brent Wyatt leads with a .440 on-base percentage ... Gustavo Nunez is second with 79 hits (three behind the leader, Robert Lyerly of Tampa) and tied for second seven triples ... Tony Plagman is third with 51 RBI ... Jordan Lennerton is third with 46 walks while Brent Wyatt is fourth with 42 ... Jared Wesson is tied for second with seven wins ... Kenny Faulk is third with 16 saves, second with 1.26 walks per nine innings and third with 11.62 strikeouts per nine innings ... Trevor Fenney has worked more than any pitcher with 86.2 innings pitched, Cole Nelson is fourth with 76.2 innings ... Tyler Stohr is fourth with six holds (one behind a trio of relievers) ... Defensively, Lakeland is tied with Clearwater for the best defensive team with identical .982 fielding percentages; third baseman Wade Gaynor (.955) and shortstop Gustavo Nunez (.975) have the top fielding marks in the league at their positions with Gaynor also leading third baseman with 49 putouts while Nunez is tops among shortstops with 285 total chances, 102 putouts and 176 assists. Catcher Julio Rodriguez ranks third throwing out 37.7 percent of intended base stealers.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (May 14-16)

2011-06-14T12:43:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Game one of this three game series takes place at Joker Marchant Stadium at 7:00 pm with games two and three traveling to Tampa. Both games at George Steinbrenner Field are also at 7:00 pm. This is the last series before the All-Star break.

THE FLYING TIGERS (34-30, 4th, 11.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a 13-6 win over Brevard County on Monday that saw the Flying Tigers overcome deficits of 5-0 and 6-1 to give starting pitcher Drew Smyly a present on his birthday. The club used a six-run third inning, sparked by a two-run double by Wade Gaynor and a three-run homer by Daniel Fields to secure the win, the team’s fourth in the last six games. The Flying Tigers are hitting .261 on the year with 20 triples, second most in the FSL. Lakeland pitchers have a combined 3.75 earned run average and have walked 172 batters on the year, second lowest total in the league.

THE YANKEES (32-32, 5th, 13.0 GB) ... Tampa, two-time defending Florida State League champions, have dropped two in a row and three of their last four. The Yankees are hitting .253 on the year, third lowest average in the league, and a 4.11 staff ERA, third highest in the league. Robert Lyerly leads the Florida State League with 78 hits. Like Lakeland, Tampa pitchers have shown control on the mound walking 176 batters, third fewest in the Florida State League.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

Tuesday (6/14) - Luke Putkonen (0-0, 3.86 ERA) worked seven innings and struck out five while allowing three hits in his first start with Lakeland on June 9 against Daytona. In his last outing at AA Erie on June 4, Putkonen tossed seven scoreless innings on four hits while striking out four and walking none.
Wednesday (6/15) - Trevor Feeney (5-6, 4.35 ERA) has won two of his last three starts with a 2.05 ERA. He tossed seven scoreless innings in his last outing on June 10 against Daytona while striking out four, walking one and allowing six hits. He is 2-1 vs. Tampa.
Thursday (6/16) - Cole Nelson (3-8, 5.35 ERA) was tagged for six earned runs on nine hits in just 3.2 innings in his last start on June 11, despite striking out six batters. Nelson has dropped two straight and four of his last five outings.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The Yankees swept the Flying Tigers in their last series as Lakeland could manage just four runs in the three games. Overall, Tampa leads the season series by a 6-4 mark. Julio Rodriguez has a .417 (10-for-24) average in the series while Tony Plagman has a .385 (15-for-39) average with 11 runs batted in. Jordan Lennerton also has a hot bat against the Yankees with a .371 (13-for-35) average. Trevor Feeney is 2-1 with a 1.80 earned run average in three starts versus the Yankees this season.

FSL HONOR ... Drew Smyly got a second birthday present on Monday, earning Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honors. In his one start last week, Smyly tossed seven no-hit innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. It is the first league honor for a Flying Tiger this season and is the first FSL Pitcher of the Week honor for Lakeland since Charlie Furbush earned the honor for the week of May 24-30, 2010.

EVEN DOZEN ... Corey Jones went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in in Monday’s 13-6 win over Brevard County to extend his hit streak to 12 games. He is 19-for-46 (.413) since May 29.

SNAPPED AT 15 ... Jordan Lennerton was held hitless in five trips to the plate on Monday to see his 15-game hit streak snapped. During the streak, Lennerton was 23-for-64 (.359) with ten doubles and 14 runs batted in. The 15 games was the second longest streak this season in the Florida State League.

ANOTHER STREAKER ... Tony Plagman brings a nine-game hit streak into the Tampa series. He is 15-for-39 (.385) with nine runs scored, eight runs batted in. Since June 1, Plagman has hit seven doubles, a triple and two home runs.

PLAYING WITH GUSTO ... Gustavo Nunez is 12-for-34 (.353) with hits in seven straight games and has scored six runs in his last four games. Nunez has had hits in 16 of his last 18 games and is 27-for-78 (.346) with 17 runs scored since May 24.

BULLISH PEN ... Flying Tiger relievers have allowed just four runs in their last eight games for a 2.16 earned run average. The bullpen has 32 strikeouts and 14 walks since May 31.

MORE MORRISON ... Michael Morrison has allowed just six hits in his last 11 appearances out of the bullpen while surrendering just one run. He has 15 strikeouts and four walks since May 4.

SIX SHOOTER ... Brent Wyatt has hits in his last six games for a 8-for-22 (.364) average with eight runs scored, two RBI and two doubles since June 8.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL ... Jared Wesson is second with seven wins ... Kenny Faulk is third with 16 saves and is second with 1.30 walks per nine innings among relievers and third with 12.04 strikeouts per nine innings ... Tyler Stohr is tied for third with six holds ... Tony Plagman is third with 48 runs batted in ... Gustavo Nunez is tied for second with seven triples, fourth with 75 hits and tied for fourth with 44 runs scored ... Jordan Lennerton is tied for third with 18 doubles and is also third with 43 walks ... Brent Wyatt is second with a .429 on-base percentage and fifth with 40 walks.

THE HITS KEEP A’ COMIN’ ... Lakeland has had ten or more hits in six of their last seven games with 82 hits in those seven games for a .313 average. The squad has knocked out 18 doubles in those seven games with five homers.

FOUR FOR FIELDS ... Daniel Fields clubbed a three-run homer to cap a six-run third inning in last night’s game to spark a 13-6 Lakeland win and also doubled in a run later in the game for four RBI. In his last three games, Fields is 5-for-12 (.417).

WADE ROLLER ... Wade Gaynor is also 5-for-12 (.417) in his last three games with three runs scored, four driven in and two doubles.

TREY TIME ... Avisail Garcia had three hits and scored three runs in last night’s 13-6 win over Brevard County. It was his second three-hit game in the last three starts and his third of the season.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jared Wesson leads all Detroit minor leaguers with seven wins while Tony Plagman is first with 48 runs batted in and second with nine home runs. Gustavo Nunez has swiped a organizational best 14 stolen bases while Kenny Faulk has six more saves than any other organizational reliever. Lakeland has the best record of the four Detroit affiliates, second best ERA, but third lowest batting average.

FOUR HEADED TO THE CLASSIC ... Four Flying Tigers have earned a trip to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Classic in Clearwater. Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, catcher Julio Rodriguez, designated hitter Tony Plagman and closer Kenny Faulk will head to Clearwater for the June 18 game at Bright House Networks Field.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (June 11-13)

2011-06-11T10:15:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium at different times. Saturday’s game is a special 4:00 p.m. start; Sunday is at 1:00 p.m.; and Monday at 7:00 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (33-28, T-3rd, 9.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a second series sweep of the division-leading Daytona Cubs. The Flying Tigers, who swept the Cubs in three games on April 14-16, duplicated the feat with a three-game killing on June 8-10. Game two of the recent series at Daytona was won in the 11th as Julio Rodriguez capped a 4-for-5 night with a lead-off homer in the top of the 11th to lead the Flying Tigers to the 4-3 decision. It was the catcher’s second game this season with a quartet of hits. Lakeland is hitting .258 as a team with a 3.67 ERA (fifth best in the FSL).

THE MANATEES (22-39, 6th, 20.0 GB) ... Brevard County dropped a 10-8 loss to Dunedin on Friday despite having taken an 8-3 lead in the fifth. It was the Manatees’ eighth loss in their last ten games. Brevard County is hitting .255 as a team with a league-high 4.70 staff earned run average. Khristopher Davis leads the Manatees with a .311 average to go with his nine homers.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wednesday (6/11) - Cole Nelson (3-7, 4.84 ERA) lost his last decision despite holding Tampa to three runs over 6.0 innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk while scattering seven hits. He has lost three of his last four starts and six of his last eight.
Thursday (6/12) - Jared Wesson (7-4, 4.52 ERA) lost his last start as well with similar numbers holding Tampa to three hits on five hits and six strikeouts in six innings. The loss snapped a four-game win streak by Wesson. In his last five starts he has a 2.64 ERA.
Friday (6/13) - Drew Smyly (2-2, 3.3 ERA) tossed seven no-hit innings at Tampa on June 8. Making just his third start since coming off rehab, Smyly struck out seven and walked three in winning his second straight start.
EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Brevard County took two of three from Lakeland on April 23-26. Lakeland’s lone win in the three home contests came in game two as Brent Wyatt scampered home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. The Flying Tigers returned the favor, taking two of three at Brevard County on April 30-May 2. Game two of that series saw Lakeland explode for 14 runs on a season-high 21 hits. Julio Rodriguez has a .429 average in four games in the series while Wade Gaynor and Avisail Garcia are hitting .364 and .346, respectively. In the six games, Lakeland is batting .281, but has a 4.91 ERA while Brevard County batted .305 with a 3.88 ERA. Khristopher Davis and Brock Kjeldgaard are both hitting .400 in the series.

LUCKY 13 ... It took a seven-run eighth inning to get him an extra at bat, but Jordan Lennerton came through with a line-drive single to left field to extend his hit streak to 13 games on the season. Lennerton’s streak began on May 26 and since then he is 21x52 (.408) with nine doubles and 10 runs batted in. His streak is the longest active streak in the Florida State League for a player still in the league (Daytona’s Junior Lake has a 14-game streak but he has since been promoted to AA Tennessee). His nine doubles gives him 18 for the season, tied for second most in the FSL, while his 41 walks on the season is third most in the league.

LAKELAND IN THE FSL STATS ... Jordan Lennerton and Tony Plagman are the only two players in the league to have played in all 61 games this season ... Jared Wesson is tied for second in the league with seven wins while Kenny Faulk is third with 16 saves in 16 save opportunities. Faulk’s 12.49 strikeouts and 1.01 walks per nine innings each rank third among FSL relievers ... Brent Wyatt still sits atop the FSL with a .437 on-base percentage.

ROSTER SHIFT ... Lakeland infielder James Meador has announced his retirement from baseball. Taking his spot on the roster is Jeff Kunkel who returns to Lakeland for a second stint with the Flying Tigers. Kunkel joined the team from AAA Toledo. The oft-traveled catcher has played for all three levels of the Tigers’ minor league this season catching six games for each club.

DOUBLE DIGIT HITS ... Lakeland has had 10 or more hits in each of the last four games, including 17 hits in last night’s game.

BOMBS AWAY ... The Manatees’ Brock Kjeldgaard leads the Florida State League with 16 home runs.

COREY’S COMING ... Second baseman Corey Jones brings a nine-game hit streak into this series in which he has gone 15-for-34 (.441) with six runs scored and a pair of doubles since May 29.

PLAG THE MAN ... First baseman/DH Tony Plagman has hits in each of his last six games in which he is 9-for-27 (.333) with five runs scored, two runs driven in and three doubles.

GO GUSTAVO ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez has nine hits in the last four games in which he is 9-for-22 (.409) and is batting 22-for-62 (.355) since May 26. His recent run at the plate has propelled him to a tie for fourth in the Florida State League with 71 hits while his seven triples is second most in the league.

STINGY STARTERS ... Thanks to shutout performances by Drew Smyly and Trevor Feeney, Flying Tiger starters have a 2.00 ERA in the last four games. For the season, the starting pitchers have a 4.21 earned run average with 6.19 strikeouts and 4.20 walks per nine innings.

BULLPEN BRAG ... The Lakeland bullpen has been tough on hitters allowing just one run in its last five outings for a 0.69 ERA. The relievers have a 2.73 overall with 7.95 strikeouts and 2.40 walks per nine innings.

FEWEST ONES ... Gustavo Nunez has stolen 14 bases this season, almost half of Lakeland’s 29 swipes on the season. The 29 is just one more than Fort Myers’ league-low total of 28.

RARE START ... Gustavo Nunez found himself starting at second base on Thursday at Daytona. It was his first start at the second sack since 2008 when he played 13 games there for the Flying Tigers. Of his 424 career games played, 402 have come at shortstop with just 15 starts at second base. The other seven games have come in the outfield and as the designated hitter.

DE-FENSE ... Lakeland’s team fielding percentage of .983 is tied with Clearwater for the league’s best mark. The Flying Tigers have committed just 41 errors on the year compared to the Threshers’ FSL-low total of 40 miscues. Wade Gaynor leads all qualifying third baseman with a .955 mark and 43 putouts while Daniel Fields is tops with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

FOUR HEADED TO THE CLASSIC ... Four Flying Tigers have earned a trip to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Classic. Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, catcher Julio Rodriguez, designated hitter Tony Plagman and closer Kenny Faulk will head to Clearwater for the June 18 game at Bright House Networks Field.

Mission Notes vs Daytona (June 8-10)

2011-06-08T18:28:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Games one and two are in Daytona at 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on the internet (visit the Cubs website for link) with game three back in Lakeland at 7:00 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (30-28, 4th, 12.0 GB) ... Lakeland swept Fort Myers a series ago in four games and then was swept by Tampa in three games. The Flying Tigers are 13-15 on the road and 17-13 at home. Jared Wesson is tied for the FSL lead with seven wins while Kenny Faulk is third with 15 saves. Gustavo Nunez is tied for second in the league with seven triples while Jordan Lennerton is second with 40 walks. Lakeland is hitting .254 as a team with a 3.81 ERA which is fifth best in the FSL.

THE CUBS (42-16, 1st, 5.0 Game Lead) ... Daytona has won 72 percent of its game so far this season thanks to a 12-game win streak from May 18-29. The Cubs have also had a streak of nine wins as well as two six-game win streaks, including winning six consecutive games to open the season. Evan Crawford leads the club with a .344 average (second in the FSL) while Justin Bour is batting .327 on the season (good for seventh best) to go with his league-leading 15 home runs and 47 runs batted in. Daytona has the highest team batting average in the FSL at .279, scored the most runs in the league (318) and hit the most homers (51). The Cubs’ pitching staff has allowed the third fewest runs in the FSL and thus, has the third best ERA with a 3.36 staff mark.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wednesday (6/8) - Victor Larez (4-3, 3.77 ERA) tossed seven shutout innings in his last start on June 2, holding Fort Myers to five hits with five strikeouts. It was his first decision in his last five starts. In his last three games (two starts and one relief appearance) Larez has allowed just a pair of runs while striking out 13 and walking four.
Thursday (6/9) - Drew Smyly (1-2, 3.77 ERA) picked up his first win of the season with six solid innings pitched in his last start on June 3 against Fort Myers. He allowed a pair of runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Smyly pitched in three games this season before heading to the disabled list with a sore left arm and was on the DL from April 23 to May 28.
Friday (6/10) - Trevor Feeney (4-6, 4.76 ERA) took the loss in his last start on June 4 against Tampa despite holding the Yankees to two runs on four hits over eight innings. It was his second straight quality start having worked seven innings on May 29 in picking up the win over Palm Beach allowing three runs on eight hits and six strikeouts.
EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland swept three games from the Cubs on April 14-17, taking the first two games by identical 4-3 scores and game three by a 9-6 margin. It is the only time the Cubs have been swept in a series this season. Daytona returned the favor, taking a three-game set on April 22-24 by scores of 5-2, 5-3 and 3-1.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A SERIES MAKES ... Lakeland swept four games from Fort Myers on May 31-June 3 outscoring the South Division leaders by a 31-to-13 margin. Tampa then swept Lakeland in three games June 4-6 in a tighter series, outscoring the Flying Tigers by a combined 11-to-4 score.

DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK ... With a single in his third at bat on Monday, Jordan Lennerton extended his hit streak to 11 games. During the streak, Lennerton is 17-for-38 with six runs scored, six doubles and five runs batted in. His streak is the second longest active streak in the FSL and matches Gustavo Nunez’s 11-game stretch from April 21 to May 4 for longest on the Flying Tigers this season.

A LITTLE HELP? ... Lakeland’s starters have a 2.86 ERA over the last ten games, but has received just an average of 4.4 runs per game (thanks in large part to a 13-run outburst on May 31) in support. In the Tampa series, Lakeland scored just four runs while the trio of starters held the Yankees to a combined eight runs.

CAGEY COREY ... Second baseman Corey Jones takes a seven-game hit streak into the Daytona series and has gone 11-for-27 in that stretch for a .407 clip.

GUSTY ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez has hits in 10 of his last 12 games and has gone 17-for-49 (.347) with 11 runs scored and two triples and double.

TONY THE TIGER ... First baseman/DH Tony Plagman is 8-for-23 (.348) over his last six games with four runs scored, four runs driven in, three doubles and a home run.

A WALK FOR FAULK ... The walk issued by Kenny Faulk on Monday was his first in his last 13 appearances. The two innings pitched on Monday against Tampa was his longest outing of the season and also marked the first game he has entered in a non-save situation in his last eight appearances.

STEADY STOHR ... The three runs allowed by reliever Tyler Stohr on June 4 against Tampa was more than he has surrendered in his last 15 appearances combined. The one walk he issued in that game was only his third in his last 15 outings as well.

MOST WINS ... Lakeland’s 30 wins in the most of the four Detroit minor league affiliates at this point in the season.

SOARES GROUNDED ... Former Flying Tiger Ryan Soares, who had been assigned to West Michigan on June 2, fractured his right ulna when hit by a pitch on Saturday, June 4 and has been placed on the Whitecaps’ disabled list. It was only his second game with the club.

FREQUENT FLYER MILES ... Pitcher Zach Samuels might be feeling like a yo-yo as of late. He was added to the Flying Tiger roster from extended spring training on April 16. On May 24 he earned a promotion to AA Erie and appeared in one game, tossing four scoreless innings. Samuels was then sent back to Lakeland on June 3, works one scoreless inning that evening and then sent back to Erie on June 5.

FOUR HEADED TO THE CLASSIC ... Four Flying Tigers have earned a trip to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Classic. Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, catcher Julio Rodriguez, designated hitter Tony Plagman and closer Kenny Faulk will head to Clearwater for the June 18 game at Bright House Networks Field.

ROSTER RUMBLIN’S ... Lakeland welcomed back a pair of familiar faces to the roster on Sunday. Rejoining the team from West Michigan is Dan Gentzler who was 1-3 in 10 games with the Whitecaps. Also returning to Lakeland is Luke Putkonen who earned his first win with seven scoreless innings pitched on Saturday night for Erie. Putkonen, who was 0-7 prior to Saturday’s victory, finished 9-7 with a 3.18 ERA for Lakeland in 2010.

PLAN AHEAD ... Lakeland will play at home next Saturday, June 11, at a special 4:00 start. It’s a Sunset Celebration with post game activities, music, and fireworks presented by the Ledger Media Group.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (June 4-6)

2011-06-04T09:53:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland returns to competition against the North Division after winning 14 of 23 games against South Division teams. This is a home-away-home, three games series with the Tampa Yankees. Game one is Saturday in Lakeland at 6:00 pm; Sunday is in Tampa at 1 pm; and Monday is back in Lakeland at 7 pm. Lakeland then heads to Daytona for two games on June 8-9 before returning home on Friday, June 10 against the Cubs.

THE FLYING TIGERS (30-25, T3rd, 10.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a four-game sweep of Fort Myers, the first sweep of the Miracle by Lakeland since 2005. Friday’s win, an 8-6 affair, was the Flying Tigers’ fifth in a row and 10th in their last 15 games. Lakeland batted a lofty .329 in the series behind eight hits by Avisail Garcia and seven each by Corey Jones and Gustavo Nunez. The Flying Tigers are hitting .255 overall with a 3.81 staff earned run average.

THE YANKEES (26-29, 5th, 14.0 GB) ... Tampa fell 4-2 at Jupiter on Friday, snapping a five-game win streak by the Yankees. Robert Lyerly leads the club with a .327 average to rank eighth in the Florida State League. His 44 runs batted in is tied for second most in the FSL while his 71 hits leads the league. Tampa is hitting .260 as a team and has a 4.45 team ERA - third highest among all FSL staffs.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Saturday (6/4) - Trevor Feeney (4-5, 5.07 ERA) will look to celebrate his 24th birthday in style as he takes the mound in the opening game of the series. To do so, he’ll have to snap out of a funk that has seen him give up 17 runs over his last four starts.
Sunday (6/5) - Cole Nelson (3-6, 4.87 ERA) scattered five hits over six innings while holding Fort Myers to one run on May 31 in his last start. Nelson was 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in May after recording a 1-2 mark with a 5.40 ERA in April.
Monday (6/6) - Jared Wesson (7-3, 4.53 ERA) has shaved a full two runs off his ERA by winning his last four straight starts allowing just five earned runs over 24.2 innings for a 1.82 earned run average.He has also struck out 21 batters in the last four games including a team-high eight K’s on June 1 against Fort Myers.
EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The two clubs split a four-game, opening weekend series, while Lakeland won two of three on May 6-9 to hold a 4-3 margin in the series. The Flying Tigers have a .242 average in the series with Julio Rodriguez leading the way with a .529 average (9-for-17) in five games. Tony Plagman batted .393 with 10 runs batted in over the seven games. Trevor Feeney, who starts on Saturday, goes for his third win over the Yankees this season.

FOUR HEADED TO THE CLASSIC ... Four Flying Tigers have earned a trip to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Classic. Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, catcher Julio Rodriguez, designated hitter Tony Plagman and closer Kenny Faulk will head to Clearwater for the June 18 game at Bright House Networks Field. Gustavo, who was named to the FSL All-Star last season, is the sixth Lakeland player to earn back-to-back FSL midseason All-Star honors joining catcher/DH Mike Williams (1983-C & 1984-DH); second baseman Jim Walewander (1984 & 1985); outfielder Bernie Anderson (1986 & 1987); catcher Mike Rivera (1999 & 2000); and pitcher Tommy Marx (2001 & 2002). Catcher Greg Shippy had the distinction of being named to two FSL All-Star teams with a year off in between being so honored in 1974 and 1976.

MOST WINS ... With his win over Fort Myers on June 1st, Jared Wesson logged his seventh victory of the year, the most for any pitcher in the Florida State League. Wesson is 7-3 on the year.

15-FOR-15 ... Closer Kenny Faulk recorded two more saves in the Miracle series and now has 15 on the season, which ranks second in the FSL, three behind Justin Friend of Clearwater who has 18 saves. Faulk is perfect in his last seven save opportunities and is 15-for-15 on the season. His 12.93 strikeouts per nine innings and 0.76 walks per nine innings both rank second among league relievers. The reliever is 1-1 on the season with a 1.52 ERA with 34 walks and just two walks over 23.2 innings pitched.

GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM ... Reliever Tyler Stohr has recorded five holds on the season which ties him with four others for the league lead. A reliever gets credited with a hold when he enters the game in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game before it has ended with his team still in the lead.

LENNERTON LUMBER ... Jordan Lennerton has carried the hot bat to the plate as of late and has a current eight-game hit streak. The first baseman/DH is 12-for-28 with two hits in four different games. He has five doubles during the streak and has driven in eight runs and scored five times.

DANDY DAN ... Daniel Fields brings a six-game hit streak into this series in which he 8-for-20 with four runs batted in.

JONES’ING - Corey Jones has hits in each of his last five games and is also 8-for-20 including a four-hit night on May 31 against the Miracle.

SPEAKING OF HOT BATS ... Although he had a seven-game hit streak snapped on June 2, Gustavo Nunez came back with a 3-for-5 effort the next night and is now 14-for-36 (.389) since May 24 with 10 runs scored, a double and two triples. Nunez has driven in six runs in the last four games.

TWICE AS NICE ... Lakeland has collected 12 doubles over the last five games and 34 two-baggers since May 16. The Flying Tigers have hit at least one double in 15 of the last 18 games.

FRIENDLY CONFINES ... With the four-game sweep of Fort Myers at home, the Flying Tigers are now 17-11 at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THREE TIMES THE FUN ... Gustavo Nunez hit a triple in each of the first two games of the Fort Myers series and now ranks second in the Florida State League with seven triples on the season, just one behind the leader, Matt Dan Dekker of St. Lucie.

I’M WALKIN’ ... Jordan Lennerton drew five walks in the first three games against Fort Myers and now leads the Florida State League with 38 walks. Teammate Brent Wyatt is fifth with 33 free passes.

ROSTER RUMBLIN’S ... The Flying Tigers welcomed back a pair of players and lost two others. Rejoining the squad are William Bergolla and Zach Samuels while Ryan Soares was sent to West Michigan and Matt Little was placed on the disabled list. Bergolla comes off the DL where he had been since suffering a broken finger on April 16. Samuels returns to Lakeland after a week at AA Erie where he appeared in one game tossing four scoreless innings against Reading on May 30.

PLAN AHEAD ... Lakeland will play at home next Saturday at a special 4:00 start. It’s a Sunset Celebration with post game activities and fireworks presented by the Ledger Media Group.

Mission Notes vs. Fort Myers (May 31-June 3)

2011-05-30T07:40:00.000-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland concludes its first lap through the South Division with four home games against Fort Myers, which is tied for first place. All four games in the series are at 7:00 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THE FLYING TIGERS (26-25, 4th-North, 13.0 GB) ... Lakeland is coming off a split of a four-game series at Palm Beach which came to a close on Sunday with a 5-3 Flying Tiger win. Lakeland has a 4-3 record in the last seven games without winning or losing consecutive games. Lakeland’s team batting average has dropped to .249, second lowest in the league while the staff ERA of 3.89 is sixth best in the Florida State League.

THE MIRACLE (28-23, T1st-South, 0.0 GB) ... Despite splitting their last ten games, Fort Myers is tied for first place in the South Division of the FSL with St. Lucie, which has gone 3-7 in its last ten games. Brian Dozier has the 10th best batting average in the FSL with a .320 mark, the third best on base percentage at .424 and is tied for fourth with 13 stolen bases. He is the only Miracle player among the league leaders. The Miracle are living up to their moniker as the team is ranked seventh with a .261 batting average and a league-low 17 home runs. The staff ERA of 4.41 is third highest in the league.

LAST SEASON ... Fort Myers took five of the eight games played last season, but the two teams split their four games played at Joker Marchant Stadium.

NO COPS NEEDED ... Fans of the stolen base may be wise to seek another series to watch this week as the Flying Tigers and the Miracle are 1-2 in fewest bases stolen this season. Lakeland has swiped the fewest bases with Gustavo Nunez stealing 11 of the Flying Tigers’ 21 thefts on the season. On the Miracle side, they are second with 25 stolen bases led by Brian Dozier’s 13 steals.

BULLISH PEN ... The Flying Tiger bullpen has been touched for just two runs over the last seven games and 19.1 innings pitched. The relievers have racked up 18 strikeouts and five walks in that time. The bullpen has a 2.61 earned run average with 151 strikeouts and 42 walks.

FAULK REMAINS PERFECT ... Closer Kenny Faulk is 13-for-13 in save situations this season and has recorded 32 strikeouts with just two walks on the season. In 21 games, Faulk is 1-1 with 13 saves.

MAGIC MICHAEL ... Reliever Michael Morrison has been scored upon just once in his last eight outings out of the bullpen with 10 strikeouts and two walks in those eight appearances.

MULTI MULTI’S ... Gustavo Nunez has 14 games with two or more hits this season including three games with three hits and one game with five. Jordan Lennerton and Brent Wyatt each have 12 games with multi hits while Tony Plagman has had 11 games with two or more hits. Avisail Garcia and Wade Gaynor each have 10 multi-hit games.

BAD BRENT ... Brent Wyatt is carrying a hot bat as of late. Since May 9, the Lakeland outfielder is 18-for-45 for a .400 clip to go with 13 walks and a .565 on base percentage. The .400 batting average is the seventh best among all Class-A players since May 9.

NICE SERIES ... Jordan Lennerton went 6-for-15 in the four games at Palm Beach with four runs batted in and a pair of doubles. Gustavo Nunez was also 6-for-15 with six runs scored.

RE-EMERGENCE ... Tony Plagman was one of the league’s hot hitters in the early going and then found the hits tougher to come by. But in his last five games, he is 7-for-18 with four runs batted in and a double and a triple.

LAKELAND FSL LEADERS ... Jared Wesson is tied for the league lead with six wins on the season while Kenny Faulk is tied for third with 13 saves. Trevor Feeney has pitched in a league-leading 65.2 innings this season. Brent Wyatt leads the FSL with a .440 on base percentage and is fifth with 29 walks. Jordan Lennerton is third with 33 base on balls this season.

PUT ME IN, COACH (AGAIN?) ... Jordan Lennerton and Tony Plagman have each played in all 51 of Lakeland’s games so far, the only two players in the FSL this season to play in every game.

GOOD START TO THE WEEK ... With Sunday’s 5-3 win over Palm Beach, Lakeland remains undefeated through six games on Sunday and is 6-1 on Mondays.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES ... Lakeland is 6-2 on Fridays, but falls to 2-7 on Saturdays.

OUTTA HERE ... Jeff Kunkel (AAA Toledo); Michael Rockett and Zach Samuels (AA Erie), and Luis Angel Sanz (Extended Spring Training) have all left the Lakeland roster for their respective assignments.

WELCOME BACK ... Shawn Teufel and Drew Smyly have been activated off the disabled list while James Meador was promoted from Extended Spring Training. Teufel went on the DL on April 19 with a strained oblique muscle while Smyly was placed on the DL on April 23 with a sore left arm. Meador was up with Lakeland for four days from May 14-17 but never got into a game for the Flying Tigers.

A TRIO OF WILDCATS ... Lakeland pitcher Scott Green (currently on the DL) and Fort Myers pitcher Logan Darnell were teammates at the University of Kentucky in 2008 while Darnell and Flying Tiger Matt Little were Wildcats together in 2010.

COLLEGE NO-NO ... Miracle pitcher Alex Wimmers was the Twins’ #1 draft pick in 2010 out of Ohio State University where in 2009, he tossed the Buckeye‘s first nine-inning no-hitter, striking out 14 against the University of Michigan.

ANOTHER TOP PICK ... Fort Myers outfielder Aaron Hicks was the Twin’s #1 pick in 2008 out of Woodrow Wilson High School in California.

NO RELATION ... Miracle pitcher Shooter Hunt, the Twin’s #1 (sandwich pick) selection in 2008 out of Tulane University, is no relation to pro golfer, Shooter McGavin of “Happy Gilmore” fame.

BIG LEAGUE BRO ... Fort Myers manager Jake Mauer is the older brother of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer.

MIRACLE DRAWS FROM ALL OVER ... Fort Myers features players from Australia (James Beresford and Brad Tippett); Canada (Andrew Albers); The Netherlands (Tom Stuifbergen); in addition to several players from Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Mission Notes vs. Palm Beach (May 26-29)

2011-05-26T09:33:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Lakeland continues play in the South Division with four games at Palm Beach. Games 1-3 in the series are slated for 6:35 with game four on Sunday at 5:05 p.m.

THE FLYING TIGERS (2-23, 4th-North, 11.0 GB) ... Lakeland rallied in late innings to overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat Bradenton, 4-3, on Wednesday to take the series three games to one. It was the second late rally by Lakeland in three games as the Flying Tigers scored five times in the eighth inning to win Monday’s game, 5-2. The Flying Tigers are batting .251 as a team and only Palm Beach has a lowest average (.244) in the Florida State League. The staff ERA of 3.88 is sixth best in the league.

THE CARDINALS (18-29, T5th-South, 9.0 GB) ... Palm Beach fell 6-3 at Brevard County on Wednesday, snapping the Cardinals’ three-game win streak. The loss is Palm Beach’s seventh its last 11 games. Zack Cox was on fire for the Cardinals going 28-for-67 (.418) over his last 18 games with hits in 17 of those contests but has been called up to AA Springfield on Tuesday. Shelby Miller leads the FSL with 69 strikeouts for the Cardinals. Palm Beach is hitting .244 as a team, the lowest average in the league, and has scored a league-low 162 runs. However, the Cardinals pitching staff has the league’s fourth best team ERA of 3.52 on the season.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Thursday (5/26) - Cole Nelson (2-5, 4.56) struck out six and walked one while holding Jupiter to three runs on six hits over 6.0 innings in taking the loss in his last start on May 21. It was his fourth loss in his last five starts.
Friday (5/27) - Jared Wesson (5-3, 4.91) K’ed five and held Bradenton to one run on four hits over 6.1 innings to pick up a win in his last start on May 21. It was his second win in a row and his fourth in his last five starts.
Saturday (5/28) - Victor Larez (3-3, 4.53) will be looking for his first win since May 2. In four starts since, he is 0-1 with three straight no-decisions. In his last start on May 23, he held Bradenton to two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Sunday (5/29) - Trevor Feeney (3-5, 5.22) was tagged for eight runs on nine hits over 4.0 innings on work in his last start on May 24. It was his fifth loss in his last seven starts.
LAST SEASON … The Flying Tigers swept all eight games last season marking the first time in at least 16 seasons that Lakeland has won all meetings with an opponent in a season. Lakeland batted .306 in the series and outscored Jupiter 51-26.

STILL IN SIGHT ... With three runs batted in on Wednesday, Tony Plagman has climbed back into the FSL leaders with 37 RBI on the season, just two behind the leader, Daytona’s Juston Bour. Kenny Faulk’s save on Wednesday gives him 11, good for fourth best in the FSL. Brett Wyatt had two hits and two walks on Wednesday and now ranks second in the league with a .438 on base percentage.

TWICE AS NICE ... With two more doubles on Wednesday by Brent Wyatt and Tony Plagman, the Flying Tigers have cranked out 21 doubles in the last ten games.

SPEED OUTBURST ... Gustavo Nunez swiped three bases while Brent Wyatt stole one as Lakeland totalled four stolen bases on Wednesday. Despite the four swipes, the Flying Tigers are last in the league with just 18 stolen bases this season. The 18 thefts matches the total of the individual league leader, Junior Lake of Daytona who also has a dozen and a half stolen bases.

‘BOUT TIME ... The Flying Tigers’ 4-3 win over Bradenton on Wednesday was Lakeland’s first “hump day” win in seven tries.

ANOTHER ONE-RUNNER ... Wednesday’s 4-3 win was Lakeland’s 15th game decided by one run this season with Lakeland emerging victorious in nine of those contests.

COMPLETES THE SET ... Jay Voss earned a promotion to AA Erie on Tuesday. Taking his roster spot in Lakeland is Luis Angel Sanz, not to be confused with Luis Alberto Sanz, his brother, who was a catcher in four games for the 2010 Flying Tigers. The pitching Sanz, who joins Lakeland from extended spring training, is in his sixth year in the organization. He was 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA in three games at Connecticut in 2010 and 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA in 25 games, including 12 starts, at West Michigan.

KEEP THE DOOR SPINNING ... The Flying Tiger roster has taken on a look of revolving door as of late with yet another player earning a promotion as Zach Samuels joins the AA Erie SeaWolves.

RARE TRIPLE PLAY ... The Flying Tigers turned in a wild triple play on Sunday that concluded with the Bradenton manager and rightfielder being ejected. With runners on first and second, the batter sends a fly ball to Lakeland rightfielder Avisail Garcia who makes a diving catch, but the ball rolls free. The home plate umpires signals that the catch was good and there’s one out. Garcia throws the ball into the infield where the shortstop, Gustavo Nunez, grabs it and tags first base to double off that runner. Two down. Nunez then fires the ball to the third baseman, Brent Wyatt, covering second, who tags the runner who had stepped off the bag. Out number three and Lakeland’s first triple play since June 14, 2005.

LAKELAND ALUMS MAKE GOOD ... Former Flying Tigers Charlie Furbush and Andy Dirks made their presence felt for the big club on Monday. Furbush tossed 3.1 innings to pick up the win in his professional debut for the Tigers. The former Flying Tiger, who played in Lakeland in 2009 and 2010, struck out three and walked one in holding Tampa Bay to two hits. Dirks, who played for Lakeland in 2009 and who made his pro debut on May 16, hit his first major league home run on Monday against the Rays. Unfortunately, to make room on the big roster for Furbush, Detroit sent former Flying Tiger Brayan Villarreal back to Toledo.

MORE UPS AND DOWNS ... Another Lakeland alum Adam Wilk (2010) was also called up to Detroit on Wednesday, but to make room on the roster, former Flying Tiger Robbie Weinhardt (2008, 2009) was designated for assignment.

NOW THAT’S A LOTTA BASEBALL ... Clearwater and Jupiter locked horns for 23 innings on Monday with the Threshers coming out on top, 2-1, in the game that took just over five and a half hours to play. Both squads used eight pitchers each and combined for 158 at bats and 31 hits. Clearwater took a 1-0 lead in the third while Jupiter tied the game in the sixth. That’s the way the score stood for the next 16 innings before Jose Duarte singled in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 23rd inning.

Mission Notes vs. Bradenton (May 22-25)

2011-05-21T22:51:00.002-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with Sunday’s game getting underway at 1 pm and the other three on Monday-Wednesday at 7 pm. Fans can listen to all the action via the Bradenton Marauders web page.

THE FLYING TIGERS (21-22, 4th-North, 10.0 GB) ... Lakeland dropped a 4-2 decision to Jupiter last night as the Hammerheads take the series three games to one. With the loss, the Flying Tigers are 5-5 in their last ten games. Lakeland has dropped to 11th with a .254 team batting average while the staff ERA of 3.85 ranks seventh.

THE MARAUDERS (18-25, 4th-South, 8.0 GB) ... Bradenton will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak that saw them fall 6-4 to Dunedin last night. The Marauders are 13-11 at home, but just 5-14 on the road. David Rubinstein and Elevys Gonzalez are eighth and ninth in the FSL in hitting with averages of .333 and .326, respectively while Aaron Baker is tied for second in the league with 35 RBI. Robbie Grossman leads the league with 38 runs scored – six more than the second player. Bradenton is tied for third in the league with a .269 team batting average and is eighth with a 4.18 staff earned run average.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Sunday (5/22) - Jared Wesson (4-3, 5.44) has made two scoreless appearances for two wins in his last three starts working a brilliant 8.0 scoreless innings on May 6 allowing just two hits to Tampa and then scattering five hits on May 17 against Charlotte blanking the Stone Crabs for 6.1 innings. Unfortunately, in between, he gave up five runs on six hits in 4.2 innings in a loss to St. Lucie on May 12.
Monday (5/23) - Trevor Feeney (3-4, 4.47) has dropped four of his last five starts, winning once on May 9 against Tampa during that span. In his last start on May 14, he held Tampa to four runs over 6.0 innings in taking the loss. He has worked 7.0 innings in each of his last three starts and has a 3.00 ERA in those three games. Feeney is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA at home this season.
Tuesday (5/24) - Jay Voss (2-0, 3.71) struck out six in 6.0 innings in his last start on May 15 against Charlotte but allowed five runs - four earned on eight hits in the no-decision. Voss began the season in the bullpen but moved to the starting rotation with the injury to Drew Smyly and has started his last five appearances. He has recorded 15 strikeouts and just one walk in his last 21 innings over four starts.
Wednesday (5/25) - Cole Nelson (2-4, 4.57) held Jupiter to three runs on six hits and six strikeouts in his last start on May 21 in taking the loss. He is 1-4 in his last five starts with a 3.70 ERA in his last four starts, all in May, after posting a 5.40 ERA in April.
LAST SEASON … The two clubs split their four games played in 2010, the Marauders’ first season in the Florida State League. Neither club had an advantage on the home turf as the two clubs also split their series at each other’s ballparks. Lakeland batted .263 in the series with a 5.04 ERA while Bradenton batted .273 with a 4.04 mark on the mound. The two Marauder catchers last season were ex-Flying Tigers, Jordan Newton and James Skelton.

TOO BAD THIS ISN’T VEGAS ... 7-7-7 in some venues is lucky, but not for the Flying Tigers who have had seven hits in each of the last three games and are 1-2 in those games.

PRATT INJURED BY LINE DRIVE ... Jordan Pratt was hit in the head with a line drive off the bat of Jaime Ortiz in Thursday’s game and was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center via ambulance after a 23 minute delay. Flying Tiger GM Zach Burek confirmed that Pratt suffered a concussion and that the doctors optimistic about his prognosis.

HEY, BRO ... Detroit promoted Kevan Hess from the Connecticut roster to take Jordan Pratt’s place on the roster. Hess was a 14th round pick in 2009 by Detroit out of Western Michigan University. He was 2-1 last season with stops in Connecticut and West Michigan. If you think the name sounds familiar, you are correct as Kevan’s brother, Andrew, played for Lakeland in 2009.

HOME, (NOT) SWEET HOME ... Lakeland is 10-10 in home games averaging exactly 4.0 runs per game. On the road, the squad is 11-12 with an average of 4.74 runs scored per game. The Flying Tigers are also hitting over 20 points better on road with a .264 mark away from Marchant Stadium and a .242 average at JMS.

WHERE THE THIEVES? ... Lakeland has not stolen a base in the last eight games and have swiped just two bags in the last 17 games.

BIG CROWDS SCARE US ... The Flying Tigers set an all-time attendance record last season, which might not be a good thing year as the team is 3-5 in 2011 when crowds exceed 1,000 fans.

DREADNAUGHT RETURNS TO LAKELAND ... Bradenton outfielder Evan Chambers is a 2007 graduate of Lakeland High School. Originally drafted out of high school by the Colorado Rockies, Chambers opted to play for the University of Florida and then transferred to Hillsborough Community College. He was a third-round pick by the Pirates in the 2009 draft out of HCC.

TIGER LEGACY ... The Marauder’s Nathan Baker has ties to the Tigers’ organization as his grandfather, Chuck Daniel was a pitcher for seven seasons in the Detroit organization from 1953-1960. He pitched in one game for the big club on September 21, 1957, working 2.1 innings.

LET’S (ALMOST) PLAY TWO ... The AA Erie SeaWolves were involved in a marathon game on Thursday, falling 9-6 to Trenton in 16 innings that took 4:44 to play. Erie jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first thanks to a three-run homer by Rawley Bishop. By the end of the third inning, the SeaWolves clung to a 5-3 lead, but the Thunder roared back with a two-run homer by Bradley Suttle off L.J. Gagnier to knot the score at 5-all. Neither team would score again over the next nine innings until Trenton pushed across a run in the top of the 15th. In the bottom of the frame, Brandon Douglas singled to score Shawn Roof to tie the game once again. Unfortunately, the was the end of the SeaWolves luck as Trenton scored three times in the top of the 16th for the win. As long as that game was, it doesn’t come close to topping Lakeland’s longest game, a 20-inning affair with Daytona on June 29, 2008 that the Flying Tigers emerged with a 3-2 win after six hours and six minutes of baseball.

Mission Notes vs. Jupiter (May 18-21)

2011-05-17T22:42:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played at Joker Marchant Stadium with the first three games starting at 7 pm while the Saturday game is slated for 6 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (20-19, 4th-North, 7.0 GB) ... Lakeland took three of four from Charlotte on the road including the last three and has now won four of the last five and six of the last nine. The Flying Tigers are batting .258 as a team to rank 8th while the staff ERA of 3.88 is 7th in the league.

THE HAMMERHEADS (19-20, 4th-South, 7.0 GB) ... Jupiter will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak that saw the club drop three of four to Dunedin, including being shutout 5-0 last night. Kyle Jensen is tied for the FSL lead with 11 homers and 34 RBI and is fifth in the FSL with a .350 average while Jose Alvarez is 10th in the league with a 2.60 ERA. Jupiter is ninth in the FSL with a .256 team batting average and fourth with a 3.53 staff ERA. The Hammerheads are an affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Wednesday (5/18) - Victor Larez (3-3, 4.78) gave up five runs – three earned – on eight hits in 5.0 innings against St. Lucie in his last start on May 13. He has allowed 17 earned runs in his last five starts for a 6.20 ERA after allowing just three runs in his first two starts combined.
Thursday (5/19) - Trevor Feeney (3-4, 4.47) will be looking to break out of a slump that has seen him drop four of his last four decisions. He has worked 7.0 innings in each of his last three starts with a 3.00 ERA, 14 strikeouts and just two walks, but is 1-2. At home he has a 2-1 record and a 3.00 ERA.
Friday (5/20) - Jay Voss (2-0, 3.71) allowed five runs – four earned – on eight hits in 6.0 innings in his last start on May 15 at Charlotte. In his last four starts he is 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA and 15 strikeouts and just one walk. He has a 5.06 ERA in three day games and 2.81 in four night games.
Saturday (5/21) - Cole Nelson (2-4, 4.57) gave up a pair of runs on five hits over 6.2 innings in his last start on May 16 at Charlotte, snapping a three-game losing streak. Nelson posted a 5.40 ERA in April, but has dropped that mark to 3.44 in May.
LAST SEASON … Lakeland swept the season series last year winning all eight games outscoring the Hammerheads, 51-26 and batting .306 in the series. It was the first season swept by Lakeland over any Florida State League in at least 16 seasons. Daniel Fields drove in eight runs in the series while Kody Kaiser went 11-for-19 (.579) with seven RBI in just four games. In 2009, Lakeland had won just two of the eight games.

LAKELAND POWER COMPANY ... Lakeland has hit nine homers in the last four games. The Flying Tigers clubbed four homers in a 6-5 win over Charlotte on Sunday with all six runs coming via the long ball. Daniel Fields slugged a three-run homer while Tony Plagman, Ryan Soares, and Avisail Garcia each his solo homers. It was the first time the Flying Tigers had hit four homers in one game since Chris Carlson, Devin Thomas, Michael Bertram and Audy Ciriaco, each went deep on July 5, 2009 at Clearwater. Two nights later, the Flying Tigers would again have a multi-homer game, hitting three in a 10-1 win as Garcia, Plagman and Jordan Lennerton each went deep. Garcia and Plagman have each had two homers in the last three games.

ON A TEAR ... Ryan Soars is making the most of his playing time as of late and had homered in three consecutive games on May 14 at St. Lucie and May 15 and 16 at Charlotte. It was the first time since that a Flying Tiger has gone deep in three straight games since August 16-18, 2010 when Jordan Lennerton accomplished the feat. The longest stretch of homering in consecutive games in recent history is Ryan Strieby’s amazing streak of six straight games on July 19-23 during his record-setting season of 29 homers in 2008.

HEY TONY, PRETEND IT’S A ROAD GAME ... First baseman Tony Plagman leads Lakeland with seven homers on the season, all but one coming on the road. In contrast, last year’s team leaders, Jordan Lennerton and Billy Nowlin each led the club with just nine homers all season. As one might expect in the cavernous Joker Marchant Stadium, only eight of Lakeland’s 26 homers this season have come at home.

EIGHT GAME STREAK ... Daniel Fields brings an eight-game hit streak into this series going 12-for-32 (.375) with nine runs batted in, three doubles, a triple and a home run.

DOUBLED UP ... Of Michael Rockett’s 15 hits since April 28, six have been doubles and one was a triple.

KUNKEL OUTBURST ... Jeff Kunkel has five hits in eight at bats in his last two games with a triple and four runs scored.

JAMES, WE HARDLY KNEW YA ... Detroit promoted Brent Wyatt to Erie on Sunday and assigned James Meador from the GCL Tigers’ roster. The duo switched back to the original team spots on Tuesday with Wyatt rejoining Lakeland and Meador heading back to the Connecticut roster. Wyatt brings back a mini-hit streak going 7-for-16 (.438) over the last five games.

EASTERN LEAGUE HONOR ... Congratulations to former Flying Tiger Justin Henry who was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of May 9-15. In seven games for Erie, Henry was 13-for-28 (.464) with one double, one triple and five runs scored.

FIRST ROUNDER ... Jupiter’s Chad James was the Marlins’ first-round pick (18th selection overall) in 2009 out of Yukon High School in Oklahoma where he was 8-2 with a 1.28 ERA as a senior.

COLLEGE TEAMMATES ... Jupiter’s Sergio Pedroza played collegiately in 2005 at Cal State Fullerton, same university as Flying Tiger player Corey Jones and Michael Morrison.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS ... Wednesday is All-You-Can-Eat with Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grill as the featured restaurant. Thursday is $1 beer and soda night and a Lakeland Chamber of Commerce mixer. The first 350 adult fans at Friday’s game will get a free Camp Flying Tiger’s t-shirt courtesy of Team Hammer. It is also Royal Rangers Night. The homestand is capped on Saturday with A Night of Hope which will benefit Hope Hospice. It’s also Armed Forces Celebration Night with veterans receiving free admission with a Fireworks Extravanga after the game.

Mission Notes vs. Charlotte (May 14-17)

2011-05-14T08:23:00.000-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games will be played at Charlotte Sports Park, which in addition to being the home of the Stone Crabs, is the Spring Training home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Saturday’s game is at 6:30 p.m., Sunday is a 1:30 p.m. while Monday and Tuesday’s first pitches are slated for 6:30 p.m.

FLYING TIGERS (17-18, 4th-North, 8.0 GB) ... Lakeland overcame a 5-0 deficit with a five-run sixth inning on Friday and also came back from trailing 6-5 to post a 7-6 win at St. Lucie, gaining a split of a four-game series against the Mets. Daniel Fields went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two more driven in with a double and triple while Brent Wyatt and Corey Jones also added two hits. The Flying Tigers have won three of their last five games and four of their last seven. Lakeland was out hit 33 to 18 in the last three games of the series against St. Lucie. The Flying Tigers rank ninth in the FSL with a .255 average have stolen a league-low 13 bases. Lakeland’s staff ERA of 4.00 ranks seventh.

CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS (12-23, 6th-South, 11.0 GB) ... Charlotte rallied late in last night’s game, but couldn’t overcome Brevard County in falling 8-7 to the Manatees. The loss was the Stone Crabs’ second in a row, fourth in the last five, and ninth in the last 12 games. In spite of their 12-23 record, the Stone Crabs rank fifth in the league with a .274 batting average. They are second in the league with 12 triples, but have hit a league-low 10 home runs (Daytona leads with 33 dingers). Charlotte has a 4.31 ERA which ranks eighth in the league, right behind Lakeland. Charlotte won the South Division last season and advanced in the Florida State League to face Tampa in the championship series, falling in four games

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Saturday (5/14) - Trevor Feeney (3-3, 4.35) had his best outing of the year in his last start on May 9 at Tampa. Working 7.0 innings, Feeney held the Yankees to one run on four hits with four strikeouts. In his last two starts, he is 1-1, despite a 1.92 ERA with 12 K’s and just two walks.
Sunday (5/15) - Jay Voss (2-0, 3.05) picked up a win in his last start on May 10 going 6.0 innings against St. Lucie. Voss held the Mets to two runs on six hits with four punch-outs and one walk. He has allowed two earned runs in each of his last three starts and is 2-2. He began season in the bullpen but joined the starting rotation when Drew Smyly went on the disabled list.
Monday (5/16) - Cole Nelson (1-4, 4.91) held St. Lucie to two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks on May 11 in getting tagged with his third consecutive loss. He is looking for his first road victory against a pair of losses and has a 4.91 ERA in five home outings and two road starts.
Tuesday (5/17) - Jared Wesson (3-3, 6.43) surrendered five runs on six hits in 4.2 innings at St. Lucie in his last start on May 12. In the game prior to that, he tossed two-hit ball over 8.0 shutout innings. He is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA at home and 1-2 with a 7.11 mark on the road.
LAST SEASON … Lakeland won five of the eight games played last season, including three of four in Lakeland. In the one home loss, Charlie Furbush struck out 13 batters. The two teams split their four games at Charlotte. Four games in the series were decided by one run with two others being two-run affairs. Jordan Lennerton batted .438 in the series.

TOP TEN HITTER ... Lakeland’s Julio Rodriguez is tied for seventh in the Florida State League with a .341 average. In the other dugout, Charlotte’s Hak-Ju Lee, who came to the Tampa Bay organization from the Cubs as part of the Matt Garza trade, leads the FSL with a .396 average.

GRAND SALAMI ... Jordan Lennerton made his first homer of the season a big one, connecting for a grand slam on May 10 on the road at St. Lucie. It is the eighth four-run round-tripper of the Florida State League season.

TODAY’S LETTER IS K ... Kenny Faulk has worked 1.0 inning in each of his last ten appearances out of the bullpen and has recorded two strikeouts in seven of those games and had three K’s in another. In his 14 relief appearances he has recorded at least one strikeout in 13 of those games.

OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELDS ... Daniel Fields is 7-for-22 (.318) in his last six games with a pair of doubles and a triple.

WILD WYATT ... Brent Wyatt brings a five-game hit streak into the series in which he is 7-for-16 (.438).

STILL #2 ... Tony Plagman continues to rank second in the Florida State League in runs batted in, entering this series with 30 while Jordan Lennerton is still second in the FSL with 27 walks.

BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS … St. Lucie tossed back-to-back shutouts against Lakeland on Wednesday and Thursday, winning 6-0 and 7-0. It marked the first time since April 10 and 11 of last season when Tampa blanked the Flying Tigers 1-0 and 3-0 that the club had been shutout in conseuctive games.

GLOVE WORK ... Lakeland is tied for second in the league with a .977 fielding percentage. Individually, center fielder Daniel Fields leads the FSL with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, handling 75 total chances with zero errors. Wade Gaynor leads FSL third baseman with 25 putouts while Corey Jones leads all second baseman with 107 assists. Catcher Julio Rodriguez has thrown out 35.3 percent of opposing base stealers this season.

UP AND DOWN … Two former Flying Tigers exchanged roster spots in the organizational ladder as Ben Guez (OF) moved up to Toledo while Bryan Pounds (3B) was sent to Erie.

DETROIT ORGANIZATION LEADERS ... Justin Henry leads all Detroit minor leaguers with a .367 batting average at Erie while Ben Guez has a .351 mark at Toledo. Julio Rodriguez’s mark of .341 ranks fifth while Toledo’s Andy Dirks and Erie’s Bryan Pounds rank eighth and ninth with averages of .328 and .313, respectively. Toledo’s Duane Below and Charlie Furbush rank second and third with ERA’s of 2.70 and 2.90, respectively. L.J. Gagnier (6th, 3.86); Toledo’s Adam Wilk (8th, 3.96) and Trevor Feeney (9th, 4.35) also rank in the top ten.

THANK YA, THANK YA VERY MUCH … Fans at the Saturday night Charlotte game will be treated by an appearance by Little “E”, the World’s Smallest Elvis Impersonator.

Mission Notes vs. St. Lucie (May 10-13)

2011-05-10T02:44:00.003-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All four games are in St. Lucie. First pitch for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. while the other three games get underway at 6:30 p.m. St. Lucie games are available via internet broadcast.

LAKELAND (15-16, 3rd-North, 8.0 GB) ... Lakeland beat Tampa 5-1 yesterday to take the series three games to one. After a 9-4 start, the Flying Tigers have gone 6-12. Julio Rodriguez, thanks to eight hits in his last 11 at bats, ranks fourth in the FSL with a .359 average and Tony Plagman is second in the league with 30 RBI, just one behind the leader while Wade Gaynor is tied for second with 10 doubles. Jordan Lennerton is a close second in the league with 24 walks, just two behind the leader. Lakeland is hitting .258 as a team and have dropped to ninth in the league while the staff ERA of 3.91 ranks seventh.

ST. LUCIE (21-10, 1st-South, 0.0 GB) ... The Mets tore out of the starting gate winning 17 of their first 19 games to stand at 17-2 on April 25. Since then, however, the squad is 4-8. St. Lucie downed Palm Beach 3-2 in 10 innings last night. The Mets have the third best ERA in the FSL at 3.21 while the team batting average of .274 ranks fourth.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Tuesday (5/10) - Jay Voss (1-0, 3.07) worked 4.0 innings in his last start on May 4 against Clearwater. He allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Voss began the season as a reliever and has started his last three outings with a 1-0 record and a 4.09 ERA as a starter. This will be his first start on the road in 2011.
Wednesday (5/11) - Cole Nelson (1-3, 5.34) took the loss in his last start on May 5 working 5.1 innings allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and four walks. In his previous start he surrendered four runs n 11 in 4.2 innings, but struck out 11.
Thursday (5/12) - Jared Wesson (3-2, 5.93) tossed eight shutout innings on May 6 in his last start against Tampa. He held the Yankees to a pair of hits to pick up his second straight win. Wesson has a 1.80 ERA in his last two starts on nine hits while in his prior two starts to that, he allowed 12 runs on 20 hits in 6.2 innings for a 5.40 ERA.
Friday (5/13) - Victor Larez (3-3, 4.68) was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in just 3.2 innings on May 7 against Tampa in his last start. After beginning the season 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, Larez has dropped three of his last four outings with a 6.41 ERA. He has a decision in each of his six starts.
LAST SEASON ... This is the first series between these two clubs this season. Lakeland won six of the eight games played last season with Brent Wyatt batting .480 in the series with 12 hits including two doubles, a triple and a home run for seven RBI.

THE OL’ COLLEGE TRY ... Lakeland’s Jared Wesson and St. Lucie’s Chris Hilliard were teammates at Itawamba Junior College in Mississippi in 2008. The Flying Tigers’ Corey Jones and the Mets’ Jeff Kaplan both played for Cal State Fullerton in 2008.

DOUBLE D ... St. Lucie’s Matt Den Dekker is all over the FSL leaderboard: 9th with a .336 batting average; 3rd with 40 hits; 1st with 13 doubles; 2nd with 18 extra base hits; 2nd with 25 runs scored; tied for 1st with 4 triples.

TIGER TRIVIA ... Gustavo Nunez led the Flying Tigers with 116 hits last season to become the first Lakeland player since 1985 to lead the team in hits and return to start the following season in Lakeland. Who was the player who led the 1984 team in hits only to start the 1985 season in Lakeland? Answer at the end.

STRONG ARMED ... The Mets’ Matthew Harvey and Jeurys Familia rank first and second in the league with 1.10 and 1.49 ERAs, respectively. Harvey and Scott Moviel are tied for second with four wins each while closer Jeffrey Kaplan is tied for third with eight saves. Harvey is second with 39 strikeouts while Darin Gorski is third with 38 K’s and Familia is fifth with 36.

STRONG “D” ... Lakeland has the best fielding team in the Florida State League with a .980 mark. Wade Gaynor is the top defensive third baseman with a .965 fielding percentage.

NO CONTROL ISSUES ... In the last 12 games, the Flying Tigers bullpen has walked just eight batters while striking out 34. In those dozen games, the pen has allowed just 10 earned runs for a 2.67 ERA. Here’s a look at the strikeouts to walk numbers for the top relievers: Kenny Faulk (22/2); Jordan Pratt (16/3); Zach Samuels (11/2).

HOME, SWEET HOME? ... Wade Gaynor hits over 100 points better on the road than at Marchant Stadium. In 14 road games, the third baseman is hitting .316, while he is hitting .214 in 15 home games. Second baseman Corey Jones is batting .275 in 13 road games and .158 in 16 home dates. On the other hand, catcher Julio Rodriguez is hitting a blistering .450 at home and .263 on the road.

FAMOUS BLOODLINE ... The Mets’ Franciso Pena is the son of former Major Leaguer Tony Pena who played 19 years in the bigs.

GOT HIS NUMBER ... Clearwater’s Jonathan Pettibone had a 3-0 record with a miniscule 0.38 ERA in his first four starts in 2011, but then he faced the Flying Tigers. In his last two starts, both against Lakeland, he emerged 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA. Against Lakeland, he allowed six runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and five walks. In his first four games against the rest of the Florida State League, Pettibone allowed just one earned run with 18 strikeouts and just two walks.

AAA PITCHERS OF THE WEEK ... Former Flying Tiger Duane Below has been named the International League’s Pitcher of the Week for May 2-8. Below was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14.0 innings, including 11 against Charlotte in a no-decision on May 8. In the Pacific Coast League, Andrew Kown, who played in Lakeland in 2006 and 2007, was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for the Fresno Grizzlies. the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Kown was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 13.0 innings.

TRIVIA ANSWER ... Jim Walewander led the 1984 team with 136 hits and then played in 129 games in Lakeland in 1985. He went on to make his major league debut with Detroit in 1987 and played in four seasons in the big leagues.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (May 6, 8-9)

2011-05-06T12:28:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Friday (5/6) in Lakeland, 7:00 pm; Saturday (5/7) at Tampa, 6:00 pm; Monday (5/9) at Tampa, 7:00 pm.

LAKELAND (13-15, T-3rd, 7.0 GB) ... The Flying Tigers fell 5-1 to Clearwater on Thursday for their third loss in a row and the 11th loss in their last 15 games. Lakeland is batting .259 as a team and continues to rank second in the league with 20 batters hit by a pitch. The Flying Tigers have left a FSL-high 238 runners on base for an average of 8.5 per game (the league average is 7.3). Lakeland’s staff ERA of 4.03 ranks 7th in the FSL while team’s .979 fielding percentage is second best in the league.

TAMPA (9-19, 6th, 11.0 GB) ... Tampa was shutout 5-0 by Daytona last night to drop their eighth straight game. The Yankees are batting .242 but have hit 10 triples as team - the second most in the league. While Lakeland is second in the FSL with 20 hit batsmen, Tampa has been hit a league-low seven times. Tampa’s staff ERA of 5.30 is the highest in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

Friday (5/06) - Jared Wesson (2-2, 8.06) had a strong outing in his last start, going 7.0 innings against Brevard County in a win on May 1 to three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and four walks. That outing came after back-to-back outings in which he lasted a total of 7.0 innings with 12 runs allowed on 20 hits.
Saturday (5/07) - Victor Larez (3-2, 3.41) had his best outing since opening in his last start working 6.2 innings against Brevard County on May 2. He allowed just one run on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks to pick up the win.
Saturday (5/08) - Trevor Feeney (2-3, 4.98) took the loss in his last start on May 3 despite holding Clearwater to three runs – two earned – in 7.0 innings of work with a season-high eight batters. It was his longest outing of the season, but his third consecutive loss.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The two clubs split their season-opening four-game series in April 7-10. Lakeland won 7-5 in the first game in Lakeland after opening a 6-0 lead after four and capped the series with 5-2 win in Tampa. In between, the Yankees took game two, 7-6 in 10 innings at Tampa, despite four Flying Tigers with two or more hits. Game three came down to the wire with the Yankees winning 2-1 in Lakeland. The Flying Tigers had the bases loaded in the ninth, but could get a run across.

GUSTO FOR GUSTAVO ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez went 5-for-6 on Wednesday before having his 10-game hit streak snapped on Thursday. He batted 19-for-49 during the streak for a .388 clip and is now hitting .349 on the season to rank seventh in the Florida State League. He is also tied for fourth in the league with 37 hits. He is the second player in the FSL to collect five hits in one game and the first Lakeland player since Bryan Holaday knocked out five hits in his professional debut on July 9, 2010 against Clearwater. Another Bryan, Bryan Pounds, also had five hits for Lakeland last season on April 14 at Brevard County.

WADE WONDER ... Wade Gaynor is tops among league third baseman with a .964 fielding percentage (with just three errors on the season) and is third in the Florida State League with nine doubles. He had a nine-game hit streak snapped on Thursday in which he was hitting 14-for-34 (.412).

TIGER TRIVIA ... Prior the Bryans (Holaday and Pounds) getting five hits in a single game last season, who was the last Lakeland player to collect five hits in one game? (Answer at the end of the column).

HANGIN’ IN THERE ... Despite not being on the same hot hitting tear he started the season with, designated hitter Tony Plagman continues to rank second in the FSL with 25 runs batted in.

PUT ME IN COACH ... Michael Rockett hasn’t seen that much playing time so far this season, but as of late, when given a chance, he has taken advantage of the opportunity. In his last three games, the Lakeland outfielder is 6-for-16 (.375) with two doubles.

WHAT’S THE PH? ... Brett Wyatt pinch-hit for Daniel Fields on April 28 at Clearwater and singled for Lakeland. It was just the second pinch-hitter for Lakeland this season. Ryan Soares was the first substitute batter on April 23 against Brevard County.

FREE PASS ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton is in a three-way tie for the league-lead with 23 walks this season.

MULTI-JULIO ... Catcher Julio Rodriguez had half of Lakeland’s hits in Wednesday’s game with a double and two singles. It was the second time this season he has collected three base hits in one game and is the sixth time he has had multi-hits in a game. He has hits in 11 of his last 12 games to raise his batting average .136 points from .188 to .324 which is now second best on the team.

BOMBS AWAY ... Tampa’s Sean Black and the Flying Tigers’ Trevor Feeney have each allowed a league-high six homers while Yankee Preston Clairborne is next with five dingers surrendered.

K’s A PLENTY ... Lakeland outfielder Daniel Fields has struck out a league-high with 34 strikeouts while Tampa teammates Taylor Grote and Zoilo Almonte are tied for fourth with 30 whiffs.

BEAT THE TRAFFIC ... Lakeland has trailed after five innings in 11 games this season and have come from behind to win just one game. On the other side of the scoresheet, the club is 10-1 when leading after five innings. They are 2-4 in those games in which the score is tied after five frames.

EARLY LEAD? ... Lakeland has scored first in 17 games this season, and has won ten of those games. Conversely, when the opponent scores first, the Flying Tigers have come back to win six of the eight games.

NEW/OLD CREW MEMBER ... Lakeland send pitcher Nate Newman to West Michigan on May 4 and added catcher Jeff Kunkel to the roster. Kunkel joins Lakeland from AA Erie where he played in six games. He began the season at AAA Toledo and played in two contest. This is Kunkel’s fourth stop in Lakeland having played in 66 games over three seasons in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

TRIVIA ANSWER ... Justin Henry went 5-for-6 on August 2, 2009 against St. Lucie.

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (May 3-5)

2011-05-03T17:46:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Tuesday (5/3) at Clearwater, 7:00 pm; Wednesday (5/4) at Lakeland, 10:30 am; Thursday (5/4) at Lakeland, 7:00 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (13-12, 3rd, 4.0 GB) ... Lakeland downed Brevard County, 3-1, on Wednesday and has now won two in a row and three of the last four. Tony Plagman is tied for the FSL lead with 24 RBI while Kenny Faulk is tied for third with six saves. Wade Gaynor is third in the league with nine doubles and Gustavo Nunez is tied for second with three triples. The Flying Tigers are batting .263 as a team to rank seventh in the Florida State League while the staff earned run average of 4.18 is also seventh in the league.

CLEARWATER (16-9, 2nd, 1.0 GB) ... Clearwater has won three in a row, five of the last six, and is 7-3 in its last ten games and now trails Daytona by 1.0 games in the FSL North Division. Joe Savery enters the series with a nine game hit streak (13x42, .309) and is 24x73 (.329) with hits in 16 of his last 17 games. His .442 average leads all of minor league baseball. Jonathan Pettibone is fourth in the FSL with a 1.55 ERA to go with his 3-1 record. Julio Rodriguez is sixth with a 2.13 ERA and is a perfect 4-0 on the mound. Justin Friend is the top closer in the league with nine saves. The Threshers are hitting .276 as a team, good for fourth best in the FSL. The pitching staff ranks third with a 3.21 ERA and has allowed the fewest runs (83) of any team in the league.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Tuesday (5/03) - Trevor Feeney (1-1, 4.87) ... Trevor Feeney was victimized for eight runs on 11 hits in just four innings in his last outing on April 28 at Clearwater. He had allowed nine total runs in his previous four starts. Feeney has taken the loss in each of his last two starts.
Wednesday (5/04) - Jay Voss (1-2, 9.98) ... Jay Voss doubled his season total of innings pitched with five strong innings in his last start on April 29 at home versus Clearwater. Voss allowed two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking none in picking up the win.
Thursday (5/05) - Cole Nelson (2-2, 4.03) ... Cole Nelson surrendered 11 hits and allowed four runs despite striking out eight in 4.2 innings in dropping his second loss of the season. It was his first loss since his season debut on April 9.
EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The Threshers won the first two games in Clearwater by 8-6 and 9-6 scores while Lakeland took game three in Lakeland by a 4-2 tally.

OFFENSIVE BREAKOUT ... Lakeland exploded for 14 runs on 21 hits in a 14-5 win at Brevard County on Sunday. The 14 runs was a season-high while the 21 hits was the most since July 28, 2005. Wade Gaynor and Avisail Garcia each had four hits while Michael Rockett added three hits each for Lakeland. Gustavo Nunez, Jordan Lennerton, Corey Jones and Eric Roof each collected a pair of hits. Nunez led the way with four runs batted in while Brent Wyatt and Roof each had two RBI. Nunez and Tony Plagman also hit home runs for the Flying Tigers.

LAREZ LEADS ‘EM ... Victor Larez is tied for the organizational lead with three wins while Kenny Faulk leads all Detroit minor leaguers with six saves.

DOUBLES GALORE ... Wade Gaynor doubled twice against Brevard County on Sunday while Avisail Garcia, Eric Roof and Brent Wyatt each had one double as Lakeland totalled five in the game. It was the second time this season, the Flying Tigers have had five doubles in one game. Lakeland has now hit at least one double in 11 games straight.

TWIN-KILLINGS ... The Flying Tigers eight double plays in the last five games after turning just three double plays in the previous nine games.

STRANDED ... Lakeland has left 37 men on base in the last three games combined including 13 in back-to-back games on April 30 and May 1.

BULL SESSION ... Reliever Kenny Faulk picked up his sixth save of the season on Monday and has allowed just one run all season. He has 19 strikeouts and just two walks while allowing 12 hits all season.

WELCOME BACK ... Lakeland made a pair of moves on Sunday, bringing Matt Little back from Erie where he had been since making just one appearance for the Flying Tigers on April 7. Little was 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six appearances with the SeaWolves. To make a little room for Little, Dan Gentzler was sent to West Michigan.

ONE MORE FOR TEN ... Avisail Garcia enters this season with a nine-game hit streak dating back to April 23 in which he is 14x38 for a .368 mark with a double, triple and homer and six runs batted in ... Gustavo Nunez also brings a nine-game streak into this season. Since April 21, Nunez is 12x39 (.308) with seven runs batted in. Going back to April 11, the second-year Lakeland shortstop is 28x81 (.346) with five doubles, three triples and two homers.

EIGHT FOR GAYNOR ... Close behind, Wade Gaynor brings a seven-game hit streak into this season. Since April 26, Gaynor is 13x24 (.542) with five doubles, including three on Sunday at Brevard County.

LAKELAND LEADERS ... Gustavo Nunez leads the Flying Tigers with a .326 batting average while Wade Gaynor is second with a .302 mark ... Wade Gaynor leads with nine double while Gustavo Nunez tops with three triples and Tony Plagman leads with five homers and 24 runs batted in.

ON THE FARM ... Justin Verlander is second the American League with 51 strikeouts for Detroit ... Scott Sizemore leads the International League with a .408 batting average and a .495 on base percentage at Toledo. Andy Dirks is eighth with a .340 mark and second with 10 stolen bases and 33 base hits. Charlie Furbush leads the International League with 33 strikeouts and two complete games ... Ben Guez is sixth in the Eastern League with a .338 average at Erie ... Detroit (12-17, losers of seven straight); Toledo (13-3, 7-3 last ten games); Erie (10-13, 4-6 last ten games); Lakeland (13-12, 4-6 last ten games); West Michigan (8-15, 1-9 last ten games).

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 29-May 2)

2011-04-30T08:29:00.001-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... All three games are at Brevard County: Saturday, 7:05 pm; Sunday, 5:05 pm; Monday, 10:35 am.

THE FLYING TIGERS (11-11, 3rd, 4.5 GB) ... The Flying Tigers batted around in the fourth inning last night and held on to defeat Clearwater 4-2 to climb back to .500 on the season with an 11-11 record. All the runs came off of Jonathan Pettibone, who entered the game with a 3-0 record and a remarkable 0.38 ERA. The win is just the second in the last nine games for Lakeland which is 3-8 over the last 11 outings. Lakeland is seventh in the FSL with a .257 team batting average and continues to rank second in batters hit by a pitch with 18. The team has left 174 runners on base this season, the most of any FSL team. The Flying Tigers have a 4.19 staff ERA, a mark that ranks eighth in the league.

BREVARD COUNTY (9-13, 4th, 6.5 GB) ... The Manatees began the season losing their first five games and nine of their first 12. Since then, the club is 6-4. Josh Prince is tied for the league lead with eight stolen bases. Scott Krieger is seventh in the FSL with a .364 average while Khristopher Davis is tied for third with five home runs and tied for fourth with 19 RBI. Krieger is fourth in the league with a .636 slugging percentage while Davis is fifth with a .623 mark. Brevard County is ninth in the FSL with a .254 team batting average. The Manatees staff ERA of 4.09 is tied for sixth in the league and has surrendered a FSL-high 19 home runs.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Saturday (4/30) - Cole Nelson (1-1, 4.87) ... Nelson is 1-1 with two no decision in four starts. He has allowed two or more earned runs in each start and has walked nine batters his last two outings. Ironically, in his one win on April 19 against Dunedin, he allowed a season-high four runs and walked a season-high five batters. He worked 5.0 innings in his last start on April 25 against the Manatees, holding Brevard County to four hits and three runs – two earned – while striking out two and walking four.
Sunday (5/01) - Jared Wesson (1-2, 9.98) ... Jared Wesson is 1-3 in four starts. In his last two outings, he has been tagged for ten hits in each start while surrendering a combined 12 earned runs, including a season-high seven tallies in his last start on April 26 against the Manatees.
Monday (4/29) - Victor Larez (2-2, 4.03) ... Victor Larez won his first two starts working a combined 13.0 innings and allowing three runs with ten hits, seven strikeouts and zero walks. He has dropped his last two starts, going 9.1 innings while surrendering 12 runs – seven earned – on 13 hits, five strikeouts and four walks. He has not faced Brevard County this season.
EARLIER THIS SEASON ... The Manatees took two of three games played earlier in Lakeland, winning the opener 9-6 in 11 innings scoring three times in the 11th on a fielder’s choice, passed ball and a single. Game three was all Manatees as four players each had three hits as Brevard County collected 18 hits including six doubles and three home runs. In between, Lakeland won 4-3, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth with Brent Wyatt racing home on a wild pitch for the winning run. Julio Rodriguez went 5x8 (.625) with four runs batted in over two games while Jordan Lennerton hit .455 (5x11) in the three games for Lakeland. Brock Kjeldgaard was 6x15 (.429) and Scott Krieger went 6x15 (.400) for Brevard County while Ryan Gennett was 5x13 (.385) and Khristopher Davis went 4x11 (.364).

FAULK IS ALMOST FAULTLESS ... Kenny Faulk has allowed just one run in his 10 appearances out of the bullpen this season and has not been scored upon in his last five games. He has struck out 17 while walking just one batter all season.

FLYING HIGH ... Tony Plagman leads the FSL with 23 RBI ... Kenny Faulk is tied for second in the FSL with five saves.

OCHO FOR JULIO ... Catcher Julio Rodriguez went 1x3 in last night’s game to extend his hit streak to eight games. He is 12x26 (.462) in those eight games with a pair of doubles and seven runs batted in.

SIX AND COUNTING ... Avisail Garcia has hits in each of his last six games going 9x26 (.346) with six singles, a double, triple and home run. Gustavo Nunez also has a six-game hit streak going 7x24 (.293) in those games. He is 13x39 (.333) his last ten games with three doubles and a pair of triples. Since April 11, Nunez is 23x66 (.348).

GAYNOR GAININ’ ... Wade Gaynor has hits in four straight games going 6x13 (.462) with four singles and two doubles.

JONES’ TURNAROUND ... Corey Jones was 2x28 (.071) in nine games from April 9-18, but is 10x38 (.263) in 10 games since then.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... Lakeland is 3-6 on the road in 2011.

FOUR TO DOUBLE ... Lakeland has stolen one base in each of the last four games to double their season total on the season to eight stolen bases.

KEEP THOSE DOUBLES COMING ... The Flying Tigers have recorded at least one double in each of the last eight games (included five on April 27 at Clearwater) and in 12 of the last 13 games. Lakeland has doubles in 19 of their 22 games played this season.

EDUCATION DAY #2 ... Lakeland’s next home will be Wednesday, May 4 at 10:30 in the morning as the Flying Tigers play host to Clearwater and an expected Education Day crowd of 3,000

ON THE FARM ... Scott Sizemore leads Detroit minor leaguers with a .397 average at Toledo while Ben Guez is second with a .379 at Erie. Bryan Pounds is fourth with a .343 for the Mud Hens while Andy Dirks is sixth with a .337, also for Toledo. Gustavo Nunez is eighth in the organization with a .325 for Lakeland. On the mound, Charlie Furbush has an organization-low 1.90 ERA to go with his 2-1 mark for Toledo with 32 strikeouts and five walks in 23.2 innings. Adam Wilk is second with a 2.49 ERA for the Mud Hens while L.J. Gagnier is third at 2.63 for Erie. Jacob Turner (2.70, Erie 4th), Duane Below (3.63, Toledo, 5th), Victor Larez (4.03, Lakeland, 8th), Drew Smyly (4.08, Lakeland, 9th) and Thad Weber (4.18, Toledo, 10th) also rank in top ten. Lakeland’s Tony Plagman leads with 23 RBI and is second with four homes while Kenny Faulk is tops with five saves (three more than anyone else) ... Detroit (12-14); Toledo (11-12); Erie (9-11); Lakeland (11-11); West Michigan (7-13).

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (April 27-29)

2011-04-27T10:58:00.003-04:00

SERIES SCHEDULE ... Wednesday at Clearwater, 1 pm; Thursday at Clearwater, 7 pm; Friday at Lakeland, 7 pm.

THE FLYING TIGERS (10-9, 3rd, 3.5 GB) ... Lakeland dropped a 12-3 loss at home on Tuesday to Brevard County as the Manatees collected 18 hits, half of them for extra bases, including three home runs. The loss was the Flying Tigers’ fifth in the last six games. Lakeland has the second lowest team batting average in the FSL with a .247 mark and has swiped a league-low five stolen bases. The Flying Tigers are also second in the FSL with 17 batters hit by pitch. The pitching staff is sixth with a 4.22 team ERA.

CLEARWATER (11-8, 2nd, 1.5 GB) ... The Threshers are coming off a split of a doubleheader with Tampa on Tuesday. Clearwater took game one by a 10-1 score behind a 3-for-5 night by Darin Ruf who had a double, homer and five runs batted in. The Threshers were shutout 4-0 in game two. Ruf is hitting .353 his last ten games while Joe Slavery and Brian Gump are batting .333 and .321, respectively in the same time frame. With the split, Clearwater is now 3-7 its last seven games and has been shutout twice in those six games. There last two wins were by a combined 18-2 score. Clearwater is sixth in the FSL with a .264 average and have allowed just 63 runs, the second fewest in the league. The Threshers’ staff ERA of 3.15 ranks third in the FSL.

SLAVERY SLAUGHTER ... Clearwater’s Joe Slavey leads all of minor league baseball with a lofty .456 average. He has 31 base hits already this season, including six doubles, a triple and a homer.

BIG MAC ... Thresher reliever Matt McSwain is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA in one start and three relief appearances. In his one start, he tossed six shutout innings against Jupiter, holding the Hammerheads with three hits with 11 strikeouts and zero walks.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

Wednesday (4/27) - Victor Larez (2-1, 4.24) ... Tossed 7.0 shutout innings in first start on 4/11, holding Dunedin to four hits with four strikeouts and no walks ... picked up win in second game on 4/16 vs. Daytona, going 6.0 innings, allowed three runs on six hits ... took the loss on 4/21 after allowing five runs on six hits in 4.0 innings at Daytona.
Thursday (4/28) - Trevor Feeney (2-1, 3.47) ... Picked up wins on 4/7 vs. Tampa and 4/17 vs. Dunedin ... took the loss on 4/22 vs. Daytona despite limiting the Cubs to two runs on six hits ... has allowed eight earned runs in last three 18.1 innings over three starts (3.93).
Friday (4/29) - Jay Voss (0-0, 1.59) ... Made start on 4/23 in place of Drew Smyly (DL) ... worked 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and one run against Brevard County; struck out two and walked four.

LAST SEASON ... Clearwater took 10 of the 18 games played last season. Jordan Lennerton hit three home runs in the series while Gustavo Nunez swiped eight bases.

FLYING HIGH ... Gustavo Nunez and Tony Plagman are tied for the team lead with .338 averages. Julio Rodriguez is second with a .313 average while Brent Wyatt is third with a .295 average. Kenny Faulk is 1-0 with a 1.04 and four saves while Trevor Feeney is 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA.

WHO DAT JULIO? ... Catcher Julio Rodriguez is 9-for-16 (.563) over his last five games with two doubles and five runs batted in. He is hitting .417 (5-for-12) against lefties.

WILD WYATT ... Outfielder Brent Wyatt was 8-for-20 (.400) before having his five-game hit streak snapped on Tuesday. He is hitting .533 (8-for-15) against lefties.

DOUBLE THE FUN ... Lakeland has hit at least one double in each of the last five games and has at least one double in 16 of their 19 games this season.

NEWEST CREW MEMBER ... Starting pitcher Drew Smyly was placed on the disabled list on 4/23 with Nate Newman taking his place from extended spring training. Newman was selected by Detroit in the 17th round of the 2009 draft out of Pepperdine University. He was 0-5 with a 4.46 ERA at West Michigan last season and 2-1 with a 2.34 ERA at Oneonta in 2009. He was also drafted by Seattle in the 10th round of the 2008 draft, but did not sign.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT ... Lakeland skipper Dave Huppert managed the Clearwater Threshers to the 2007 Florida State League Championship in his only season with the club.

LAKELAND FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is second with 18 RBI ... Jordan Lennerton is fifth with 14 walks.

CLEARWATER FSL LEADERS ... As mentioned, Joe Slavery is hitting a league-leading .456 with a FSL-best 31 hits. He is also tied for second with a .472 on-base percentage ... Justin Friend is second with six saves.

HEY CUZ! ... Thresher outfielder is the cousin of NBA player Shaquille O’Neal.

THRESHER HONORED ... Clearwater’s Jonathan Pettibone is the reigning FSL’s Pitcher of the Week. Pettibone tossed seven shutout innings against Tampa on April 23 and held the Yankees to four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

UP ON THE FARM:

Detroit (12-11, 2nd, 2.5 GB) ... The big Tigers are 6-4 in their last ten games and are 6-4 at home and 6-7 on the road.
Toledo (7-12, 3rd, 7.0 GB) ... The Mud Hens have dropped six of their last ten games and at 4-6 at home and 3-6 on the road.
Erie (9-8, 1st, 0.0 GB) ... The SeaWolves have jumped into first place in the Eastern League Western Division in which just 1.5 games separate them from the last place Richmond Flying Squirrels. Toledo is 7-4 at home and 2-4 on the road.
West Michigan (7-9, 6th, 3.5 GB) ... The WhiteCaps are on a six-game losing streak, but have dropped just one game in the standings, falling 3.5 games behind the Lansing Lugnuts. West Michigan is 5-7 at home and 2-2 on the road.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

Friday (April 29): Myron Noodleman: The Hippest Nerd in the Business; Pin Wheels in the Park; Team Photo Giveaway.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 23, 25-26)

2011-04-23T22:45:00.002-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-7, T-2nd, 2.0 GB) ... Lakeland will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak after getting swept by the Daytona Cubs. The Cubs scored a combined seven runs in the first inning of games one and two while three Cub pitchers held Lakeland to just three hits in game three. Despite the losses the Flying Tigers are tied for second place with Clearwater, two games behind Daytona. Lakeland is ninth with a .253 team average and is second with 13 batters hit by pitch. On the mound, the Flying Tigers are sixth with a 3.80 ERA.

BREVARD COUNTY (6-10, 5th, 5.0 GB) ... The Manatees improved to 6-10 with a 6-0 shutout of Clearwater on Friday. Brevard County has now won three of their last four games after dropping four straight. The Manatees rank 11th out of 12 teams with a .248 team batting average but leads the league with 20 stolen bases. Brevard County pitchers are 10th with a 4.95 staff ERA. The staff has allowed a league-high 16 home runs. Thru his eight games played, Scott Krieger is hitting .483 (he does not have enough at bats to qualify for league leaders). Hunter Morris (.300) is the only other Manatee batting .300 or better.

LAST SEASON ... Lakeland won 11 of the 18 games played in 2010. Jordan Lennerton hit .364 in eight games with three doubles and three homers while Daniel Fields hit .333 in 13 games.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Saturday (4/23) - Drew Smyly (0-1, 4.08) ... had best outing in his season debut on April 8 at Tampa, going 5.2 innings and holding the Yankees to one run with six strikeouts and zero walks ... Has allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in 12 innings over his last two starts.
Monday (4/25) - Cole Nelson (1-1, 5.28) ... picked up win in 5.1 innings of work on April 19 at home against Dunedin despite allowing five walks ... all appearances have come at Joker Marchant Stadium ... righties are hitting .350 against Nelson.
Friday (4/26) - Jared Wesson (1-1, 6.92) ... got win in 5.1 innings on April 15 at home against Daytona ... allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings in last start at Daytona on April 20 ... righthanders are hitting .424 against Wesson while lefties are limited to a .190 average.
LAKELAND FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is tied with Jupiter’s Kyle Jensen for the league lead with 17 RBI; is third with 23 hits; is sixth with a .390 batting average ... Gustavo Nunez is tied for second with 14 runs scored and is tied with two others for third with 35 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is tied for second with 12 walks ... Kenny Faulk ranks second with four saves.

BREVARD COUNTY FSL LEADERS ... Scott Krieger and Hunter Morris are tied with two others for second with six doubles

FURBUSH FIRES ONE-HITTER FOR TOLEDO ... Former Flying Tiger Charlie Furbush tossed a one-hitter on Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader for AAA Toledo. Furbush, who was 4-5 for Lakeland in 2010, went the distance allowing just the one hit with nine strikeouts and no walks over his seven inning stint.

FIRST ROUNDER ... The Manatees’ Kentrail Davis was Milwaukee’s first round pick (39th overall) in 2009 out of the University of Tennessee.

FLYING HIGH ... Kenny Faulk has 13 strikeouts and one walk and has allowed just one run in seven appearances ... The bullpen has a 0.46 ERA in the last six outings.

GROUNDED ... Starting pitchers have a combined 7.20 ERA in the last four games.

FINALLY ... Brett Wyatt’s stolen base on April 21 at Daytona was Lakeland’s first since Gustavo Nunez had swiped a base on April 12 at Dunedin. Overall, Lakeland has four stolen bases and has been caught stealing five times.

COLLEGE TEAMMATES ... Brevard County’s Kyle Heckathorn and Lakeland’s Kenny Faulk were teammates at Kennesaw State University in 2009. Heckathorn was selected by the Brewers in the supplemental first round of the 2009 draft while Faulk was the Tigers’ 16th round pick that season ... Lakeland’s Cole Nelson and Brevard County’s Hunter Morris were teammates last year at Auburn University. Nelson was a 10th round pick by Detroit while Morris was a fourth round pick of the Brewers ... Flying Tiger Cole Nelson and the Manatee’s Khristopher Davis were teammates at Cal State Fullerton in 2009 ... Brevard County’s Scott Krieger and Lakeland’s Ryan Soares both played for George Mason University in 2009.

UP ON THE FARM:
Detroit (10-10, 3rd, 3.5 GB) ... Brennan Boesch is tied with Miguel Cabrera for the team lead with a .333 average and is second to Cabrera with 11 RBI.
Toledo (5-10, 3rd, 4.5 GB) ... Scott Sizemore is leading the team with a .390 average ... Ryan Strieby and Clete Thomas are tied for the team lead with 20 RBI ... Charlie Furbush is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA. He has 21 strikeouts and four walks in 16.2 innings pitched.
Erie (6-7, 5th, 1.0 GB) ... Ben Guez leads with a .324 average. Bryan Pounds is hitting .302 and is tied with the team lead with two home runs. Jared Gayhart is 1-0 with a miniscule 1.04 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. He has not walked a batter. Lester Oliveros is 2-0 with an amazing 0.90 in five appearances with 16 strikeouts in 10.0 innings.
West Michigan (7-4, 3rd, 2.5 GB) ... Bruce Rondon is 2-0 and has not allowed a run or hit in five appearances for a 0.00 ERA. Michael Torrealba is also 2-0 and has a 2.08 ERA in four appearances.
LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...
Saturday (April 23): The Flying Tigers will stage their annual Easter Egg Hunt after the game with 20,000 eggs and a special appearance by the Easter Bunny. Fireworks Extravaganza will follow the egg hunt.
Monday (April 25): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.
Tuesday (April 26): Education Day #1 (Special start time of 10:30 a.m.). Kraft Singles Tuesday: Buy one ticket, get one free ticket with Kraft Singles wrapper.
Friday (April 29): Myron Noodleman: The Hippest Nerd in the Business. Pin Wheels in the Park. Team Photo Giveaway.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (April 20-22)

2011-04-20T07:53:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-4) ... With their 8-6 win over Dunedin last night, Lakeland has taken over sole possession of first place in the FSL North Division. The win was the Flying Tigers’ eighth in the last ten games while their 9-4 start is the best for a Flying Tiger since 2005. In last night’s game, the 3-4-5 hitters (Wade Gaynor, Tony Plagman, Avisail Garcia) combined for six hits, five runs scored, and five runs batted in. Lakeland is now hitting .253 on the season with eight homers while the pitching staff has a 3.55 ERA. The Flying Tigers will play two games in Daytona before returning home for a Friday night game at 7 against these same Daytona Cubs.

DAYTONA CUBS (8-5) ... The Cubs bumped Clearwater out of first place last night by handing the Threshers a 4-3 defeat. At 8-5 the two clubs are tied for second place, just one game behind the Flying Tigers. Jae-Hoon Ha is fourth in the FSL with a .415 average and second with 22 hits while Michael Burgess is tied for the league-lead with four home runs. Robert Whitenack is eighth in the FSL with a 1.06 ERA to go with his 2-0 record and is third in the league with 18 strikeouts.

EARLIER THIS SEASON ... Lakeland swept the Cubs in three games last week in Lakeland winning games one and two by identical 4-3 margins and taking game three, 9-6. Tony Plagman was an impressive 9x12 with eight runs batted in the previous three games while Brent Wyatt (4x7, .571) and Wade Gaynor (4x8, .500) also had impressive marks. Matt Cerda has hit 6x12 (.500) in the series for the Cubs while Jae-Hoon Ha is 6x13 (.462).

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Wednesday - Jared Wesson (1-0, 5.19) ... picked up the win on April 15 going 5.2 innings on five strikeouts ... worked 3.0 innings in first start on April 10, striking out two and walking four ... four of five runs allowed have come in the third inning ... righthanders are batting .350 against him while holding lefties to a .083 average.
Thursday - Victor Larez (2-0, 2.08) ... picked up the win on April 16 working 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits ... worked 7.0 shutout innings on April 11 at Dunedin, getting the win, holding Dunedin to four hits ... has seven strikeouts in the two games ... has not walked a batter in two outings ... righties hitting .231 against while lefties have a .182 average.
Friday - Trevor Feeney (2-0, 3.71) ... did not face Daytona in the first series ... picked up wins in his first and third starts ... went 6.2 innings in win on April 17 despite allowing nine hits ... righties hitting .385 against Feeney while lefties have a .256 average.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE ... The Flying Tigers have knocked out nine doubles in the last four games and have had at least one double in all but two games this season.

WHERE ARE THE THIEVES? ... Daniel Fields, Gustavo Nunez and Shawn Roof are all tied for the team lead in stolen bases –with one each. They are also the only three Flying Tigers that have attempted a stolen base in 2011.

LEFT STRANDED ... Lakeland has stranded an average of 9.8 runners per game over the last eight contests and have had three games with 13 runner left on base.

FIRST OR LAST, IT DOESN’T MATTER ... Lakeland is 8-2 when scoring first and 4-0 when scoring last.

MADE THE JAYS FEEL BLUE ... Gustavo Nunez has been a one-man wrecking crew against Dunedin this season going 13x23 (.565) with four doubles, two triples and a home run while scoring eight runs.

GOT SOMETHING AGAINST FIRST BASE? ... Wade Gaynor seems to not like stopping at first base as six of his last 11 hits have been for extra bases with four doubles and two home runs.

CAN’T HIT JUST ONE ... Tony Plagman has six multi-hit games, including two doubles and two singles on April 16 against Dunedin. He has two other games with three hits.

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD ... The Lakeland bullpen has a sparkling 1.03 ERA in the last eight games with 30 strikeouts with just six walks. Lakeland starting pitchers, however, have a 5.20 ERA in the same time frame and have given up at least three earned runs in each of the eight starts.

NO FREE PASSES ... Starter Victor Larez is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and has not allowed a walk in his 13.0 innings ... Kenny Faulk, who leads the team with four saves, has not walked a batter in six relief appearances and has struck out 10 batters. Faulk has only allowed one run ... Dan Gentzler, who has two saves and an 0-2 record despite allowing just one earned run, also had not issued a free pass so far.

FSL LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is fifth in the FSL with a .412 average (Clearwater’s Joe Slavery leads all of minor league baseball with a torrid .523 average) and leads with 17 RBI (his 17 RBI is tied for second most in the minor leagues, just one behind the leaders). He is also third with 21 hits and fifth with a .474 on-base percentage ... Gustavo Nunez leads with 13 runs scored and is fourth with 32 total bases ... Jordan Lennerton is second with 11 walks ... Kenny Faulk is second with four saves.

DETROIT MINOR LEAGUE LEADERS ... Tony Plagman is second with a .412 average and leads with 17 RBI (over twice as many the next highest total) ... Gustavo Nunez is fourth with a .367 mark ... Kenny Faulk (4), Dan Gentzler (2) and Ryan Robowski (2) are the only Detroit minor leaguers with more than one save ... Drew Smyly is tied for fourth with 14 strikeouts ... Lakeland has the best ERA (3.55) of the four Detroit minor league teams so far and is third with a .253 average.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...
Friday (April 22): The Phillie Phanatic will be the star attraction while the first 300 paid adults will receive as free 45th Anniversary Affiliate Pin.
Saturday (April 23): The Flying Tigers will stage their annual Easter Egg Hunt with 20,000 eggs and a special appearance by the Easter Bunny. Fireworks will follow the egg hunt.
Monday (April 25): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (April 17-19)

2011-04-16T23:57:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-3) ... Tony Plagman, Wade Gaynor and Brent Wyatt combined for 10 hits last night as Lakeland downed Daytona 9-6 to complete a sweep of the Cubs. The win, Lakeland’s third in a row and sixth in their last seven outings, puts the Flying Tigers into a first-place tie with Clearwater in the FSL North. In last night’s game, Lakeland collected 15 hits – a season high – and is batting .307 the last three games. The Flying Tigers are now batting .256 on the season while the pitching staff ranks sixth with a 3.61 ERA.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS (2-8) ... The Blue Jays began their season 0-6 before beating Lakeland in game three of their series and now stand at 2-8 on the season. Brad Glenn is tied for the league-lead with four homers - two of which have come against Lakeland - and is fourth with a .711 slugging percentage. A.J. Jiminez is second in the FSL with five doubles. The Blue Jays are last in the league with a .234 average and have scored a FSL-low 32 runs. Dunedin is tied with Brevard County for the league-lead with 13 bases. Blue Jay pitchers rank seventh in the FSL with a 3.89 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Sunday - Trevor Feeney (1-0, 3.48) ... did not get a decision in last start on April 12 at Dunedin, going 5.1 innings and allowing seven hits ... got the win in first start holding Tampa to four hits and one run in 5.0 innings on April 7.
Monday - Drew Smyly (0-0, 3.75) ... worked 6.1 innings and gave up five runs, four earned at Dunedin on April 13 ... has 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 12.0 innings.
Tuesday - Cole Nelson (0-1, 4.50) ... went 4.0 innings against Daytona in last start on April 14 ... gave up three runs on five hits ... has nine strikeouts while walking two over 10.0 innings.
LAST MEETING ... Lakeland took two of three games played last week in Dunedin winning the first two games before Dunedin won the series finale to record the Blue Jays’ first win of the season. Gustavo Nunez was 7x12 (.583) with a double, triple and home run in the three games while Wade Gaynor was 4x13 (.308) with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in. Justin Jackson led Dunedin with three hits in five at bats over two games while Kenny Wilson was 5x9 in the three games. Victor Larez and Jordan Pratt picked up the wins for Lakeland while Matt Wright got the win for the Blue Jays.

TERRIFIC TONY ... To say Tony Plagman is on fire is an understatement. In the Daytona series, Plagman went 9x12 for a .750 clip with two doubles and eight runs batted in. His hot series has raised his batting average 129 points to .450 – good for third in the FSL. His eight RBI in the series gives him a league-leading 15 runs batted in – three more than the second place hitter. His 18 base hits now ranks third best in the league while his 27 total bases is also third best.

CLOSE ONES ... Six of Lakeland’s games this year have been decided by one run with the Flying Tigers splitting those six games. Two others – both won by Lakeland – were decided by two runs.

THE CLOSER ... With his save in last night’s game, Kenny Faulk now has three saves which is tied for second best in the FSL.

PATIENCE OF JOB (uh, JORDAN) ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton has drawn a league-high 11 walks so far this season.

GOING HOME ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez, who has reached base in 12 consecutive games, leads Lakeland with 10 RBI which is tied for second-best in the FSL. Prior to last night in which he was held hitless, Nunez was 10x29 (.345). He is now 10x34 (.294) his last six games.

STREAK FOR GAYNOR ... Wade Gaynor has collected at least one base hit in five consecutive games and has hits in seven of the eight games he has played. In his five-game streak, Gaynor is 8x21 (.381).

SUNNY SUNDAY ... The first game of this series is Lakeland’s first Sunday home game of the 2011 season. In 2010, the Flying Tigers compiled an 8-11 mark on Sunday.

HOME ATTENDANCE ... Last night’s crowd of 1,897 was a season-high and was Lakeland’s third of the season with 1,000-plus fans.

NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Shawn Teufel was placed on the disabled list on Friday while Ryan Soares, who had joined the club on April 11, was sent back to extended spring training. Taking the vacated roster spots, are Jay Voss and Zach Samuels. Voss pitched in 11 games for the 2010 Flying Tigers and had 33 appearances at AA Erie. Samuels was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2009 by Detroit out of Cal-Santa Barbara and was 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA at West Michigan in 2010.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

Sunday (April 17): All kids 14 and under receive free admission and catch play catch on the field at noon and following the game, the kids can run the bases. All fans will receive a voucher for a free sundae, compliments of Dairy Queen.
Monday (April 18): $1 hot dogs and 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Ledger, compliments of the Ledger Media Group.
Tuesday (April 19): Baseball Wingo sponsored by Natalie’s Sports Bar and Grill.

FROM THE BOOKSHELF ... New York Times columnist Dan Barry has just released his new book, “Bottom of the 33rd” about the longest game ever played in baseball. In 1981, Pawtucket and Rochester locked horns for 33 innings, the longest game ever played in professional baseball. Two players on the field that night were future Hall of Famers, Billy Ripken, Jr., and Wade Boggs. A third player, the catcher for Rochester who caught 31 innings in the game, was over very own Flying Tigers’ manager, Dave Huppert. The start in that game was Huppert’s second of that season.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (April 14-16)

2011-04-14T12:35:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (4-3) ... Lakeland enters the series with a 4-3 record and is in third place after taking two of three games in Dunedin. The Flying Tigers fell 6-5 last night after starting out with a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth. The loss snapped a three-game win streak and gave Dunedin its first won of the season. Victor Larez, who should take the mound in game three of this series, is one of five qualifying pitchers in the league with a 0.00 ERA. Gustavo Nunez is in a three-way tie for the FSL-league with seven runs scored so far. Lakeland is hitting just .233 on the season, second lowest average in the FSL, while the pitching staff has a 3.59 staff ERA.

DAYTONA CUBS (6-1) ... Overnight, Lakeland from facing a winless club to one that leads the league in the form of Daytona. The Cubs had won their first six games before suffering their first defeat last night, a 2-1 affair in Clearwater. Nelson Perez leads Daytona with a hefty .474 average to rank fourth in the FSL, while Michael Burgess had already hit a league-leading four homers. Daytona is third in the FSL with a .278 team batting average and has hit a league-best nine homers. The Cubs’ pitching staff has a 2.29 ERA, second best in the league to St. Lucie’s impressive 1.57 staff ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

Thursday - Cole Nelson (0-1, 3.00) ... took the loss on April 9 against Tampa despite striking out six and allowing two runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings ... 10th round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of Auburn ... had a 0.75 ERA in two starts in Lakeland in 2010 ... tossed 7.0 innings of no-hit ball on Sept. 1, 2010 against Dunedin. Lakeland went on to hold the Blue Jays hitless thru 13.1 innings.
Friday - Jared Wesson (0-0, 6.00) ... worked 3.0 innings in first start on April 10 at Tampa ... struck out two and walked four, but gave up just one hit ... signed as non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2009 out of Itawama Community College in Mississippi .. was 7-2 with a 3.44 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 81.0 innings last season at West Michigan ... father played basketball at Mississippi State from 1971-73.

Saturday - Victor Larez (1-0, 0.00) ... Picked up win in first start on April 11 at Dunedin ... tossed seven shutout innings while striking out four and walking none while holding the Blue Jays to just four hits ... signed as non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2005 ... played in the Venezuelan Summer League from 2006-08, the Gulf Coast League in 2009 and at West Michigan in 2010 ... has an 8-11 career record with a 4.27 ERA in 33 appearances entering the 2011 season.

LAST SEASON ... Lakeland took the series last season winning 10 of the 18 games played ... One of Daytona’s wins came against Brayan Villarreal, now with the big club in Detroit ... Lakeland’s Brent Wyatt had 10 hits in his 10 games played in the series last season for a .263 average against the Cubs.

POWER ‘EM UP ... The Flying Tigers have homered in five straight contest and in six of their seven games this season.

NOT KENNY’S FAULK ... Reliever Kenny Faulk has two saves in three outings far this season and has allowed just two hits and struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings.

THE RIVER JORDAN ... Newcomer Jordan Pratt may stick around for a while if he keeps up his perfect outings he has displayed so far on the mound for the Flying Tigers. In his 4.2 innings over two appearances, he has not allowed a hit, a run, or a walk while posting four strikeouts.

TEUFEL’S TUFF ON OPPONENTS ... Reliever Shawn Teufel picked up the win in four shutout innings of relief work on April 11 in Dunedin. The son of former Major Leaguer, Tim Teufel, Shawn has held opponents scoreless on three hits, walked none, and struck out four.

MULTI-HITS ... Both Tony Plagman and Gustavo Nunez have had three games with two or more hits in the early going. Plagman has two two-hit games and had three hits against Tampa on April 8 and also has two homers this season. All of Nunez’s multi-hit games have come in the last three outings where he hit 7x12 (.583) in the series. He came up triple shy of the cycle on April 12, but picked up the triple the next night.

SNAPPED ... Jordan Lennerton collected one base hit in each of his first six games, but saw his hit streak come to a halt last night with an 0x3 night at Dunedin.

HE’S GAININ’ ... Wade Gaynor has had hits in five of his six games played including a home run on April 11 at Dunedin.

TAKING A LOT OF PITCHES ... Lakeland has walked 26 times in seven games this season, but has struck out 53 times, including racking up nine strikeouts in four different games.

BULLPEN SETTLING IN ... After allowing 10 earned runs in their first two outings, the Lakeland bullpen has been touched for just three earned runs over the last five outings for a 1.65 ERA in those five games. On the flip side, the starters had allowed six earned runs in the first five games, but have given up seven in the last two outings.

ALL IN THE FAMILY … Daytona’s Brett Wallach is the son of former Major Leaguer, Tim Wallach, who spent 17 seasons in the majors, including 13 years with the Montreal Expos … Cubs’ catcher, Michael Brenly, is the son of former Major Leaguer, Bob Brenly, a veteran of nine seasons in the big, almost all of them with the San Francisco Giants.

NO NOTE, JUST A GREAT NAME … Nomination for “Name of the Game” – Cubs’ infielder Junior Lake.

ONLY IN MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ... NPR somehow determined that April 11, 1954 was the least significant day of the 20th Century. So, the West Michigan Whitecaps celebrated the “most boring day in history” in a myriad of ways, including encouraging fans to watch the grass grow between innings. The club also painted a wall pregame so fans could watch paint dry.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ...

Thursday (April 14): The Flying Tigers will hold the second annual Chili Cook-Off on to raise money and awareness for the American Red Cross along the Lakeland Fire Department. It is also Thirsty Thursday with $1 beer and sodas.
Friday (April 15) has a trio of goodies for fans with the first Friday Premium Giveaway, the first T-Shirt giveaways (45th Anniversary shirts this Friday) and Agricultural Night honoring the 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Children and families from the Florida Baptist Children’s Home and Gulf Coast Community Services will be the guest of the Flying Tigers and the Detroit Tigers Foundation of Florida.
Saturday (April 16): Lakeland holds it second annual Pink-in-the-Park night for cancer awareness. The team will wear pink jerseys which fans can have a chance to win in a $75 per ticket raffle. Silent auction items will also be available. Last year’s event raised over $12,000 to support the Mary Kay Foundation. Saturday is also the second fireworks show of the season.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Apr. 11-13)

2011-04-11T13:47:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (2-2) ... Lakeland enters the series with a 2-2 record following a season opening, four-game series against the Tampa Yankees. The Flying Tigers took games one and four, while the Yankees took the two middle games. This three-game series will be played in Dunedin. Lakeland returns home on Thursday to open a six-game homestand, first for three games against Daytona and then a three-game rematch with Dunedin. Lakeland is hitting .233 as a team. The pitching staff has a 3.68 ERA.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS (0-4) ... The Blue Jays were swept in four games by Clearwater and enter this series looking for their first win of the 2011 season. Dunedin was outscored 22-8 in the series, most coming in a 10- loss in the season-opener in Clearwater. The Blue Jays are hitting just .208 on the young season and have scored the second fewest runs through four games. On the mound, Dunedin has a 5.29 ERA, the third highest earned run average in the Florida State League.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS ... Victor Larez takes the mound for Monday’s game and the Trevor Feeney on Tuesday and Drew Smyly on Wednesday. Larez started against Southeaster University on April 6 and was credited with the win. Feeney (1-0) worked 5.0 innings in picking up the win in the Flying Tigers season opener on April 7. He allowed just four hits limiting the Yankees to just one earned run. Smyly took the loss on April 8 despite striking out six and walking none in 5.2 innings while scattering six hits.

LAST SEASON ... The Blue Jays won the season-series in 2010 taking seven of the 18 games played. Daniel Fields hit .319 in the series and hit three of his eight homers last season against Dunedin.

SEASON OPENERS ... The 2011 season marked the ninth year in a row the Flying Tigers have opened the season with the Tampa Yankees. With Lakeland’s win on Thursday, the Flying Tigers hold a 5-4 edge in those nine games. The Flying Tigers are now 6-1 in home openers and have won four straight.

EARLY LEADERS ... Through the first four games, Julio Rodriguez leads the team with a .400 average and is one of three players with four hits as Jordan Lennerton and Daniel Fields each have collected four base raps. Tony Plagman leads the squad with six base hits including a homer and is tied with Brent Wyatt for the team lead with five runs batted in. Wyatt and Gustavo Nunez have also hit home runs for Lakeland.

THE ARMS ... Trevor Feeney worked 5.2 innings in the season opener to record his first win of 2011 while Shawn Teufel has Lakeland’s other win, tossing four shutout innings on Sunday at Tampa. Kenny Faulk and Ryan Robowski have each picked up one save so far while Drew Smyly and Cole Nelson each recorded six strikeouts in their respective starts.

THE OLD COLLEGE TRY ... Lakeland’s Kenny Faulk and Dunedin’s Chad Jenkins were college teammates at Kennesaw State College in 2009 and both were named to the All-Atlantic Conference team that season. In addition, the Flying Tigers’ Tony Plagman and the Blue Jays’ Deck McGuire (the 11th overall pick in 2010) were teammates at Georgia Tech in 2010.

THE REVOLVING DOOR HAS BEGUN ... In just the second day of the 2011 season, the first Flying Tiger regular season transaction has happened as Matt Little was sent up the organizational ladder to Erie to fill a gap that came about with any injury to Detroit’s Ryan Perry. To take the roster spot, Jordan Pratt was added from extended Spring Training.

ANOTHER SPIN ... Shawn Roof was promoted to Erie on Tuesday and Ryan Soares was added from Extended Spring Training. Soares was a 36th round pick by Detroit in the 2010 draft out of George Mason University. He was named the Conference Player of the Year after hitting .438 with 29 doubles, 13 home runs and 71 RBI in 48 games.

YOU’LL NEVER BE DUN’ EATIN’ ... Every Monday home game is Belly Buster BBQ Night in Dunedin. Purchase a wrist band for all-you-can-eat BBQ all night long. Bring a Kraft Single wrapper to Tuesday’s game for buy one ticket, get one ticket free - plus $1 popcorn. On Wednesday, it’s dollar hot dog night.

LAKELAND PROMOTIONS ... The Flying Tigers will hold the second annual Chili Cook-Off on Thursday to raise money and awareness for the American Red Cross along the Lakeland Fire Department. Thursday, April 14, is also Thirsty Thursday with $1 beer and sodas. Friday, April 15, is a trio of goodies for fans with the first Friday Premium Giveaway, the first T-Shirt giveaways and Agricultural Night. Lakeland holds it second annual Pink-in-the-Park night on Saturday, April 16, for cancer awareness. The team will wear pink jerseys which fans can have a chance to win in a $75 per ticket raffle. Silent auction items will also be available. Last year’s event raised over $12,000. Saturday is also the second fireworks show of the season.

SPEAKING OF PROMOTIONS ... Some promotional highlights for April include the famous Philly Phanatic on April 22, Easter Egg Hunt on April 23, Myron Noodleman “The Hippest Nerd in Da Biz” brings his zaniness to Joker Marchant Stadium on April 29.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (April 7-10)

2011-04-05T17:48:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (71-67 in 2010) - Lakeland tied for second place in the first half of the FSL season in 2011 as the club matched Tampa and Clearwater at four games behind first-half winner Dunedin. In the second half, the Flying Tigers finished 8.5 games out of first in fourth place as the Yankees cruised to a 42-25 second half record to take the back half of the season. Lakeland hit .253 as a team with a league-leading 486 walks while the pitchers combined for a 3.30 ERA, good to tie Tampa for second in the FSL. Lakeland also walked the second fewest batters in the league (307) while the Yankees walked the fewest (299). The Flying Tigers posted the best fielding percentage (.978) of any team in the Florida State League last season.

THE YANKEES (78-57 in 2010) - Tampa comes into Joker Marchant Stadium as the two-time defending Florida State League champions. Last season, Tampa downed Charlotte in four games including a 9-0 win in the championship tilt. In 2010, the Yankees and the Rays were also in the championship round with Tampa taking the crown in five games.

NEW MANAGER - The Flying Tigers are under new leadership in 2011 as long-time minor league manager Dave Huppert takes over for the departed Andy Barkett who is now managing at Jacksonville (Marlins, AA). This is Huppert’s fourth stint as manager in the Florida State League having coached the Sarasota White Sox (1993), the Brevard County Manatees (1999-2001) and the Clearwater Threshers (2007). At Clearwater, Huppert took the Threshers to the FSL title while he guided the 2001 Manatees to the FSL co-championship. He joins Lakeland from the Lakewood Blue Claws in the Phillies’ organization. A two-time Minor League Manager of the Year (1988, Stockton, California League and 2001, Brevard County, Florida State League), Huppert has coached 22 previous seasons in the minors and has a 1,531-1,405 career record.

GOOD BLOODLINES ... Flying Tiger pitcher Shawn Teufel is the son of former Major Leaguer Tim Teufel, who played for 11 seasons in the bigs. The elder Teufel is now the manager of Buffalo, the Mets AAA affiliate. He also coached in the Florida Staete League, two managing the St. Lucie Mets in 2004-05 and 2008-09.

GOOD BLOODLINES, PT. 2 ... Flying Tiger teammates Eric and Shawn Roof are the sons of Tigers’ roving instructor Gene Roof.

IF YOU GET ONE HIT, MAKE IT COUNT ... Manager Dave Huppert made it to the show for 17 games, playing two games for Baltimore in 1983 and 15 more for Milwaukee in 1985 with 21 combined at bats. His one lone hit in the majors came off of Hall of Fame knuckleballer, Phil Niekro.

THAT’S A LOTTA SQUATTIN’ ... Manager Dave Huppert spent ten seasons as a player in the minor leagues as catcher. On April 19, 1981, he drew the start behind the plate for Rochester and caught 31 of the 33 innings against Pawtuckett in the longest professional baseball game ever played.

MORE ON THE LONGEST GAME ... The 33-inning game took eight hours and twenty-five minutes to complete over two days. It began on April 18 and was eventually halted at 4:09 a.m. at the end of the 32nd inning. The game resumed on June 23 and took just 18 minutes to finish with Pawtucket’s Dave Koza driving in the winning run in the bottom of the 33rd inning. Pawtucket had 114 at bats while Rochester struck out 34 times while a total of 882 pitches were offered. Two future Hall of Famers, Cal Ripken, Jr., (Rochester) and Wade Boggs (Pawtuckett) appeared in the contest. With the Major Leaguers on strike at the time, the game drew 5,746 fans and 149 reporters. When the game was called at 4 a.m., only 18 fans remained.

WHAT’S A GUY GOTTA DO? ... Shortstop Gustavo Nunez returns to Lakeland despite leading the 2010 Flying Tigers with 116 hits. He becomes the first Lakeland player to lead the club in base hits one season and return the next since Jim Walewander in 1985 and 1986. Nunez led the FSL in assists (388) while leading all league shortstops in games played at the position (123), total chances (628), putouts (214), and most double plays (76).

MAKE ROOM FOR SOME MORE ... Last season, Lakeland established a club record with a season attendance of 64,010 topping the old mark of 61,255 set in 1987. Attendance has increased in every season under General Manager Zach Burek, growing from 32,179 fans in 2006, his first season at the helm of the Lakeland club.

MAKE ROOM ONE THE BENCH AS WELL ... A total of 65 players donned a Flying Tigers’ uniform in 2010, just four players shy of the all-time record of 69 players that played for the 1968 Lakeland club.

DON’T FORGET YOUR PARTING GIFT ... Pitchers Rob Waite and Micheal Torrealba were slated to start the 2011 season at Lakeland, but an injury to Jose Ortega in Detroit forced a domino effect with Waite heading to Erie and Torrealba going to West Michigan. To take their places Shawn Teufel was promoted from the Whitecaps to Lakeland while Dan Gentzler was also assigned to the Flying Tigers.

OTHER EX-LAKELANDERS IN RECENT MOVES ... Catcher Max St. Pierre was placed on the temporary inactive list at Toledo, so Jeff Kunkel earns a trip to the Mud Hens with Billy Alvino taking his roster spot in Erie.

SOME FAMILIAR NAMES RELEASED ... Detroit released several players during Spring Training including former Flying Tigers: Alden Carrithers, Kody Kaiser, Jon Kibler, Max Leon, Matt Mansilla, Pat McKenna, Miguel Mejia, Josh Rainwater, Wilfredo Ramirez and Chris White, while Andy Bouchie and Kyle Peter announced their retirements.

FLYING TIGERS 2011 PLAYERS AT A GLANCE

2011-03-31T21:11:00.002-04:00

PITCHERS

Kenny Faulk (L) - 16th round pick in 2009 out of Kennesaw State University ... named to 2009 New York-Penn Mid-Season All-Star Team ... was 5-4 with a 2.16 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 58.1 innings in 49 relief appearances in 2010 at West Michigan ... led Whitecaps with 12 saves in 15 save opportunities.
Trevor Feeney (R) - 31st round pick by Detroit in 2008 out of Northern Illinois University ... was 12-13 with a 3.36 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 184.2 innings in 29 starts at West Michigan in 2010 ... was 2-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 32 appearances in 2009 at Lakeland
Scott Green (R) - 3rd round pick by Detroit in 2008 out of the University of Kentucky ... pitched in just 4.0 innings last year for the GCL Tigers ... was 3-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 32 relief appearances at Lakeland in 2009 ... 6-foot-7
Victor Larez (R) - signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2005 ... played in the VSL in 2006 and 2007, 2008 in the GCL and 2009 and 2010 at West Michigan ... has an 8-11 career record and a 4.27 ERA in 33 appearances in five seasons.
Matt Little (R) - 31st round pick by Detroit out of the Univ. of Kentucky ... was 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in seven appearances for Lakeland on 2010 ... tossed 2.0 no-hit innings as part of Lakeland’s 13.1 innings of no-hit ball against Dunedin on Sept. 1, 2010 ... also played at Connecticut and West Michigan last season.
Michael Morrison (R) - 29th round pick by Detroit in 2009 out of Cal State Fullerton ... appeared in three games for Lakeland in 2010 ... was 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 2009 at Oneonta.
Cole Nelson (L) - 10th round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of Auburn ... was 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA in seven games for GCL Tigers and 0-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts in Lakeland ... tossed 7.0 no-hit innings in start in Lakeland’s 13.1 “no-hitter” against Dunedin on Sept. 1, 2010 .... 6-foot-7
Ryan Robowski (L) - Acquired by Detroit along with pitched Kevin Eichhorn from Arizona in Armando Galarraga trade ... 16th round pick by Arizona in 2009 out of Ohio Dominican University ... was 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 54.0 innings for Visalia in 2010.
Todd Smyly (L) ... 2nd round pick by Detroit in 2010 out of the Univ. of Arkansas ... named eighth best prospect in Tigers’ organization following 2010 by Baseball America ... will make professional debut in first appearance in 2011.
Tyler Stohr (R) - 6th round pick by Detroit in 2008 out of the Univ. of North Florida ... named to 2009 Midwest League and 2008 New York-Penn Mid-Season All-Star teams ... was 1-0 in three appearances for Lakeland in 2010 ... was 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 52 games at West Michigan in 2008.
Michael Torrealba (R) - signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2006 ... played 2007 and 2008 in the DSL ... was 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA in 12 relief appearances in Lakeland in 2010 ... also pitched for Connecticut in 2010.
Rob Waite (R) - 17th round pick by Detroit in 2008 out of Cal-Riverside ... was 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 games for Lakeland in 2009 and 2-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 25 games last season for the Flying Tigers ... also pitched in 12 games for Erie in 2010 with a 0-0 record and a 2.66 ERA
Jared Wesson (L) - signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2009 out of Itawama CC in Mississippi ... was 7-2 with a 3.44 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 81.0 innings in 2010 at West Michigan ... father played basketball for Mississippi State from 1971-73 ... 6-foot-5

CATCHERS

Julio Rodriguez - signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2006 ... batted .208 in 28 games for Lakeland in 2010 ... also appeared in two games for Lakeland in 2009 ... played in the DSL in 2007 and 2008 ... has played in 82 games with a .248 average in 82 minor league games ... named to 2010 New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star Team.
Eric Roof ... 18th round pick in 2009 by Detroit out of the Michigan State Univ. ... son of Tigers Minor League roving instructor Gene Roof and brother of fellow Flying Tiger, Shawn Roof ... batted .232 in 39 games at Connecticut and .233 in 36 games at West Michigan.

INFIELDERS

William Bergolla (2B) - signed by Detroit in 2011 as a minor league free agent ... signed as a non-drafted free agent by Cincinnati in 1999 ... played in 17 games for Cincinnati in 2005 ... has a .285 average in 833 minor league games over nine season ... selected to 2005 Futures Games ... named to 2004 Southern League Post-Season All-Star Team.
Wade Gaynor (3B) - 3rd round pick by Detroit in 2009 draft out of Western Kentucky ... batted .286 with 10 home runs and 80 RBI in 131 games at West Michigan in 2010 ... played 2009 season at Oneonta.
Corey Jones (2B) - 7th round draft pick by Detroit in 2010 draft out of Cal State- Fullerton ... batted .260 with 19 doubles and 30 RBI in 48 games at West Michigan last season.
Jordan Lennerton (1B) - 33rd round pick by Detroit in 2008 draft out of Oregon State ... also drafted by Milwaukee (2005) and Toronto (2004) ... split 2010 season between West Michigan and Lakeland in 2010 ... batted .301 with 15 doubles and tied for the team lead with 9 HR for Lakeland in 2010 ... also played in Lakeland in 2008.
Gustavo Nunez (SS) - Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2007 ... named to 2010 FSL Mid-Season All-Star Team ... also played in Lakeland in 2008 ... led 2010 Flying Tigers with 116 hits ... first player to lead Lakeland in hits and return the following season since Jim Walewander in 1985 and 1986 ... lead the FSL in assists (388) while leading all league shortstops in games played at the position (123), total chances (628), putouts (214), and most double plays (76) ... omitted just 26 errors for a .959 fielding mark.
Tony Plagman (1B) - 9th round pick by Detroit in 2010 draft out of Georgia Tech ... drafted by Yankees in 2009, but did not sign ... batted .272 with 19 doubles and 5 HR in 63 games at West Michigan last season.
Shawn Roof (2B) - 33rd round draft pick by Detroit in 2007 out of Univ. of Illinois ... son of Tigers’ Minor League roving instructor Gene Roof and brother of fellow Flying Tiger, Eric Roof ... began 2010 season with Erie and batted .223 in 64 games ... played 25 games for Toledo where he hit .354 in 2010 ... playing for the fourth time in Lakeland.

OUTFIELDERS

Daniel Fields - 6th round pick by Detroit in 2009 out of University of Detroit Jesuit High School ... batted .240 in 109 games for Lakeland with 8 HR ... tied two others for team lead with six triples in 2010 ... Hit .596 with 50 runs, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 30 SB as a high school senior
Avisail Garcia - Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2007 ... batted .281 in 125 games at West Michigan in 2010 ... led White Caps with 139 hits and 20 stolen bases ... played three games for Lakeland ion 2009.
Michael Rockett - 13th round pick by Detroit in 2009 draft out of Texas-San Antonio ... named to 2009 New York-Penn Mid-Season All-Star Team ... hit .235 with 20 doubles and 7 HR in 99 games at West Michigan in 2010.
Brent Wyatt - 26th round pick by Detroit in 2008 out of Lewis & Clark State College ... batted .258 with a team-leading 18 doubles, along with 5 HR and 16 stolen bases for Lakeland in 2010 ... hit one of two Lakeland grand slams in 2010 ... also played in 16 games at Erie.

MANAGER

Dave Huppert ... began managing in the minors in 1986 for the Milwaukee Brewers Helena team in the Pioneer League ... Lakeland is his fourth managerial job in the Florida State League ... coached the 1993 Sarasota White Sox, 1999-2001 Brevard County Manatees (Marlins) and the 2007 Clearwater Threshers (Phillies) ... led 2001 Manatees to League Co-Championships and 2007 Threshers to FSL crown ... also managed the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies) to South Atlantic League title in 2006 ... managed the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in 2010 ... two-time Minor League Manager of the Year ... 2010 was be his 23rd season as a minor league maneger ... has a 1,531-1,405 career record ... played ten seasons in the minors as a catcher .... was the Rochester catcher for 31 of the 33 innings against Pawtuckett in professional baseball’s longest game on April 18, 1981 ... played in 17 games in the major leagues - two for Baltimore in 1983 and 15 for Milwaukee in 1985 with a combined 21 at bats ... his one major league hit came off of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro ... was third base coach for the Washington Nationals in their inaugural season of 2005 ... will turn 54 on April 17.

COACHES

Larry Herndon (hitting) - Seventh season with Lakeland ... served as Detroit’s Minor League hitting coach from 1992-98 ... played 14 seasons with Cardinals, Giants and Tigers ... member of Detroit’s 1984 World Series Championship team.
Joe Coleman (pitching) - Fifth season with Lakeland ... veteran of 46 years in professional baseball ... played 15 seasons in the majors for seven clubs including Detroit from 1971-76.

2010 Season Wrap-Up

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THE FLYING TIGERS (71-67) ... Lakeland finished with a 71-67 record in 2010 marking the first time since 2005 that the team has won 70 or more games and just the second time since 1997 they have won as many contests. The Flying Tigers made a run at the first half title, but ran out of gas just before the all-star break finishing tied for second with a 37-33 mark. The 37 wins was the most first half victories since the 2006 team also won 37 games. The team started the second half with a 2-9 mark and never really recovered finishing in fourth place for the second half with a 34-34 mark.

FIVE ALL-STARS ... Four Flying Tigers were elected to the 2010 Florida State League All-Star game in first baseman Rawley Bishop, outfielder Kody Kaiser and pitchers Charlie Furbush and Brayan Villarreal. A fifth, shortstop Gustavo Nunez, was later added to the roster. Four of the five played with Furbush sitting out since he had just pitched prior to the break. Somehow, second baseman Alden Carrithers was not chosen despite leading the FSL in batting, walks and on-base percentage at the time.

TWO NAMED TO HALL OF FAME ... Two Lakeland representatives were named to the Florida State League Hall of Fame in 2010 in former field manager Jim Leyland and former owner Frank Decker. Leyland, who played for Lakeland in 1964 and 1969, coached Lakeland from 1976-78, winning back-to-back league championships in 1976 and 1977. Leyland is now the manager of the big league Tigers. Decker owned the Lakeland franchise from 1972 to 1992 before selling the club to Detroit. A retired construction company owner, Decker built Joker Marchant Stadium and Tiger Town. In addition to the 1976 and 1977 FSL championships won under Leyland, the franchise also won the 1992 title under skipper John Lipon in Decker’s last game as team owner.

WITNESSED BY MANY ... Home games in 2010 were seen by more fans than ever before as Lakeland set the franchise’s all-time single season attendance record of 64,010, eclipsing the old mark of 61,255 established in 1987. Attendance has increased in every season under General Manager Zach Burek, growing from 32,179 fans in 2006, his first season at the helm of the Lakeland club.

WITNESSED BY MANY PLAYERS AS WELL ... Sixty-five players wore a Flying Tiger uniform in 2010 - four players shy of the all-time high of 69 players on the roster in 1968. Thirty-two different players played defensively for Lakeland with a 63rd having a plate appearance but never playing in the field. Thirty-two pitchers took to the mound. In all, an unofficial total of 125 transactions (65 in the first half and 60 in the second) were made during the season with just three players - shortstop Gustavo Nunez and pitchers Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen - remaining from the team’s opening day 25-man roster.

LONG-TIME N0-NO ... On Sept. 1, Lakeland fans witnessed an outstanding pitching performance as four Flying Tiger hurlers combined for 13.1 innings of no-hit baseball against the Dunedin Blue Jays. Chad Nelson, making just his third start for Lakeland, tossed seven innings of no-hit ball, followed by two no-hit innings each by Bruce Rondon and Matt Little. Wilfredo Ramirez also contributed two no-hit innings before surrendering the Jay’s first hit with one-out in the 14th inning. Neither team scored in the first 16 innings with the Jays scoring once in the top of the 17th and the Flying Tigers scoring twice in the bottom of the 17th to record the 2-1 extra inning victory. Lakeland played in a league-high 20 extra-inning games with a 10-10 mark.

NO JIVE, THAT’S FIVE ... Two Lakeland hitters named Bryan collected five base hits in a game this season as Bryan Pounds went 5-for-5 on April 14 at Brevard County and Bryan Holaday was 5-for-5 on July 9 at home against Clearwater in his professional debut. Holaday, a 6th round pick in 2010, had just signed his pro contract with Detroit on July 7. Holaday was one of four 2010 Detroit draft picks to play in Lakeland joining 10th round pick Cole Nelson, 25th rounder Shawn Teufel and 31st round draftee, Matt Little.

SOLID AT SHORT ... Gustavo Nunez was rock at shortstop for the Flying Tigers, playing 123 of the team’s 138 games at that position. His glove was anything but a rock as the slick-fielding shortstop led the Florida State League for almost the entire season in fielding percentage before a few late season miscues dropped him to second place, just one percentage point out of the lead. He did lead the league in assists (388) while leading all FSL shortstops in games played at the position (123), total chances (628), putouts (214), and most double plays (76). He committed just 26 errors for a .959 fielding mark. Nunez led the FSL with 16 sacrifice bunts and was second with 523 at bats (six shy of the Lakeland record) and fifth with 33 stolen bases.

IS IT THE POSITION? ... Gustavo Nunez also led Lakeland with 116 hits. It marks the second straight year the team leader has been the team’s shortstop and the second year the leader has had 116 hits.

SPEAKING OF DEFENSE ... Lakeland committed a franchise-low 118 errors in 2010 - 12 fewer than the former record of 130 set last season as the Flying Tigers led the FSL with a .978 fielding percentage. Former Flying Tiger Brent Wyatt led all FSL outfielders with 20 assists.

THE YEAR OF THE ARM ... Some of the most outstanding performances came on the mound in 2010. Adam Wilk finished fourth in the FSL with a 3.01 ERA while Luke Putkonen placed seventh with a 3.18 mark. The duo helped Lakeland finished tied for second in the league with a 3.30 staff ERA. Putkonen was third with 152.2 innings pitched while Mark Sorensen was fifth with 147.1 innings. Wilk had the third best WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched) at 1.10 and allowed a league-best 10.15 baserunners per nine innings. Wilk also led the league with just 1.19 walks allowed per nine innings as Lakeland pitchers walked a league low 299 batters.

RACKING UP THE K’S ... Three Lakeland pitchers reached triple digits in strikeouts this season in Mark Sorensen (113), Charlie Furbush (109 by the All-Star break!) and Adam Wilk (100). Furbush punched out 13 batters on May 10 in just 6.1 innings. It was the first time since the 2005 squad that three players recorded 100 or more strikeouts. The trio helped Lakeland strikeout a franchise best 989 batters in 2010.

LIMITED POP POTENTIAL ... Billy Nowlin and Jordan Lennerton each hit nine homers to tie for the team lead. It is the first time since Dan Ruff hit nine to lead the 1993 team that the team leader did not reach double digits in home runs.

TWO GRAND SLAMS ... Two Lakeland batters hit home runs with the bases loaded this season as Bryan Holaday cleared the fence on July 28 in a 7-6 win over Bradenton at home and Brent Wyatt did so in a 7-1 win at St. Lucie on Aug. 2.

CATEGORY LEADERS ... Gustavo Nunez led Lakeland in runs (66), hits (116), triples (tied with 6), total bases (147), stolen bases (33) and sacrifice bunts (16). Francisco Martinez led with a .271 average among those hits with 280 or more at bats. Brent Wyatt led with 18 doubles while Daniel Fields and Kody Kaiser tied with Nunez for the team lead in triples with six. Fields also led with 47 runs batted in and 55 walks. Jordan Lennerton and Billy Nowlin each hit nine homers to lead Lakeland in that category. Kody Kaiser had a 21-game hit streak from May 15-June 5, the second longest streak this season only to Clearwater’s Harold Garcia who set a FSL record by hitting in an amazing 37 straight games from May 24-July 4. Alden Carrithers reached base in 32 consecutive games from April 28-June 2 - also the second longest streak in the FSL in 2010. Mark Sorensen led with 10 wins and 113 strikeouts while Adam Wilk led with a 3.01 ERA among those pitchers with 110 or more innings pitched. Jared Gayhart and Lester Oliveros led with nine saves each while Luke Putkonen led the team with 152.2 innings pitched, the most innings pitched since Kevin Ardoin tossed 155.1 frames in 2006.

PERFECT SEASON SERIES ... Lakeland swept its eight-game season series with Jupiter in 2010, the first series sweep of any team by Lakeland in at least 16 seasons. The Flying Tigers also posted winning records over Brevard County (11-7), Daytona (10-8), Charlotte (5-3) and St. Lucie (6-2), while splitting eight games with Bradenton.

CLOSE ONES ... Fifty of Lakeland’s games in 2010 were decided by just one run with Lakeland splitting the 50 games, winning 25 and losing 25 games.

BEST DAYS ... The Flying Tigers were 14-5 on Wednesdays, 12-8 on Fridays and 12-9 on Tuesdays.

NOT HOT ON A WEEKEND ... Lakeland was a combined 16-23 on Saturdays and Sundays.

TOP CROWD ... The Bright House Networks night brought in the most fans once again with 5,514 fans walking through the turnstiles while 4,402 fans came out on a rainy Fourth of July game.

UP THE LADDER ... While no Flying Tiger made it the bigs this season, six played at AAA Toledo in catcher Andy Bouchie and Angel Flores, outfielders Ben Guez and Chris White, along with pitchers Charlie Furbush and Matt Hoffman. Numerous Flying Tigers played at both Lakeland and Erie including: Rawley Bishop (1B), Bouchie, Alden Carrithers (2B), Brandon Douglas (2B), Flores, Guez, Carmelo Jaime (OF), Kody Kaiser (OF), Matt Mansilla (OF), John Murian (C), Billy Nowlin (IF), Kyle Peter (OF), Bryan Pounds (IF), Chris White (OF), and Brent Wyatt (OF), along with pitchers Erik Crichton, Charlie Furbush, Ramon Garcia, Jared Gayhart, Cory Hamilton, Matt Hoffman, Jon Kibler, Lester Oliveros, Jose Ortega, Anthony Shawler, Brayan Villarreal, Jay Voss, Rob Waite, and Adam Wilk.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Sept. 3-5)

2010-09-03T11:47:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (32-32, 69-65) - Lakeland played in an amazing 17-inning game on Wednesday night with the pitching staff throwing a no-hitter through 13.1 innings. Cole Nelson worked seven hitless innings while Bruce Rondon, Matt Little and Wilfredo Ramirez each worked two innings without allowing a hit before Justin Jackson singled up the middle to break up the no-hit bid with one out in the 13th inning. Neither team scored through 16 innings with the Blue Jays scoring once in the top of the 17th while Lakeland pushed across a pair in the bottom of the frame for a walk-off win. Last night, The Lakeland defense committed four errors and managed just three hits in a 4-1 loss to Dunedin. The loss leaves the Flying Tigers at 32-32 in the second half and 2.0 games behind third place Brevard County. Lakeland is eighth in the FSL with a .255 team batting average and third with a 3.32 ERA.

THE CUBS (39-26, 73-62) ... Daytona, coming off a doubleheader sweep of Clearwater last night, is battling for a playoff spot trailing the Tampa Yankees by two games. Rebel Ridling leads the Cubs with 13 home runs and 75 runs batted in while D.J. LeMahieu is third in the Florida State League with a .314 average. LeMahieu leads the FSL with 170 hits while Ridling is tops with 34 doubles. The Cubs are the second highest scoring team in the league with 598 runs scored. Daytona is fourth in the FSL with a .262 team batting average and sixth with a 3.58 staff ERA.

THE SERIES ... Lakeland holds an 8-7 advantage in the series and had won four in a row in the series before the Cubs recorded a 6-1 victory in the last meeting on Aug. 29 in Daytona. Three of the 15 games have been extra-inning affairs while five games have been decided by one run and ten games by two runs or less.

CURTAIN LOWERED ... The 2010 season comes to a close this Sunday with Breakfast with the Flying Tigers at 11 am.

NEW SINGLE SEASON ATTENDANCE RECORD SET ... The Lakeland Flying Tigers established a new single-season attendance record at Joker Marchant Stadium with Wednesday’s crowd vs. the Dunedin Blue Jays. Kerri Koesel of Lakeland was the 61,256th fan to pass through the gates this season. The previous mark was set in 1987 when the team drew 61,255 fans. The mark also represents an increase of almost 25% from 2009 when 49,569 fans attended games.

TOUGH LUCK - PT. I ... Jacob Turner has not allowed a run in his last three starts, going five innings in each outing. He has surrendered just 9 total hits while striking out 19 and walking three in those games. However, due to a lack of runs behind him. He has three no decisions to show for his efforts. In his last five games, Turner, who is 2-0 in those starts, has surrendered just one earned run in 25.1 innings for a miniscule 0.36 ERA.

TOUGH LUCK - PT. II ... New Flying Tiger pitcher Cole Nelson has started two games for Lakeland and given up just one hit over 12.0 innings pitched. He surrendered one run in his first start, a 5.0 inning affair in his Lakeland debut on Aug,. 26. On Sept. 1, he was started the 17-inning marathon for Lakeland, tossing 7.0 no-hit innings. For all his efforts, he has two no decisions.

SORENSEN STREAK SNAPPED ... Mark Sorensen had won five consecutive starts to start the month of August before getting a no-decision to close out the month on Aug. 31.

FIVE-GAME HIT STREAKS ... Centerfielder Daniel Fields and Jordan Lennerton each enter this series with five game hit streaks. Lennerton is 8x22 (.364) with four doubles while Fields is 6x24 (.250) with hits in eight of his last nine games.

MARTINEZ ON THE ROCKS ... Third baseman Franciso Martinez is 10x41 (.244) in his last nine games.

KEEN ON McKENNA ... Second baseman Patrick McKenna is 7x21 (.333) in his last four games and 11x36 (.306) over his last eight games.

WILK NAMED FSL ALL-STAR ... Pitcher Adam Wilk was Lakeland’s lone representative on the Florida Southern League All-Star team as voted upon by league manager, general managers, official scorekeepers and the media. Wilk is 9-5 on the season with a 3.01 ERA.

RONDON EARNS GCL HONOR ... New Lakeland pitcher Bruce Rondon has been named to the Gulf Coast League All-Star team as announced on Thursday. Rondon was 0-0 with 15 saves and a 0.70 ERA before being called up to Lakeland on Aug. 24.

PERFECT LITTLE PITCHER ... Matt Little has appeared in five games since joining Lakeland on Aug. 17 from West Michigan and has yet to surrender a score to any opponent. He has recorded 10 strikeouts while walking three.

DETROIT BEST DRESSED ... In a survey conducted by UniWatchBlog.com, the Detroit Tigers’s home uniform was chosen as “Best Home MLB Uni.” The Tigers received 941 votes among readers - some 146 more than the second place St. Louis Cardinals. Rounding out the top five were New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

AFFILIATE GLANCE ... The Toledo Mud Hens (AAA) are 66-73 overall this season and in fourth place, 12.5 games out in the International West Division. Former Lakeland Tiger Jeff Frazier leads the club with 25 homers and 73 runs batted in. The Erie Seawolves (AA) are 62-75 and are in fifth place, 17.0 games out of first in the Western Division of the Eastern League. Former Flying Tiger Rawley Bishop is the team’s active leader with nine homers. None of the current Seawolves have played in more than 77 games of the team’s 138 games this season - more evidence of the shuffling of rosters this season. The West Michigan Whitecaps (A) was 17 games under .500 in the first half, but has made a nice turnaround in the second half taking a 34-32 record into tonight. They are in third place in the Eastern Division of the Midwest League. The Gulf Coast League Tigers finished in third place in the North Division, just 3.0 games out of first place with a 30-28 record. Current Flying Tiger Juaner Aguasvivas led the club with five homers, 14 doubles and 27 RBI this season. The Connecticut Tigers (R) are in a battle for the Stedler Division Pennant in the New York-Penn League as they are just 1/2 game out of first place behind Tri-City. The Valley Cats have a three-game series with Brooklyn which leads their Division with a 49-23 record. The Tigers open a three-game set with last place Aberdeen (32-39).

LOTSA MOVING ... Unofficially, Lakeland posted 125 transactions in 2010 with 66 players playing here, three shy of the franchise record.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 31-Sept 2)

2010-08-30T06:58:00.003-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (31-31, 68-64) - Lakeland dropped a 6-1 decision at Daytona on Sunday, despite collecting 10 hits, and now has a 4-2 record in the last six games. The loss drops Lakeland to 31-31 in the second half, 8.5 games behind the Division-leading Tampa Yankees and 2.0 games behind third place Brevard County. Lakeland is 14-11 at home this half and 24-28 at Joker Marchant Stadium this season. Lakeland batters have walked the most times of any FSL team (462) while the pitching staff has walked the fewest batters (293) of any squad. The Flying Tigers are hitting .256 as a team and are third in the league with a 3.38 staff ERA.

THE BLUE JAYS (27-36, 68-65) ... Dunedin downed Tampa 4-2 on Sunday to improve to 27-36 this half, but is still mired in last place, 13.0 game behind Tampa and 1.5 games behind fifth place Clearwater. The Blue Jays are 12-17 on the road this half, but are 35-29 in away games this season. Dunedin leads the Florida State League with 247 doubles and 108 home runs – 28 more than the second place team. The Blue Jays are batting .243 as a team – second lowest average in the 12-team league – and have a 3.72 staff ERA.

THE SERIES ... The Blue Jays hold a 9-6 advantage in the series, but the Flying Tigers have won three of the last five. Pat McKenna has played in only four games in the series, but is hitting .538 with seven hits in fifteen at bats. Daniel Fields has hit three of Lakeland’s 11 home runs in the series to go with his .333 batting average in 12 games. Lakeland is hitting .252 in the series with a 3.06 ERA while Dunedin is batting .226 and has a 3.07 ERA.

SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK TO FALL ... With six home games left, Lakeland needs to average just over 134 fans per game to set the all-time franchise single season attendance record. With 60,449 passing thru the gates so far, Lakeland is 806 fans away from the record of 61,255 set in 1987.

3 UP, 9 PITCHES, 3 DOWN ... Jared Gayhart accomplished a rarity on Friday night at Daytona with a nine-pitch inning. Gayhart came on in relief to start the ninth and threw nine consecutive strikes to strike out the side.

SHARP STARTING PITCHING ... The Lakeland starting pitching staff has allowed just three earned runs in the last six games with two of those runs coming in their last game on Sunday. Since Aug. 25, the starters have a 0.90 ERA in the six games.

RARE ERRS ... Lakeland was charged with three errors in Sunday’s game at Daytona. The miscues snap a streak of seven errorless games for the Flying Tigers.

NEWCOMERS MAKE SPLASH ... Catcher Gabriel Purroy, playing in just his third game in a Flying Tiger uniform, went 3-for-4 with a double on Sunday in Lakeland’s 6-1 loss at Daytona. Luis Castillo, a veteran of ten games for Lakeland, was 2-for-4 in the same game.

HOME, SWEET HOME FOR LENNERTON ... Jordan Lennerton should be glad Lakeland is closing out the season with six games at home. The FSL Player of the Week for Aug. 16-22, is hitting .275 on the road this season. At Joker Marchant Stadium, the Flying Tiger’s first baseman is hitting over .100 points better at .379. However, seven of Lennerton’s nine homers have come away from the cavernous Joker Marchant Stadium.

MOSTLY MARTINEZ ... Francisco Martinez was 8-for-20 (.400) in five games prior to being held hitless in three at bats on Sunday. On Saturday, Martinez was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. The third baseman is hitting .333 against lefties and .270 against righthanded pitchers with a .310 home average and a .262 away mark.

MAINLY McKENNA ... Patrick McKenna is 5-for-20 with five runs scored and three doubles in his last five games. McKenna is another Flying Tiger looking forward to six home games as the second baseman has a .316 home batting average and is hitting just .170 on the road.

THE NEW GUYS ... With all of the Lakeland transactions in the second half of the season, only four Flying Tigers have amassed over 200 at bats with the club - Gustavo Nunez (498), Daniel Fields (349), and Francisco Martinez (310). Six of the current players have 80 or less at bats. Six Lakeland pitchers have yet to reach double figures in innings pitched while only two pitchers Luke Putkonen (144.0) and Mark Sorensen (135.1) have more than 50 innings pitched.

MARVELOUS MARK ... Mark Sorensen has won his last five starts with a 2.01 ERA and 20 strikeouts and six walks in 33.1 innings.

NEW CREW MEMBER ... What would a Mission Notes be without a transaction announcement? The latest player to join the Lakeland club (as of Sunday) is first baseman Juaner Aguasvivas, who joins the Flying Tigers from the GCL club where he was hitting .226 with 14 doubles and five home runs. He played three previous seasons in the Dominican Summer League after signing with Detroit as a free agent.

FSL ATTENDANCE ... Through Sunday’s games, 1,121,004 fans have attended a Florida State League game this season.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, MUD HENS ... Fifth Third Field, home of the AAA Toledo Mud Hens, was home to Hollywood over the weekend as the ballpark was used as the backdrop for filming for the movie “Home Run Showdown”. Among actors appearing at the park included Dean Cain, Annabeth Gish, Barry Bostwick and former Detroit players Dmitri Young and Gary Sheffield. The film centers around a little league team that competes for the right to shag baseballs in the upcoming Major League Baseball home run derby.

WHITECAP SURGE ... The A West Michigan squad has gone 24-8 since July 28 and is fighting for a spot in the Eastern League playoffs. With eight games to play, the Whitecaps’ magic number to make the playoffs has been reduced to five.

CONNECTICUT BOBBLEHEAD DAY .... The Connecticut Tigers, Detroit’s new short-season affiliate in the New York-Penn League, staged a “turn back the clock day” on Sunday. The first 500 fans in attendance received a Benedict Arnold bobblehead that had two faces (one on each side of the figure). Prior to the game, fans were treated to a performance by the Thames Base Ball Club with staged a baseball game the way it would have been played in 1861.

SIX AND COUNTING ... Tuesday’s game is the first of six remaining home games for Lakeland which will be home all this week wrapping up the year on Sunday with Breakfast with the Flying Tigers at 11 am.

Mission Notes vs. Daytona (Aug. 27-29)

2010-08-27T07:09:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (29-30, 66-63) - Lakeland is coming off a doubleheader split at Dunedin on Thursday. The Blue Jays took game one 3-2 in eight innings while Lakeland took the night cap 3-0 as Shawn Tuefel (making his first start for Lakeland), Michael Torrealba and Dan Gentzler combined on a two-hit shutout. Luke Putkonen is 10th in the FSL with a 3.43 ERA while recently promoted Adam Wilk is fourth with a 3.01 mark. Lakeland is batting .257 as a team while leading the league drawing a total of 452 walks. On the other side, Flying Tiger pitchers have issued the fewest walks in the league with 286 on the year. Defensively, Lakeland is tops with a .978 fielding percentage and has turned 127 double plays, the second highest total in the FSL. Gustavo Nunez continues to rank as the top fielding shortstop in the league with a .960 mark and also leads in total chances, putouts, assists and double plays.

THE CUBS (36-23, 70-59) ... The Cubs were rained out last night Daytona finished 7.0 games back in the first half and were 15-21 at home. This half they are in the pennant race, just 2.5 games behind Tampa. A big change this half is the fact that the Cubs are 21-9 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Cubs, which have the second highest average in the league at .264, have three of the top ten batters in the Florida State League in D.J. LeMahieu (3rd, .315); Ryan Flaherty (7th, .288) and Rebel Ridling (9th, .286). LeMehieu leads the FSL with 162 hits while Ridling is tops with 34 doubles and fourth with 71 RBI. Flaaherty is right behind Ridling with 32 two-baggers. Daytona is also the second highest scoring team with 578 runs this season while second in team doubles (238) and triples (23), but stolen bases are not a part of their repertoire as the team is second to last with just 87.

THE SERIES ... The Cubs hold a slim 6-5 lead in the series with wins in four of the last six. The two Lakeland wins in that span came in the last three games. In their last meeting on June 22, the two clubs split a doubleheader in Lakeland with the Cubs taking game one by a 2-1 margin and the Flying Tigers taking the nightcap by a 6-4 score.

WHO’S ON THE MOUND? … With promotions to AA, rain outs and doubleheaders, Lakeland has used eight different starting pitchers in the last eight contests.

YOU AGAIN ... The Cubs and the Flying Tigers are scheduled for six games in the next nine days. In addition to this series, Lakeland will host Daytona in a season-ending series at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland on Sept. 3-5. Sandwiched inbetween is a three-game set with Dunedin.

TWO MAN WRECKING CREW ... In last night’s second game of the doubleheader, Lakeland won 3-0 and had four hits. All of the offense came from a new 1-2 combination in the line-up as Pat McKenna batted lead-off, followed by Francisco Martinez. Both players doubled and singled for the four hits while McKenna scored twice and Martinez scored the other run. McKenna also swiped a pair of bases.

SEASON ATTENDANCE MARK TO FALL ... With six home games left, Lakeland needs to average just over 134 fans per game to set the all-time franchise single season attendance record. With 60,449 passing thru the gates so far, Lakeland is 806 fans away from the record of 61,255 set in 1987. Lakeland is averaging 1,061 fans per game in 2010 and has increased attendance in every season under General Manager Zach Burek. How much increase? In his inaugural season, Lakeland drew 495 fans per contest. This year’s figure is a 114 percent increase since that first season.

LENNERTON MAKING A BID ... With a .309 average, Jordan Lennerton is making a bid to become the first Lakeland batter with 175 or more at bats to hit .300 since James Skelton batted .307 in 212 at bats in 2008. Should Lennerton continue his pace, his average would be the best since Juan Francia hit .325 over 255 at bats in 2005.

SPEEDY CLUB ... With a stolen base in game one of the Wednesday doubleheader at Dunedin, Gustavo Nunez has 30 stolen bases for the season. He becomes the first Flying Tiger to swipe 30 bases since Ovandy Suero stole a team-record 75 bases in 2007 and just the ninth Lakeland player since 2000 to steal 30 bases in a season.

DUAL PARTIES? ... Lakeland will close out the season on Sept. 5 at home with a rare Sunday morning game at 11:00. Perhaps the Flying Tigers can end the season on a winning note as a birthday present for skipper Andy Barkett who will turn 36 on Sunday.

DON’T WE PLAY NINE? ... Lakeland has played just three nine-inning games since Aug. 15. The squad has been involved in four doubleheaders and had two games to extra innings.

LATEST MOVING AND GROOVING ... Two more original Lakeland Flying Tigers have earned promotions to AA Erie as pitchers Adam Wilk and Eric Crichton head North. In addition, Jon Kibler has also received a ticket to ride to Erie. Taking their places on the roster are Cole Nelson, Bruce Rondon and Jeff Barfield. Nelson was a 10th round pick by the Tigers in this year’s draft out of Auburn University. He was 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA and 27 punch outs in 15.1 innings over seven games with the GCL Tigers. A fellow hurler from the GCL squad, Rondon signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and played two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League and was in his second season in the Gulf Coast League. This season, Rondon was 0-0 with a 0.70 ERA in 24 games with 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. Barfield originally came to Lakeland on Aug. 21 and pitched in one game for the Flying Tigers, taking the loss in a start against Tampa on Aug. 22. He was sent back to the GCL on Aug. 25 and brought right back on Aug. 26.

1/3 OF A STARTING LINE-UP LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, just three players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - shortstop Gustavo Nunez and pitchers Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen.

WILK ERIE DEBUT ANYTHING BUT EERIE ... Adam Wilk made his AA debut on Aug. 25, working eight shutout innings and holding Altoona to just one hit while striking out three in a 3-1 win. Fellow Lakeland alums helped out in the cause as Lester Oliveros picked up the save and Billy Nowlin drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.

ENOUGH FOR THEIR OWN LEAGUE ... Lakeland has had 62 players don a Flying Tigers uniform so far in 2010. Thirty-two players have taken the field on defense with 30 others taking the mound. The number tops the 60 that dressed out last season with two more defensive players taking the field. The 1968 squad holds the franchise record with a total of 69 players dressing out for Lakeland. The most stable team for Lakeland came in 1990 when only 35 players comprised the combined roster for that season.

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (Aug. 24-26)

2010-08-24T09:26:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (27-29, 64-62) - Lakeland has scored just twice in the last three games and has now lost three of the last four games. A main reason for the lack of runs in the lack of offensive production as Lakeland is hitting .182 in the last five outings. Lakeland lost two games to the weather as Monday’s doubleheader with Tampa was cancelled due to wet grounds. Since the two teams do not face each other again this season, the games will not be made up.

THE BLUE JAYS (24-33, 66-62) ... Like Lakeland, Dunedin had its Monday game with Clearwater wiped out by weather. And again like Lakeland, they don’t face their opponent again in 2010. The Blue Jays had won their Sunday game by a 10-1 margin over Clearwater giving Dunedin a 3-5 record in their last eight games.

PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Tue: Adam Wilk (9-5, 3.01, 100 K, 119 BB, 143.2 IP)
Wed: Jon Kibler (4-4, 3.58, 53 K, 22 BB, 70.1 IP)
Thu: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.51, 39 K, 12 BB, 51.1 IP)

THE SERIES ... Dunedin has won eight of the 12 meetings this season, including four of the last five. Daniel Fields is hitting .345 in the series for Lakeland, while Jordan Lennerton is 5x7 in two games against the Blue Jays. Adam Wilk is 2-0 against Dunedin with a 1.42 ERA. Overall, Lakeland is batting .267 in the series with a 3.44 ERA while Dunedin has a .245 average with a 3.20 ERA.

LENNERTON EARNS FSL HONOR ... Congratulations to Jordan Lennerton on being named Florida State League Player of the Week for Aug. 16-22. The Flying Tiger first baseman hit .406 (13-for-22) for the week with five homers and nine runs batted in. He also scored seven runs and had two doubles. Lennerton is the fifth Lakeland player to earn league honors this season joining outfielder Brent Wyatt and pitchers Charlie Furbush, Adam Wilk and Jon Kibler.

GLAD WE’RE DONE WITH THOSE GUYS ... The recent series with Tampa got underway the same way the season starting for Lakeland – being shutout by the Yankees. The Flying Tigers have been kept scoreless five times this season against Tampa - a club that has posted 19 shutouts so far in 2010. It was also the second straight shutout suffered to Tampa by Lakeland with the Flying Tigers failing to score in 23 consecutive innings. Overall, it was the tenth time this season Lakeland has been shutout. Flying Tiger pitchers have posted 11 shutouts of their own, meaning 21 of Lakeland’s 126 games so far this season have ended with one of the two teams not scoring.

TOUGH TURNER ... Pitcher Jacob Turner has allowed just seven earned runs in his last eight starts dating back to July 12. That translates into a 1.60 ERA. He has 29 strikeouts in that same time frame with just eight walks and a 4-1 record.

DANDY DANIEL ... Centerfielder Daniel Fields is hitting .343 (12x35) in his last ten games and has four multi-hit games in his last seven contests. Fields has 21 multi-hit games this year – all two hit affairs.

DANDY DAN - PT. II ... Another Dan is also performing at a high level for Lakeland as Dan Gentzler has allowed just one run in his last 7.1 innings over six games.

FANTASTIC FRANCISCO ... Third baseman Francisco Martinez is 14x27 (.298) in his last 12 games.

DOUBLE TIME ... Dunedin leads the Florida State League with 235 doubles while Lakeland is last with 175 two-baggers.

BIG-TIME LEAD ... The Blue Jays lead the FSL with 103 home runs as a team – 27 more than any other team in the league and 40 more than Lakeland has clubbed this year.

LUKE THE DUKE ... Luke Putkonen has a 2.95 ERA in his last ten starts.

GO-TO GAYHART ... Reliever Jared Gayhart has adapted to the closer role for the Flying Tigers and is 2-2 with six saves over his last 11 games with a 2.76 ERA in the last 13.0 innings pitched.

RARE HOMER ... The home run surrendered to Tampa’s Anderson Feliz on Saturday was just the second homer allowed by Wilfredo Ramirez this season and was the first allowed in his last 18 appearances going back to June 15.

THREE FOR TRIPLE DIGITS ... Adam Wilk recorded his 100th strikeout on Aug. 19 joining alum Charlie Furbush (109) as Flying Tigers who have recorded triple digits in strikeouts this season. With 93 punch outs, Mark Sorensen is closing in on the milestone and will probably have two more chances to reach 100. When he does, it will be the first time since 2005 that three Lakeland starters have recorded 100 or more strikeouts.

WALK ‘EM ... In the last series between these two clubs back in mid-July, Dunedin’s Brian Van Kirk was doing his best Babe Ruth imitation. The Blue Jay’s outfielder homered in three consecutive games, capping the long ball flurry with a grand slam on July 12.

GATOR JOINS CREW ... Former University of Florida Gator Jeff Barfield has been promoted to the Lakeland club after appearing in ten games for the GCL Tigers. Barfield, who played for UF from 2009-10, signed with Detroit as a non-drafted free agent.

THANKS FOR DROPPING BY ... Outfielder Kyle Peter, who had been on the disabled list since April 3, was activated and then added the Lakeland roster on Aug. 19. Peter played in four games for Lakeland – two as DH and two in left field – and on Monday was promoted to Erie. To take his roster spot, Detroit promoted Alexander Moreno form the GCL Tigers. Moreno played in five games in Lakeland from July 2-10 and batted .357 with four runs batted in.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ... Jordan Lennerton is second in the Detroit minor league organization with a .305 average, trailing Alden Carrithers’ mark of .314 on the year. Adam Wilk is second with a 3.01 ERA while Luke Putkonen is fifth with a 3.43 mark and Jacob Turner is ninth with a 3.59 ERA. Gustavo Nunez leads all Detroit minor leaguers with 29 stolen bases. Lakeland is second to Toledo with a .258 team batting average and second to the GCL Tigers with a 3.46 staff ERA.

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Aug. 21-23)

2010-08-20T23:58:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (27-26, 64-59) - Jordan Lennerton broke out his Superman cape one more time on Saturday, clubbing a one-out homer in the top of the tenth inning to break a 4-4 tie and lift Lakeland to a 5-4 win over Brevard County in extra innings. It was Lennerton’s second go-ahead home run in extra innings in the last three games and his fourth homer in his last five games. The Flying Tigers have won five of their last seven, eight of the last 11, and 19 of the last 28 contests.

THE YANKEES (33-19, 69-51) ... Tampa got thrashed by the Threshers last night, falling 18-6 at Steinbrenner Field. Clearwater out hit Tampa 20-8 while the Yankees committed four errors. The Threshers had five doubles in the contest and were 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position. With the loss, Tampa’s lead in the North Division has fallen to just one game over Daytona.

PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Sat: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)
Sun1: Luke Putkonen (8-6, 3.31, 76 K, 42 BB, 130.1 IP)
Sun2: TBA
Mon1: Mark Sorensen (9-11, 4.38, 93 K, 25 BB, 129.1 IP)
Mon2: Wilfredo Ramirez (0-1, 4.97, 34 K, 5 BB, 41.2 IP)

THE SERIES ... The Yankees lead the series 9-6 and has won the last four straight after Lakeland had won three straight. Tampa has out hit Lakeland .265 to .245, but the Flying Tigers have outscored the Yankees 59 to 54.

FIVE IN THREE ... The Flying Tigers and the Yankees will see quite a bit of each other over the weekend, playing five games between tonight and Monday. Thanks to rainouts on June 28 and 30 in Tampa, the two clubs will play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday. Sunday’s DH in Tampa will begin at 1 p.m. while Monday’s twin-bill to be played in Lakeland, will get underway at 5 p.m. Both doubleheaders will be two seven-inning contests.

JOLTIN’ JORDAN ... First baseman Jordan Lennerton enters this series with a 10-game hit streak in which he is 18x40 (.450) with five homers and 12 runs batted in. In addition to homering in four of his last five games, Lennerton has driven in at least one run in nine straight games and has hits in 16 of his last 17 games. In those 17 games, he is batting .438 (28x64). Lennerton is second on the team with seven homers (two behind Billy Nowlin who is now at Erie). Five of Lennerton’s homers have come on the road.

OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD(S) ... Daniel Fields is 9x27 (.333) in his last seven games and with two more hits last night, now has 20 games with two hits. Fields is the team leader with 12 multi-RBI games including a four-RBI effort and three games with three runs batted in.

LATEST ROSTER MOVES ... Lakeland added three players to their roster on Friday and promoted four others. Making the jump to AAA Toledo is outfielder Chris White who had just rejoined Lakeland from Erie on Aug. 17. Speaking of Erie, catcher John Murrian and outfielders Brent Wyatt and Matt Mansilla have earned tickets to join the AA Seawolves. A pair of Gulf Coast League players join Lakeland in catcher Gabriel Purroy and outfielder Luis Castillo. Kyle Peter was activated from the disabled list where he had been since April 24 with a right shoulder sprain. Castillo, who played briefly for Lakeland last season, was hitting .323 in 19 games in the GCL while Purroy was batting .258 with a pair of homers.

FIVE LEFT ... With the most recent promotions, only five players that began the season on Lakeland’s 25-man roster remain with club - pitchers Erik Crichton, Luke Putkonen, Mark Sorensen and Adam Wilk, and shortstop Gustavo Nunez.

THAT’S A LOTTA INNINGS ... Adam Wilk, Luke Putkonen and Mark Sorensen have each pitched in 129 or more innings this season. Wilk leads the FSL with 143.2 innings while Putkonen has 130.1 innings of work and Sorensen has 129.1. This is the first time since 1997 that three Lakeland pitchers have tossed as many innings.

TEAM LEADER ... Gustavo Nunez leads Lakeland with 60 runs scored this season. The slick-fielding shortstop also leads the Flying Tigers with 106 hits and 28 stolen bases.

DE-FENSE! ... Lakeland is tied with Brevard County and Clearwater for the league lead in defense with a .977 fielding percentage. Gustavo Nunez continues to lead the league with a .958 fielding percentage. Nunez also leads all Florida State League shortstops with 569 total chances, 196 putouts, 349 assists and 696 double plays. Daniel Fields tops all qualifying outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage having not committed an error in 206 total chances. Before his recent promotion, Brent Wyatt was leading all FSL outfielders with 20 assists.

CLOSE THE DOOR ... Lakeland is 52-3 when leading after seven innings and 53-2 when leading after eight innings.

ANOTHER ONE-RUN DECISION ... Lakeland’s 5-4 win in ten innings last night at Brevard County was the Flying Tigers’ 45th game decided by just one score. Lakeland is 22-23 in those 45 games.

ONE IN, ONE OUT ... Another Lakeland alum, Alfredo Figaro has joined the big club where he appeared in one game this season on May 12 against the Yankees. Unfortunately, to make room on the Tigers’ roster, former Flying Tiger Robbie Weinhardt was sent back to Toledo.

BEST IN FOUR YEARS ... Lakeland’s current win total of 64 games, is the most wins since the 2006 team finished 68-68 under manager Mike Rojas.

THE D-SQUADS ... Once the Flying Tigers complete this series against the Yankees, it will be the Dunedin Blue Jays and Daytona Cubs providing the opposition for the rest of the 2010 season. After Monday’s home doubleheader, Lakeland hits the road for three games at Dunedin on Aug. 24-26 and then traverses the state to play the Cubs on Aug. 27-29. The squad will then have Aug. 30 off before opening a season-ending six-game homestand. The Blue Jays come to Lakeland on Aug. 31-Sept. 2 while the Cubs provide the final season opposition on Sept. 3-5.

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Aug. 18-20)

2010-08-18T11:34:00.001-04:00

THE FLYING TIGERS (25-25, 62-58) - With a 14-inning win last night in Clearwater, Lakeland has now won six of its last eight and 11 of its last 16 games. The surge has the team trailing first place Tampa by 7.5 games. The Flying Tigers are 62-58 on the season, the first time they have been four games over .500 since June 25 when the team was 38-34. The best the team has been is on May 28 when they were ten games over .500 at 29-19.

THE MANATEES (30-22, 57-64) ... Brevard County has found a new team in the second half. After finishing last in the North Division in the first half with a 27-42 record, the Manatees are now 30-22 in the second half and trail Tampa by 3.5 games and the second place Daytona Cubs by 1.5 games. But, as of late, the team may be having flashbacks as they have dropped five of their last eight contests, including a 7-5 loss against the Blue Jays last night in Viera.

PROBABLE STARTERS ...
Wed: Mark Sorensen (8-11, 4.50, 89 K, 23 BB, 122.0 IP)
Thu: Job Kibler (4-4, 3.44, 49 K, 18 BB, 65.1 IP)
Fri: Jacob Turner (4-2, 3.88, 32 K, 11 BB, 46.1 IP)

THE SERIES ... Lakeland enjoys a 9-6 advantage in the 15 previous meetings this season. The Flying Tigers won the first five contests this season, but Brevard County has won six of the last 10. Brock Kjeldgaard has hit four home runs for the Manatees in the series. Lakeland has batted .259 in the previous games with a 3.37 ERA while Brevard County has hit .245 with a 3.21 ERA.

LONG BALL LENNERTON ... First baseman John Lennerton hit an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence to lead off the 14th inning last night in Clearwater and lift Lakeland to a 3-2 extra-inning win. It was the second straight game the former 33rd round draft pick has gone deep and his second 14th-inning home run of the season. Lennerton also homered in the 14th inning against Tampa in a 6-5, 14-inning loss on June 27 - his only Joker Marchant Stadium homer in his six blasts this season. Lennerton enters this series with an eight-game hit streak in which he is 12x27 for a .444 average with three homers and nine runs batted in. He has now driven in at least one run in each of his last six games and has hits in 13 of last 14 games for a .431 clip.

ONE OLD, ONE NEW ... Lakeland’s latest moves on the transaction wire see Chris White coming back to Lakeland from Erie while pitcher Matt Little was promoted from West Michigan. White returns to the Flying Tigers after his second stint with the AA Seawolves. Little, the Tigers’ 31st pick in this year’s draft out of Kentucky, was 1-0 with two saves and a 4.71 ERA in 15 games with the Whitecaps. At Kentucky, the 5’10” Little was 2-2 with seven saves and a 4.93 ERA. He becomes the third 2010 draftee to play for Lakeland this season, joining sixth-round pick Bryan Holaday and #25 pick Shawn Teufel.

THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG .... Matt Little had just been promoted to Lakeland and made his first appearance last night at Clearwater. Entering the 2-2 game in the 13th inning with a runner on second and one out, Little got the first batter he faced to ground out and then, with winning run now 90-feet away at third, struck out the next batter to end the Thresher threat. Jordan Lennerton opened the 14th with a home run, giving Little a win in his Lakeland debut.

SOARING SORENSEN ... Mark Sorensen is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 18 strikeouts and just two walks in his last four starts.

KIBLER NAMED FSL PITCHER OF THE WEEK ... Congratulations to Jon Kibler on being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 9-15. Kibler was 1-0 in two games, tossing 14.0 scoreless innings while allowing 12 hits and striking out 11 and walking two. Kibler is the second straight Lakeland pitcher to earn the award joining Adam Wilk who was so honored last week.

FLYING TIGER ALUM EARNS EASTERN LEAGUE HONOR ... Kudos to former Flying Tiger Rawley Bishop who was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for Aug. 9-15. The Erie first baseman hit .565 for the week with 10 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 homers and 13 runs batted in.

HOT TURNER ... Jacob Turner is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 22 strikeouts and six walks in his last seven starts.

GUSTO AT THE PLATE ... All season long, Lakeland fans have marveled at his defensive ability at the shortstop position. Perhaps now, fans will now give Gustavo Nunez some love for his bat. In his last 17 games, Nunez is batting .338 (26x77) and has two games with three hits in the last three Lakeland contests. He has hits in 22 of his last 26 games and has 11 games in that span with two or more hits.

DID IT TO HIM, ONE MORE TIME ... Lakeland downed Clearwater, 9-2, in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader beating the Thresher’s Jesus Sanchez for the fifth time this season. He is 8-2 against the rest of the FSL.

NOTES FROM A 14-INNING AFFAIR ... Lakeland’s 14-inning win at Clearwater last night matched the longest game in terms of innings played for Lakeland this season as the club also went 14 frames on June 27 against Tampa. The game time of 4:16 was second only to the 4:27 it took to play the June 27 game. The Flying Tiger bullpen kept Clearwater scoreless in 7.2 innings pitched and allowed only four hits and struck out four. Only one Thresher batter drew a walk in the entire 14 innings. Meanwhile, Lakeland was issued 11 walks. Lakeland was 2x16 with runners in scoring position and left 18 on base.

LAKELAND ALUMS IN INDEPENDENT BALL ... Here’s a look at where some former Lakeland players are now playing in various independent baseball leagues. Pitcher Chad Linder (2009) is with the Sherveport-Bossier Captains in the American Association. Several former players are competing in the Atlantic League including: Juan Francia (2005-06) who is playing for the Camden Riversharks; Randy Leek (2000) who is pitching for the Long Island Ducks; Daryle Ward (1996) and Eric Munson (1999) who are playing with the Newark Bears; and Michael Hernandez (2007) who is an outfielder with the Somerset Patriots. In the Canadian-American League, Angel Flores (2010) is a catcher with the New Jersey Jackals, Vince Blue (2005) is an outfielder with the Sussex Skyhawks and Alex Trezza (2003-04) is a catcher with the Worcester Tornadoes. Santo DeLeon (2008-09) is a third baseman with the Chico Outlaws while Brian Rios (1999) is a player/coach with the Victoria Seals in the Golden Baseball League. Drew Graham (2009) and Justin Justice (2007-08) play for the Winnipeg Goldeneyes in the Northern League. Maiko Loyola (2009) is an outfielder with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League. By the way, one of Loyola’s teammates of former major leagues Jose Canseco.