Tigers Minor League Baseball Blog

Lakeland put two more losses on the board as they were were swept in a doubleheader at the hands of Clearwater.  Game one was an ugly 11-1 blowout in which Kyle Sleeth was hammered for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.  There was some hope this past spring that Sleeth may have come back fully from his injuries but the season was one disappointment after another.  Dusty Ryan accounted for the only Lakeland run with a solo homerun.

Game two was a big closer but a loss none the less.  Lucas French was hammered for six runs in 4 2/3 innings and he fell to 5=14.  Ovandy Suero went two for three with a run, an RBI and stolen base.  The stolen base brough his season total up to 75 on the season.  Cale Iorg doubled and drove in two runs.

Kyle Sleeth picked up his first win since he joined Lakeland in a nice start in the Flying Tigers 2-1 win over Dunedin.  He gave up just two hits and he struck out eight in five shutout innings.

Maxwell Leon was the hitting star in the win.  He went two for three with a double and a run.

Lakeland couldn’t get much done at the plate as they were held to just three hits in a 7-1 loss to Sarasota.  Ryan Roberson had the only extra base hit with a double and he also scored the only run for Lakeland.

Kyle Sleeth was hit hard and he fell to 0-7.  He gave up six runs on ten hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings.

Lakeland didn’t have to play a doubleheader but the end result was the same as the lost another one to Clearwater 4-2.  Ovandy Suero tripled and scored a run while Maxwell Leon singled, scored and drove in a run.

Kyle Sleeth dropped to 0-5 with a rough start.  He gave up four runs on nine hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

Justin Justice scored on an error in the bottom of the ninth inning to win it for Lakeland.  Up to that point, Maxwell Leon had been the most productive hitter.  He went four for five with a double and two RBIs.  Daniel Worth doubled three times and he drove in a run.

Freddy Dolsi improved to 5-3 with the win despite giving up three ninth inning runs to tie the game up in the top of the ninth.  Kyle Sleeth gave up three runs in six innings in his start.

Decent starts by Kyle Sleeth have been few and far between and while he put together a decent game, it turned out to be a no-decision when Ricky Steik was shelled for six runs in the sixth inning.  Steik fell to 2-9 on the season and he gave up the six runs (just two of them were earned, but the error was his own throwing error) on four hits.

Deik Scram was the hitting star in the 8-3 loss.  He went three for four with a solo homerun and he scored all three Lakeland runs.

Lakeland had a tough time at the plate in their two losses in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Yankees.  In the first game, Lakeland was shutout 4-0 and they not only didn’t score a run, they were held hitless.  Angel Castro took the loss and he fell to 3-1 on the season.  He gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts in six innings of work.

The second game was closer but it was still a loss.  Kyle Sleeth fell to 0-4 in the 4-3 loss and he gave up four runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.  Shawn Roof singled and drove in two runs while Michael Hernandez went two for three with a walk and a run.

Lakeland lost 4-3 to Palm Beach and it was Ricky Steik who gave up the run in the bottom of the ninth.  He dropped to 2-8 on the season and a pretty good start by Kyle Sleeth went to waste.  Sleeth gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits and five walks with two strikeouts in six innings of work.

Justin Justice doubled twice and drove in a run.  Daniel Worth singled twice, drew a walk and scored a run.

Kyle Sleeth fell to 0-3 for Lakeland and he didn’t even last through the second inning as Lakeland lost 8-4.  Sleeth gave up three runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.  Ricky Steik wasn’t much better and he gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

William Rhymes was the hitting star in the loss.  He went two for three with a two run homer.

Lakeland was double bageled by Jupiter in two tough losses.  Game one was a 13-0 blowout in which Kyle Sleeth was hit hard.  He gave up eight runs on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.  Cameron Maybin was one of two Lakeland hitters to have two hits in the game.

Game two was a 4-0 loss and it was Lucas French who took the loss. He gave up four runs (just one earned) on three hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.  Shawn Roof was the only Lakeland hitter in this one to have two hits.

Kyle Sleeth’s troubles continued as he fell to 0-1 in Lakeland’s 9-3 loss.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks with one strikeout in only four innings. 

Wilkin Ramirez hit a solo homer in the loss.  Joel Roa went two for four with a run.

Michael Hernandez had a big day at the plate in Lakeland’s 10-8 win over Sarasota.  He went two for five with a homerun and four RBIs in the win.  Ryan Roberson also had a nice game and he went two for four with a solo homerun and three runs.

Kyle Sleeth was hammered and it looks like his time with Lakeland isn’t going to be much better then when he was with Erie  Derek Witt picked up the win and he gave up one run in his three relief innings.

Lakeland got some nice pitching in their two game sweep over Brevard Couny.  In the first game, Kyle Sleeth gave up one unearned run in four innings and Paul Hammond picked up the win with a shutout frame in the sixth.  This was Sleeth’s first start since getting demoted after a tough stretch pitching for Erie.  William Rhymes was the hitting star and he went three for four with an RBI

The second game was a 4-2 win and Alfredo Figaro threw five innings and gave up one run in a nice start.  Jacob Ramos picked up the win and he improved to 4-1 while Ovandy Suero went two for four with a run and three stolen bases.  The three steals brings his season total up to 42.

The Seawolves took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and after a total collapse by starter Jonathan Connolly and some poor relief pitching by Kyle Sleeth, an automatic win turned into a disappointing loss.  Kevin Ardoin only gave up the losing run and while he took the loss, there was plenty of blame to go around.

Andres Torres homered and drove in two runs.  Kody Kirkland went two for five with a homerun and two runs scored.

Jonathan Connelly took the loss today as Erie lost to Akron 9-2 but it was Kyle Sleeth who put this game out of reach with another tough relief appearance.  He gave up six runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk in just 1 2/3 innings.  The three errors that took place while he was in there didn’t help but Akron was making solid contact against him.

Jeff Larish had a nice game at the plate in the loss.  He went two for four with a solo homerun.

So far, Kyle Sleeth’s time at Erie hasn’t gone well.  He was hammered today for four runs and he’s now given up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings over three games.  You wonder if his time would be better off back down in Lakeland because he’s been hammered so far this year.

Matthew Joyce went two for four with a homerun and two RBIs.  Jackson Melian singled and scored two runs.

Jair Jurrjens got off to a nice start in Erie’s 6-4 win over Akron, it’s just unfortunate that he only got to throw two innings because of a rain delay.  He didn’t give up a single hit in those two inning and he struck out two.  Kyle Sleeth continued his struggles and he gave up four runs in two innings.  Matthew Rucsch picked up the win with 3 1/3 shutout innings.

Brent Dlugach led the offensive attack.  He went two for five with a double, a run and an RBI.

MiLB.com recently reviewed the Tigers minor league system in their organizaton reviews.  There’s a bunch of stuff here, with the bulk of the column being on players on each stop in the Tigers minor league system.  Kyle Sleeth is profiled in the Double A section and if you haven’t gotten enough of Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, you get more here.  You also get a rundown of all the players the Tigers picked in the 2006 draft.

MiLB.com recently took a look at some of the happenings with the Tigers at spring training.  They discuss where Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin will eventually end up (which appears to be Lakeland) and there’s also a Q&A with the guy with the super slider himself.  It wraps with a discussion on Kyle Sleeth and Jair Jurrjens.  Good stuff here so check it out.

Alright, the Tigers made some cuts today and none of them were big surprises.  Probably the most optimistic move was announcing that Kyle Sleeth will start at Double A.  After a solid spring, the former first round draft pick will get the promotion despite struggling last year in the minors.  Having Kyle Sleeth there will make keeping track of Erie a little more interesting.

2006 first round draft pick Andrew Miller will head to Lakeland as expected.  Virgil Vazquez and Jordan Tata were both bumped to Triple A   Jair Jurrjens, Gabe Johnson and Dusty Ryan will all report to minor league camp and their status in the Tigers’ system is still uncertain.