DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — The Tampa Tarpons and Daytona Tortugas meet Friday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. The forecast calls for 74 degrees and rain.

Tampa (23-24) enters the series finale riding a boost from its 8-7 win Wednesday in the opener of this six-game set, a victory that snapped a two-game slide. Daytona (16-31) has lost four of its last five and sits last in its division.

The Tarpons send left-hander Henry Lalane (0-1) to the mound. Lalane will be seeking his first win of the season. The Tortugas have not yet announced their probable starter.

Weather could be a factor. A postponement Thursday pushed that game to a later date as part of a doubleheader. Both teams are scheduled to play Saturday and Sunday to close the series.

Players to watch

Tampa reliever J.T. Etheridge has been effective out of the bullpen. He threw 3 2/3 innings in Wednesday’s win, allowing two earned runs, two hits and striking out five. Over his last five appearances, Etheridge has a 2.12 ERA across 18 innings, with 24 strikeouts and seven walks.

Daytona third baseman Ichiro Cano drove in two runs in Wednesday’s loss, going 2-for-3. He hit a home run and drove in a run in Tuesday’s 12-9 win over Tampa. However, in his eight games before that, Cano was 1-for-24.

Recent results

Wednesday: Tampa 8, Daytona 7. Engelth Urena hit a home run and drove in a run for the Tarpons. JoJo Jackson drove in three runs. J.T. Etheridge earned the win in relief. For Daytona, Anyer Laureano took the loss.

Tuesday: Daytona 12, Tampa 9. The Tortugas erased a late deficit.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-2 Tampa win. Interstat’s ELO system gives the Tarpons a 53.7 percent probability of victory.

Upcoming

Tampa: Plays at Daytona through Sunday, then returns home to host Palm Beach for a six-game series beginning Tuesday.

Daytona: Hosts Tampa through Sunday, then travels to Dunedin for a six-game series beginning Tuesday.