Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

South Atlantic League Baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Savannah Sand Gnats

What: Four-game series

When: Wednesday through Saturday (7:05 each night)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: Call   (859) 422-7867  

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Wednesday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (4-3, 3.46) vs. RH Kyle Allen (5-4, 4.35); Thursday, LH David Duncan (0-0, 0.00) vs. RH Jeurys Familia (6-5, 2.75); Friday, RH Robert Bono (8-4, 2.45) vs. RH Chris Schwinden (5-4, 3.77); Saturday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-7, 3.30) vs. LH Robert Carson (6-6, 2.22).

Wilmer Flores

Sand Gnat to watch: SS Wilmer Flores (6-foot-3, 175 pounds, from Valencia, Venezuela) is rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the New York Mets’ minor-league system. Through 72 games, he is hitting .284 with two homers, 22 RBI and 24 runs. He has come on strong since hitting .235 in May. He hit .309 (29-for-94) in June and is off to a .321 start (9-for-28) in July. The Mets signed him in 2007 for $750,000 and, last year, became short-season Brooklyn’s youngest player ever, 16. He played at three levels last season, hitting .310 over 59 games with Kingsport of the Appalachian League; ,400 in one game with the Sand Gnats and .267 over eight games with Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League. His combined totals for the season: .307, eight homers, 42 RBI, 40 runs and 68 games.

Legend to watch: LHP David Duncan (6-9, 230, from New Richmond, Ohio), up from Tri-City of the New York-Penn League, is scheduled to make his Legends debut Thursday. He takes the roster spot of RH Jose Trinidad, who is on the disabled list for the second time this season due to a sore labrum. Ricky Bennett, assistant general manager and director of player development for the Houston Astros, said Duncan will stay in the rotation, but the five starters who have been here all season will not be moved. Details were still being discussed after Tuesday’s game, but Bennett said you can expect a “modified six-man rotation.” Trinidad likely is finished for the year. Selected by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, out of Georgia Tech, Duncan went 3-4 with a 4.88 ERA over 14 starts for Tri-City last season. He began this season with High-A Lancaster, getting starts in 10 of his 11 appearances. With an 0-9 record and 8.51 ERA, he was demoted to Tri-City, where he seems to have rediscovered his form. In three starts for the ValleyCats, Duncan went 0-1 with a 3.10 ERA. Working 20 1/3 innings, he struck out 17 and walked three.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

This entry was posted on July 7, 2009 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Appalachian League, Applebee's Park, Baseball, Brooklyn Cyclones, Georgia Tech, Houston Astros, Kingsport Mets, Lancaster JetHawks, Lexington Legends, New York Mets, New York-Penn League, Savannah Sand Gnats, South Atlantic League, Tri-City ValleyCats, WLXG AM-1300. Tagged: Brad Dydalewicz, Chris Schwinden, David Duncan, Jeurys Familia, Jose Trinidad, Kyle Allen, Kyle Greenwalt, Lexington Legends, Ricky Bennett, Robert Bono, Robert Carson, Savannah Sand Gnats, Wilmer Flores. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.