Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Greenville Drive

What: Three-game series

When: Saturday through Monday (7:05 Saturday and Monday nights, 2:05 Sunday afternoon)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: (859) 422-7867

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Saturday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (8-12, 3.85) vs. RH Stolmy Pimental (9-7, 3.76); Sunday, RH Jordan Lyles (6-11, 3.23) vs. LH Fabian Williamson (10-4, 2.30); Monday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (7-5, 3.87) vs. RH Jeremy Kehrt (1-1, 3.51).

Will Middlebrooks

Drive to watch: 3B Will Middlebrooks (6-foot-3, 197 pounds, from Wake Village, Texas) took a 12-game hitting streak into Friday’s game against Kannapolis. Overall, Middlebrooks is batting .265 with seven homers and 54 RBI over 94 games. He has scored 49 runs and stolen five bases. Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2007 draft, he was 61-for-110 (.555) with five homers, 48 RBI and 22 steals in 38 games that year for Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas, and also went 13-0 pitching. With the Lowell Spinners last year, Middlebrooks hit .254 and led the team with 17 doubles. He also ranked second or third on the team in games (59), steals (10-for-10), hits (53) and extra-base hits (20). He led third basemen in the New York-Penn League with a fielding percentage of .927. Rated by Baseball America as having the “best infield arm” in the Red Sox system the last two years.

Russell Dixon

Legend to watch: RF Russell Dixon (6-2, 205, from Houston) has come alive at the plate, with hits in seven consecutive games until going 0-for-4 Thurday. Over those seven games, Dixon went 10-for-25 (.400), with six RBI and four runs scored. Included in that span were a two-hit game and a three-hit game — all five hits being doubles. Dixon struggled early in the season, hitting .134 over 30 games with the Legends. That earned him a demotion to extended spring training. He then moved to Tri-City of the New York-Penn League, where he hit .302 with a homer and 11 RBI over 38 games. In 12 games since rejoining the Legends, Dixon is hitting .244. Selected by the Houston Astros in the seventh round of the 2007 draft, out of Auburn University, Dixon hit .237 for the Legends last season, with three homers, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Travis Driskill

Also of note: CF Jay Austin and LHP Michael Hacker have been activated from the disabled list. OF Steve Brown has been promoted to High-A Lancaster, while LHP Antonio Noguera moves to the inactive list. … The Astros have ticketed 10 Legends for Instructional League work, starting in mid-September: Austin, 2B Albert Cartwright, LHP Brad Dydalewicz, C Federico Hernandez, RHP Arcenio Leon, RHP Jordan Lyles, RHP Matt Nevarez, RHP Ross Seaton, RHP Henry Villar and SS Brandon Wikoff. Also scheduled to attend is LHP Patrick Urckfitz, who was recently promoted to High-A Lancaster. Instructors include Legends pitching coach Travis Driskill and two former Lexington staffers: Stubby Clapp (hitting coach) and Mike Smith (strength and conditioning coordinator). Pitching coach Charley Taylor, who missed this season due to bladder-cancer surgery, also plans to attend. … Mike Tauser’s most recent “Farmstros Five” players of the week is topped by Corpus Christi OF Drew Locke. The other four: Wikoff, Greeneville RHP Abraham Gonzalez and a pair of former Legends — Round Rock LHP Josh Muecke and Lancaster DH/OF/C Koby Clemens. For more details, see http://farmstros.blogspot.com/

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Hickory Crawdads

What: Four-game series

When: Tuesday through Friday (7:05 each night)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: (859) 422-7867

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Tuesday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (7-5, 4.02) vs. RH Wilfredo Boscan (6-7, 3.51); Wednesday, RH Robert Bono (8-8, 3.40) vs. RH Joe Wieland (4-5, 5.53); Thursday, RH Ross Seaton (8-10, 3.39) vs. RH Wilmer Font (7-2, 3.32); Friday, LH David Duncan (3-3, 4.50) vs. RH Jake Brigham (2-8, 5.42).

Matthew West

Crawdad to watch: 3B Matthew West (6-foot-1, 215 pounds, from Bellaire, Texas) is hitting .234 with five homers, 50 RBI and 10 stolen bases over 120 games (through Sunday). He leads active Crawdads in hits (97), runs (59), walks (48), doubles (24) and total bases (140). Selected by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the 2007 draft, when he was 18, West hit .301 and hit 17 homers in 29 games for the Arizona Rangers that year. However, he also was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. In 2008, with Spokane of the Northwest League, West hits .258 with four homers and 30 RBI over 67 games.

Matt Nevarez

Legend to watch: RHP Matt Nevarez (6-5, 220, from San Fernando, Calif.) was assigned to the Legends last week after the Houston Astros acquired him from Texas as part of the deal that sent C Ivan Rodriguez back to the Rangers. Through Sunday, Nevarez has pitched twice for the Legends, giving up no runs and two hits over 1 1/3 innings, striking out three. Selected by Texas in the 10th round of the 2005 draft, out of San Fernando High School, Nevarez had been with the Crawdads all season prior to the trade. With Hickory, he was 1-4 with nine saves and a 2.83 ERA. In 34 relief appearances covering 35 innings, he walked 15 and struck out 50, holding opponents to a .177 batting average. Besides being ranked among the top 200 draft prospects by Baseball America in 2005, Nevarez was an all-city football players and all-league basketball player in high school. Last season, with Spokane, Nevarez compiled a 4-2 record and 4.36 ERA over 16 games, including seven starts.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Also of note: The four-game series against the Crawdads is the start of Lexington’s final homestand of the season. The home season closes with a three-game series against the Greenville Drive, Saturday through Monday. … Hitting coach for the Crawdads is Brian Dayett, who held the same position with the Legends in 2004, when Ivan DeJesus served as manager. … The Legends are on track to surpass 300,000 in home attendance for the ninth year in a row (every season since joining the SAL).

Promotions during the final homestand:

Tuesday — Quarter Hot Dog Night and Kraft Singles Night

Wednesday — Ladies Night

Thursday — Thirsty Thursday

Friday — AT&T Advertising Solutions Game Day and Champion Window Giveaway

Saturday — Fireworks Night; Bucket Boys; Fan Appreciation Night

Sunday — Kids Club Sunday

Monday — Dollar Day and Kids Eat Free

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. West Virginia Power

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 (7-4, 3.36) vs. RH Quinton Miller (1-3, 6.19); Thursday, RH Robert Bono (8-7, 3.24) vs. RH Brett Lorin (0-0, 1.50); Friday, RH Ross Seaton (8-9, 2.89) vs. RH Hunter Strickland (7-4, 3.05); Saturday, LH David Duncan (2-3, 4.67) vs. RH Aaron Pribanic (1-1, 3.00) or RH Gabriel Alvarado (5-9, 4.95).

Quincy Latimore

Power to watch: LF Quincy Latimore (5-foot-11, 191 pounds, from Apex, N.C.) leads the Power in hits (107), doubles (19), triples (9), RBI (57), total bases (174), games (93) and at-bats (379), and shares the team lead in homers (10) through Monday. Batting .282, he is second on the team with 53 runs scored. Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, he hit .257 in 45 games that season for the Gulf Coast League Pirates. He also had three homers, 17 RBI and 13 stolen bases, with a .429 on-base percentage over 59 at-bats in the leadoff position. In 2008, playing for State College of the New York-Penn League, Latimore hit .244 with three homers, 20 RBI and 25 runs scored over 59 games. This season, he hit .249 over 58 games before the all-star break. In 35 games since the break, he is batting .331. 

Wilder Parra

Legend to watch: C Wilder Parra (6-0, 175, from Guigue, Venezuela) was assigned to the Legends last Thursday. Parra, now 18, signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros on Jan. 27, 2008. He spent last season with the Venezuelan Summer League Astros, going 26-for-111 (.234) over 32 games, with a homer, 12 RBI and six runs scored. This season, before joining the Legends, Parra played 13 games for the Gulf Coast League Astros. He went 9-for-39 (.231), drove in six runs and scored seven. Through Monday, his only appearance with the Legends came Friday at Greenville, where he struck out in a pinch-hit role.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Lexington Legends outfielder Steve Brown is the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the period of Aug. 3-9.

Steve Brown

Brown, from Colombia, went 12-for-28 (.429), including three homers and a triple. He drove in 11 runs while compiling a slugging percentage of .821. He boosted his season batting average from .233 to .256 and has scored at least one run in each of his last four games.

“Steve has been a valuable member to our team the past two seasons but, more importantly, Steve has been a terrific member of our community,” Andy Shea, general manager of the Legends, said in a statement released by the team. “This season he has spoken to college classes at Transylvania and he has been a significant contributor in our Hispanic outreach program. I’m very happy to see he is also being recognized for his outstanding accomplishments on the field.”

Brandon Barnes

The Legends play the third of four games against the Asheville Tourists on Monday night at Applebee’s Park. After that series wraps up, West Virginia will visit the Legends for four games, Wednesday through Saturday.

Meanwhile, Lancaster JetHawks outfielder Brandon Barnes is Player of the Week in the California League.

Barnes, who began the season with the Legends, went 12-for-25 (.480) for the week, with a homer, triple, eight RBI and six runs scored. During one 6-for-9 stretch, he drove in six runs.

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

When: Saturday through Tuesday (7:05 Saturday, Monday and Tuesday nights; 2:05 Sunday afternoon)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Saturday, RH Ross Seaton (8-8, 2.67) vs. RH Dan Houston (5-8, 3.95); Sunday, LH David Duncan (1-3, 4.40) vs. RH Jonnathan Aristil (2-6, 4.70); Monday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-10, 3.81) vs. TBA; Tuesday, Jordan Lyles (6-10, 3.44) vs. TBA.

Tourist to watch: LF Scott Robinson (6-foot, 185 pounds, from McDonough, Ga.) leads the Tourists in runs (71), hits (124), doubles (27), stolen bases (37), games (97) and at-abats (391). He’s batting .317 with three homers and 31 RBI. Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round of the 2006 draft, Robinson played the 2007 season for the Casper Ghosts of the Pioneer League, compiling a .240 average, five homers, 25 RBI and 10 steals over 50 games. Last year, with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League, he hit .268 with six homers, 25 RBI and 15 steals over 59 games.

Antonio Noguera

Legend to watch: LHP Antonio Noguera (6-3, 194, from Caracas, Venezuela) joined the Legends last week, promoted from the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. The southpaw has made a pair of one-inning, shutout relief appearances for the Legends, with combined totals of one hit, one walk and one striketout. In 14 games with the ValleyCats, Noguera compiled a 2-0 record and 3.62 ERA, with eight walks to 21 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. Signed by the Houston Astros as a non-drafted free agent in September of 2004, when he was 16, Noguera also pitched for Tri-City last season. There, he was 2-8 with a 7.59 ERA over 15 games, including 13 starts. He walked 21 and struck out 24 over 53 1/3 innings. 

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Jordan Lyles

Also of note: Jordan Lyles, scheduled to start Tuesday’s game for the Legends, is on Baseball America’s “Prospect Hot Sheet” this week. … Members of the Breathitt County Junior Red Cross Club will attend Saturday’s game. When massive flooding took place in Eastern Kentucky last May, club members voted to use all available funds to help those affected by the floods. That included money for the club’s annual trip to a Legends game, which is a reward to students for their service. Officials from several agencies, including the Legends, Central Bank and

Patrick Urckfitz

Jay Austin

Trust, Aramark and the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Red Cross stepped in to fund Saturday’s trip. … Fans are invited to come early for Tuesday’s game and take part in the Family Fun Fest, just outside the ballpark gates. The Fun Fest, free to the public opens at 4 p.m. More than 20 attractions will be available, including batting and pitching cages, bungee runs, super slides, bounce houses, video arcade, a “rookie

Andy Simunic

zone” and a minor-league museum. Fans also can put their own photos on free souvenir baseball cards or on a Sports Illustrated for Kids magazine cover. … Legends players of the month for July, as selected by the coaching staff, are LH Patrick Urckfitz (Pitcher), CF Jay Austin (Offensive) and IF Andy Simunic (Defensive). Urckfitz was 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA over 10 relief appearnaces. Austin was 31-for-107 (.290) with nine extra-base hits, 10 RBI and eight steals over 26 games. Simunic has a .973 fielding percentage (five errors in 184 chances) over 51 games this season. … Former Legends picking up team Player of the Month honors in the Astros system include: Round Rock Express OF Brian Bogusevic (Offensive); Corpus Christi Hooks IF Jhon Florentino (Defensive); and Lancaster JetHawks RH Leandro Cespedes (Pitcher). … Mike Tauser’s “Farmstros Five” of the week: Gulf Coast League Astros IF Enrique Hernandez; Lyles; Lancaster OF/C Koby Clemens; Corpus Christi OF Drew Locke; and “top performer” Wilton Lopez, RHP for Corpus Christi.

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Hagerstown Suns

What: Four-game series

When: Sunday through Wednesday (2:05 Sunday afternoon, then 7:05 each night)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Sunday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (5-4, 3.36) vs. RH Paul Demny (2-8, 5.61); Monday, RH Ross Seaton (7-8, 2.51) vs. RH Juan Jaime (first appearance; 2-1, 1.88 with Vermont Lake Monsters, New York-Penn League); Tuesday, LH David Duncan (1-1, 4.00) vs. TBA; Wednesday, RH Robert Bono (8-7, 2.92) vs. TBA.

Derek Norris

Sun to watch: C Derek Norris (6-foot, 210 pounds, from Goddard, Kan.), through Friday, leads the SAL in homers (22), RBI (71), total bases (195) and on-base percentage (.411). He also ranks second in runs (64) and walks (54), and third in hits (105), slugging percentage (.580) and OPS (.991). His .313 batting average (93 games) is sixth in the league, and he is tied for sixth in doubles (24). Selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, out of Goddard High School, he hit .203 with four homers and 15 RBI as an 18-year-old in the Gulf Coast League. Last year with Vermont, he led the New York-Penn League with 63 walks. He also led the league by throwing out 47 percent of runners trying to steal. He finished the season with a .278 average, 10 homers and 38 RBI. He came into this season ranked by Baseball America as the sixth-best prospect in the Nationals system.

Jeff Hulett

Legend to watch: 3B Jeff Hulett (6-0, 185, from Shreveport, La.) joined the Legends on Thursday, having opened the season with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. A son of former big-leaguer Tim Hulett, was a 2008 12th round draft pick out of Northwest Florida State College. He went 10-for-53 (.189) over 19 games with the ValleyCats, with a double, RBI, three walks and 23 strikeouts. Last season, also with Tri-City, Hulett hit .194 with a homer and 10 RBI over 33 games. His first hit as a Legend was an RBI double, Thursday against Lake County.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

(Wednesday’s game postponed; new start time for Thursday doubleheader — both games scheduled for seven innings.)

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Lake County Captains

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Saturday (5:05 p.m. Thursday, then 7:05 each night)

Where: Applebee’s Park

Tickets: Call  (859) 422-7867 

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday’s first game, LH David Duncan (1-1, 5.73) vs. LH T.J. House (2-8, 2.76); Thursday’s second game, RH Robert Bono (8-6, 2.90) vs. LH Kaimi Mead (1-2, 5.73); Friday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-9, 3.88) vs. RH Danny Salazar (2-3, 4.97); Saturday, RH Jordan Lyles (5-8, 3.25) vs. TBA.

Donnie Webb

Captain to watch: Switch-hitting LF Donnie Webb (5-foot-11, 190 pounds, from Stillwater, Okla.) leads the league in triples (10) and isfifth in stolen bases (27). He also is among the top 20 in hits (88), runs (46) and total bases (132). Batting .259 with five homers and 38 RBI, Webb had a four-hit game Monday against Greenville. Selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 10th round of the 2008 draft, out of Oklahoma State University, Webb played 51 games last season for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Penn League. He hit .218 with a homer, 17 RBI and six stolen bases, but finished the season on an uptick. He hit safely in 15 of the last 18 games, going 23-for-63 (.365), with a homer, two triples, 11 RBI, five steals and 15 runs.

Kyle Godfrey

Legend to watch: RHP Kyle Godfrey (6-2, 210, from Blue Ridge, Ga.) has made five relief appearances since joining the Legends during their last homestand. After giving up two earned runs over two innings in his Legends debut, he has not allowed an earned run since. Over 8 2/3 innings, Godfrey has no decisions, a 2.08 ERA, 12 strikeouts and no walks, while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Before joining the Legends, Godfrey was 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA in three starts for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. Selected by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 2008 draft, out of Hiwassee (Tenn.) Junior College, Godfrey was 1-4 with a 6.90 ERA over 19 relief outings with Tri-City in 2008, striking out 32 over 30 innings.

Ebert Rosario

Also of note: These are the only four games of the season between former division rivals. Barring interleague play and/or reshaping of the the minor leagues, these also figure to be the last games between the Legends and Captains. Lake County, located in suburban Cleveland, is scheduled to leave the South Atlantic League after this season, beginning play in the Midwest League in 2010. … The Legends made a roster move Tuesday night as all-star 3B Ebert Rosario was promoted to the High-A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League. Taking his roster spot is IF/DH Jeff Hulett, in from Tri-City. Rosario, batting .272 with four homers, led the Legends in games (88), at-bats (320), hits (87), total bases (119) and, unfortunately, errors (26). He also was second in RBI (31), runs (32, tied with Albert Cartwright) and doubles (14). Hulett, son of former big-leaguer Tim Hulett, was a 2008 12th round draft pick out of Northwest Florida State College. He went 10-for-53 (.189) over 19 games with the ValleyCats, with a double, RBI, three walks and 23 strikeouts. Last season, also with Tri-City, Hulett hit .194 with a homer and 10 RBI over 33 games.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Ashton Mowdy

The Lexington Legends, 9-5 winners over the Savannah Sand Gnats on a beautiful Thursday night at Applebee’s Park, lost one of their top relief pitchers after the game.

Kirkland Rivers

RH Ashton Mowdy has been promoted to High-A Lancaster of the California League. RH Kirkland Rivers comes off the temporary inactive list to fill Mowdy’s spot.

Kyle Miller

A day earlier, IF/DH Kyle Miller was sent down to rookie-league Greeneville. His spot was filled Thursday with the activation of RHP Kyle Godfrey, up from Tri-City.

Two players made their Legends season debuts Thursday — shortstop Chris Jackson and winning pitcher David Duncan. Jackson, down from Lancaster, traded places with Ronnie Ramirez. Duncan, up from Tri-City, took the roster spot that was empty due to RHP Jose Trinidad’s second stint on the disabled list. Trinidad (labrum) likely will miss the rest of the season.

David Duncan in his Lexington debut. (Photo courtesy of Legends)

Mowdy leaves Lexington with no decisions, three saves, six holds and a 1.72 ERA. He appeared in 26 games, all in relief, spanning 36 2/3 innings. He struck out 33, walked eight and held opponents to a .157 batting average.

Rivers last pitched June 15. He has no decisions over six relief outings and 7 1/3 innings, with a 2.45 ERA. He has struck out seven and walked five.

Miller played in 32 games for the Legends, batting .213 with two homers, 10 RBI and six runs scored.

Chris Jackson

David Duncan

Jackson went 2-for-4 with an RBI via a sacrifice fly Thursday night. He also committed a fielding error.

Duncan gave up five runs and nine hits over five innings but got the win. He walked three and struck out five.

For more information about Jackson and Duncan, as well as Ramirez and Trinidad, see earlier blog entries: ramirez-promoted and gnats-visit-legends.

Thanks to Mary Lay for Legends individual head photos.

South Atlantic League Baseball

A changing of shortstops came to the Lexington Legends on Wednesday.

Ronnie Ramirez has been promoted to the High-A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League.

Taking his spot is Chris Jackson, who played for the Legends last year, and returns from Lancaster.

Jackson, 22, is a 5-foot-11, 185-pounder out of Virginia Commonwealth, selected by the Houston Astros in the 29th round of the 2008 draft. He split the 2008 season between Tri-City (22 games) and the Legends (23 games), hitting a combined .250 with two homers and 16 RBI over the 45 games.

This season, he struggled with Lancaster, hitting .183 with a homer and 15 RBI over 58 games. In June, he batted .113 (7-for-62).

Ramirez played second, third and short for the Legends. Over 52 games, he hit .248 (38-for-153) with three homers and 13 RBI.

Meanwhile, Lexington’s rotation for the four-game series against Savannah has been changed: Ross Seaton, rather than Kyle Greenwalt, going in the series finale.

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 Ross Seaton (6-7, 2.64) 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

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