Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Rome Braves

What: Five-game series

When: Friday through Monday (5 p.m. doubleheader Friday, 7:05 p.m. Saturday, 1:35 p.m. Sunday, 12:05 p.m. Monday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Atlanta Braves

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, LH David Rollins (1-2, 3.12) vs. LH Alex Wood (4-3, 2.03) and TBA vs. RH Navery Moore (7-7, 4.28) ; Saturday, RH Chris Devenski (7-7, 4.28) vs. RH Greg Ross (7-8, 4.39); Sunday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (14-3, 2.91) vs. LH Fabian Williamson (2-4, 4.38); Monday, LH Luis Cruz (9-8, 4.05) vs. LH David Starn (1-2, 5.85).

William Beckwith

Brave to watch: 1B William Beckwith (6-foot-1, 235 pounds, age 22, bats left, throws right, from Crawford, Miss.) leads Rome in homers (14) and RBI (74), and is tied for the lead in doubles (25). Not counting teammates who have played 12 games or less, he also leads Rome in batting average (.292), on-base percentage (.362), slugging (.477) and OPS (.839). Over 101 games, Beckwith has scored 49 runs, stolen 16 bases and has 173 total bases. Selected by Atlanta in the 21st round of the 2010 draft out of George C. Wallace Community College in Alabama, he hit .243 with two homers and 18 RBI over 21 games with the Gulf Coast League Braves in 2010. Last year, with Danville of the Appalachian League, he improved to .282-11-45. This season, Beckwith is batting .250 when the bases are empty, .337 with runners on base and .389 with runners in scoring position.

Chris Devenski

Legend to watch: Saturday starter Chris Devenski (6-3, 195, 21, bats/throws right, from Long Beach, Calif.) came to the Houston organization from the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 3 to complete the Brett Meyers trade. Devenski went 6-5 with a 4.23 ERA for Kannapolis before being moved to Lexington. With the Legends, he is 1-2, 4.43 over four starts and 20 1/3 innings. The White Sox selected him in the 25th round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. Assigned last year to the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League, Devenski had no decisions and a save in seven relief outings, striking out nine and walking one over eight innings. Over 82 innings with the Intimidators and Legends this season, he has totaled 76 strikeouts and 34 walks.

Noteworthy: Katya Cengal, author of Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life, will be signing books between games Friday. Cengel followed Kentucky’s four minor-league teams — the Legends, Louisville Bats, Bowling Green Hot Rods and Florence Freedom — through the 2010 season.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends at Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

When: Friday through Monday (7:05 Friday and Monday nights; 6:05 p.m. Saturday; 2:05 p.m. Sunday)

Where: McCormick Field (Asheville, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends); Colorado Rockies

Foltynewicz

Minaya

Dydalewicz

Quevedo

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (0-0, 1.80) vs. RH Ricardo Ferrer (0-0, 4.50); Saturday, RH Carlos Quevedo (1-0, 4.50) vs. RH Erik Stavert (0-0, 2.25); Sunday, RH Juan Minaya (0-1, 5.40) vs. RH Joshua Slaats (0-0, 1.80); Monday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (0-2, 4.91) vs. LH Edwar Cabrera (1-1, 4.91).

Gouvea

Legend to watch: RHP Murilo Gouvea (6-foot-2, 200 pounds, from Sao Paulo, Brazil) Is the first Brazilian to play for the Legends. In one appearance last two innings, he has yielded an unearned run, a hit and a walk while striking out two. Orginally signed by the Chicago White Sox in 2006, he made his pro debut with the Dominican Summer League White Sox in 2007. He progressed to Bristol in 2008 and part of 2009. Also in 2009, he reached the South Atlantic League with the Kannapolis Intimidators. Since joining the Astros system, he appeared with Greeneville and Tri-City before moving up to Lexington this season. In his four seasons before joining the Legends, Gouvea appeared in 61 games, including 22 starts. He compiled a 9-12 record, two saves adn a 5.49 ERA, with 206 strikeouts and 87 walks.

Garneau

Tourist to watch: C Dustin “Drago” Garneau (6-1, 225, from San Pedro, Calif.) is 7-for-14 (.500) through his first four games of the season, with six RBI and four runs scored. Those hits include a pair of solo home runs and three doubles. A 2009 19th-round draft pick out of Cal State-Fullerton, Garneau has a gaudy 1.705OPS (combined on-base and slugging percentages of .563 and 1.143. Garneau made his pro debut in 2009 with the Casper Ghosts of the Pioneer League, going 18-for-72 (.250) over 23 games, with a homer and 13 RBI. Last year, he played 42 games for Tri-City of the Northwest League and 12 games with Modesto of the California League. Combined, he went 45-for-185 (.243), with three homers and 34 RBI.

Notes: The Legends activated 1B Telvin Nash (right groin strain) from the seven-day disabled list Wednesday. To make room for Nash, RHP Ruben Alaniz was reassigned to the Tri-City ValleyCats and, in the interim, extended spring training.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

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

Where: McCormick Field (Asheville, N.C.)

Major-League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Colorado Rockies

Robby Donovan

Zach Grimmett

Jose Cisnero

Juan Minaya

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Wednesday, RH Robby Donovan (1-3, 4.50) vs. LH Jonathan Vargas (0-3, 5.64); Thursday, RH Juan Minaya (0-5, 5.72) vs. LH Wes Musick (3-3, 5.81); Friday, RH Jose Cisnero (2-1, 5.22) vs. RH Chris Balcom-Miller (0-0, 0.00); Saturday, RH Zach Grimmett (0-0, 0.93) vs. RH Nick Schnaitmann (3-3, 5.79).

Jared Clark

Tourist to watch: 1B Jared Clark (6-foot-4, 215 pounds, from Van Nuys, Calif.) is the “slumping giant” whom the Legends hope will stay in a funk for at least four more games. The slugger nicknamed “Diesel” is batting .255 with seven homers, 26 RBI and 18 runs over 29 games. However, in eight games this month, Clark is hitting .067 with no homers, one RBI and four runs over eight games. A 21st round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2007 and a 45th round choice of the Angels in 2008, Clark passed on both chances to play for Cal State Fullerton. The Rockies drafted him in the 12th round last June and soon assigned him to Casper of the Pioneer League. There, Clark hit .348 with 11 homers, 44 RBI and 33 runs over 58 games. He had 29 walks to 34 strikeouts and a gaudy 1.015 OPS.

Arcenio Leon

Legend to watch: RHP Arcenio Leon (6-1, 162, from Maracaibo, Venezuela) is 1-1 with two saves, a hold and a 1.17 ERA over nine relief appearances. Over 23 innings, Leon has struck out 23 and walked nine, while holding opposing batters to a .130 average. In his two appearances in May, Leon has tossed seven innings of no-run, one-hit ball, holding the opposition to a .048 batting average. According to Baseball America’s pre-season rankings, Leon is the 19th-best prospect in the Astros system. Signed at 18, in 2005, Leon played two seasons with the Venezuelan Summer League Astros and two seasons with the Greeneville (Tenn.) Astros of the Appalachian League before joining the Legends in 2009. Including his 4-2, 5.86 results with Lexington, Leon came into this season with career marks of 10-16, 13 saves, 4.42 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 49 walks over 228 innings. Baseball America wrote, in part: “When he finally made it to low Class A in 2009, he showed perhaps the best pure stuff among Astros farmhands. He sits at 93-95 mph with his fastball, topping out at 96. He mixes in a slider thant can be an electric pitch at 86-88 mph, a swing-and-miss offering with sharp, late break and depth. As good as Leon’s stuff is, his control prevents him from having success. … If he ever can harness his control, Leon has the potential to be an excellent reliever.”

Radio: WLXG AM-1300