Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Delmarva’s rotation has changed, as noted below, since this preview was first posted.

South Atlantic League baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Delmarva Shorebirds

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 each night)

Where: Arthur W. Perdue Stadium (Salisbury, Md.)

Probable pitcher (Legends listed first): Monday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (7-7, 3.30) vs. LH Nathan Moreau (2-2, 4.32); Tuesday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (5-3, 3.24) vs. LH Cole McMurray (3-7, 3.75); Wednesday, LH David Duncan (1-0, 9.00) vs. RH Ryan O’Shea (5-5, 3.75); Thursday, RH Robert Bono (8-5, 2.58) vs. RH Oliver Drake (4-6, 4.03).

Shorebird to watch: All-star RF Ronnie Welty (6-foot-2, 180 pounds, from Gilbert, Ariz.) leads Delmarva with a .301 batting average, 82 hits and 115 total bases, and shares the team lead of 40 RBI. He also has six homers, five stolen bases and 41 runs scored, with no errors, over 76 games. He is hitting .395 against left-handers, .265 versus righties. Originally drafted by the Angels in 2006 out of Mesquite High School (37th round), Welty instead played two seasons for Chandler-Gilbert Community College, then signed with Oral Roberts University. He wound up being selected by the Orioles in the 20th round of the 2008 draft. Playing for the rookie-league Bluefield Orioles last season, he hit .314 with three homers and 34 RBI over 55 games en route to earning Appalachian League post-season all-star honors.

Chris Jackson

Legend to watch: SS Chris Jackson (5-11, 185, from Midlothian, Va.) joined the Legends last week after starting the season with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League. Over 58 games, Jackson hit .183 with a homer and 15 RBI, so he traded roster spots with Legends IF Ronnie Ramirez. In his first three games of the season with the Legends, Jackson is 4-for-10 (including a triple) with a run and an RBI. Selected by the Astros in the 29th round of the 2008 draft, out of Virginia Commonwealth University, Jackson broke in last season by playing 22 games with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. There, he hit .257 with a homer and nine RBI. He was promoted to the Legends, where he hit .244 over 23 games, notching a homer, seven RBI and six stolen bases. He closed the season with eight hits in his last 16 at-bats.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300