Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

South Atlantic League Baseball

Coming up

Lexington Legends vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods

What: Three-game series

When: Tuesday through Thursday (7:05 Central each night)

Where: Bowling Green (Ky.) Ballpark

Tickets:   (270) 901-2121  

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Tuesday, RH Robert Bono (5-1, 1.98) vs. pitcher to be named; Wednesday, RH Kyle Greenwalt (2-5, 2.98) vs. LH Frank De Los Santos (3-3, 3.38); Thursday, RH Jordan Lyles (2-5, 3.31) vs. RH Joe Cruz (1-2, 2.08).

Joe Cruz

Hot Rod to watch: Thursday’s starter, RHP Joe Cruz (6-foot-4, 190 pounds, from Baldwin Park, Calif.), hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his seven starts, and he’s only allowed two runs once. Over 30 1/3 innings, he has 34 strikeouts to eight walks, holding opponents to a .280 average. Selected by Tampa Bay in the 30th round of the 2007 draft, out of East Los Angeles Junior College, Cruz appeared in 16 games over the last season-plus (three games in 2007) for Princeton of the Appalachian League, where he went 3-3 with a 2.71 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 17 walks. Baseball America rates him 23rd among Tampa Bay prospects, noting that he has “demonstrated a live arm with above-average control.” He comes armed with a 90-94 mph fastball, a curveball and changeup.

Brian Pellegrini

Legend to watch: 1B/OF Brian Pellegrini (6-1, 240, from Willoughby, Ohio) joined the Legends on May 16 after starting the season with High-A Lancaster. He was Lexington’s primary power hitter last season, when he hit 21 homers and drove in 69 runs over 87 games. He hit .226, with a .331 on-base percentage and .503 slugging. Selected by the Astros in the 12th round of the 2007 draft, out of St. Bonaventure University, he was Atlantic 10 player of the year and an all-star in 2006. At Lancaster this season, Pellegrini hit .171 with seven homers and 15 RBI over 30 games. In 15 games with the Legends, he is hitting .294 with four homers and 12 RBI. He also has drawn nine walks and struck out 14 times. Monday, his three-run homer in the first inning fueled a 5-0 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets.

Jay Austin

Also of note: The Legends made a roster change Monday. CF Jay Austin was placed on the disabled list. He suffered a concussion when he collided with SS Jorge De Leon during the first inning of Saturday’s game. Taking Austin’s spot on the roster is OF Eric Suttle, who comes from Lancaster. In 12 games with the JetHawks, Suttle hit .375 and drove in 12 runs. He played for Southern Illinois of the Frontier League last season. He made his Legends debut Monday, batting second and playing in left. Suttle was 0-for-2, but drew two walks and scored a run in a 5-0 win over Augusta.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

The Bowling Green Hot Rods, new Low-A affiliate of the American League-champion Tampa Bay Rays, have announced their inaugural roster.

Among the 25 players on the South Atlantic League team’s roster are infielder brothers Tim and Jeremy Beckham.

Tim, 19, was selected by the Rays in the first round of layst year’s June draft, coming from Griffin High School in Georgia. The shortstop split last summer between Princeton of the Appalachian League and Hudson Valley of the New York-Penn League. Baseball America named him the top position-player prospect in the Tampa Bay minor-league system.

Jeremy, 22, was a 15th round draft pick last year out of Georgia Southern University. He also split his time between Princeton and Hudson Valley last summer.

The Beckhams are among 12 Hot Rods from Tampa Bay’s 2008 draft class.

Right-hander Matt Moore, a 2007 third-round pick, is Bowling Green’s highest rated pitcher. Baseball America lists him as the No. 6 Rays prospect.

The roster follows.

PITCHERS           Ht.  Wt.   B/T  DOB       Resides         ’08 clubs          W  L  S  ERA

                                                                                   HV–Hudson Valley; P–Princeton 

Chris Andujar           6-0  182    R/R  8-24-87   San Pedro de …, DR HV      3   4  0   5.65

Jamie Bagley            6-2  221   R/R   7-16-87   Huffman, Texas          P         2   2  5   2.70

                                                                                                                 HV      1   1  0   5.59

Joseph Cruz             6-3  214   R/R  7-20-88    Baldwin Park, Calif.   P         1   3  0   3.17

Frank De Los Santos 5-11  175   L/L  11-17-87  Los Forrales, D.R.  HV      4   5  0   5.40

Shane Dyer              6-3  189   R/R   3-9-88    Eaton, Colo.               HV       3   4  0   3.68

Diego Echeverria   5-10  182   R/R   1-1-85    Buenos Aires, Argen.  HV      4   1  1   4.48

Marquis Fleming      6-0  181   R/R   9-11-86  Turlock, Calif.             HV       1   2  1   3.86

Tyree Hayes          5-11  163   R/R  8-8-88     Tomball, Texas           HV        5   6  0   3.39

Michael Jarman       6-1  199   L/L   6-6-85     Oklahoma City, Okla. P           2   2  4   1.52

Matt Moore            6-1  207   L/L   6-18-89   Edgewood, N.M.        P           2   2  0   1.66

Tommy Rafferty     6-0  180   R/R   2-5-85      Lorena, Texas             HV        2   0  0   4.35

Josh Satow            5-9  171   L/L   12-18-85  Gilbert, Ariz.                HV        3   0  2   1.23

Neil Schenk           6-3  216   L/L   6-17-86    Memphis, Tenn.           HV        2   2  1   1.84