Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Five-game series

When: Friday through Tuesday (7:05 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday; 1:35 Sunday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

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

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, RH Carlos Quevedo (4-2, 3.88) vs. RH Alex Gillingham (3-5, 4.31); Saturday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (9-1, 2.18) vs. RH Chris Jensen (7-2, 4.54); Sunday, LH Luis Cruz (5-5, 3.71) vs. RH Daniel Winkler (8-5, 4.75); Monday, RH Luis Ordosgoitti (1-3, 5.06) vs. RH Ben Alsup (8-3, 4.58); Tuesday, RH Jonas Dufek (5-1, 4.72) vs. RH Vianney Mayo (2-3, 5.29).

Jose Rivera

Tourist to watch: 2B Jose Rivera (5-foot-10, 170 pounds, bats/throws right, age 22, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico) comes into the series batting .305 with 22 RBI and 19 runs, with 36 hits in 36 games. That includes 10 doubles and a triple. Over his last 10 games, Rivera is 13-for-36 (.361) with a .928 OPS. He’s batting .432 versus left-handed pitchers and .247 against righties. Selected by the Rockies in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft, out of Universidad Interamericana, Rivera split the 2009 season between the Domincan Summer League Rockies and the Casper Ghosts of the Pioneer League, hitting a combined .188 with four RBI over 36 games. In 2010, playing 47 games for Casper, he hit .200 with 10 RBI. Last year, also with Casper, he improved to .228, hit his first homer as a pro, and drove in nine runs over 39 games.

Chan Jong Moon

Legend to watch: SS Chan Jong Moon (6-foot, 171 pounds, bats both, throws right, age 21, from Seoul, South Korea) is off to a solid start in the second half. In seven games since the all-star break, Moon is 8-for-26 (.308). Overall, for 31 games, he is batting .283 with two homers, 20 RBI and 17 runs, with a .381 on-base percentage. The first player in Legends history from Korea, Moon is batting .324 versus left-handed pitchers and .258 against righties. Signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent Aug. 9, 2009, he made his pro debut in 2010 with the Gulf Coast League Astros. Over 33 games, he batted .215 with six RBI and 15 runs. Last year, in 43 games with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, Moon batted .207 with a homer, 12 RBI and 19 runs.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300