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 Rome Braves

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7 Thursday through Saturday nights, 5 p.m. Sunday)

Where: State Mutual Stadium, Rome, Ga.

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

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Luis Ordosgoitti (5-4, 5.25) vs. LH Fabian Williamson (1-3, 3.82); Friday, RH Jonas Dufek (6-2, 5.05) vs. LH David Starn (1-1, 5.64); Saturday, LH David Rollins (1-1, 3.65) vs. RH Greg Ross (5-8, 4.66); Sunday, RH Chris Devenski (7-6, 4.52) vs. LH Alex Wood (3-2, 1.38).

Zach Johnson

Legend to watch: 1B Zach Johnson (5-foot-11, 200 pounds, bats/throws right/right, age 24, from San Ramon, Calif.) leads the SAL with 104 RBI, a franchise record. He broke the Legends record of 98 RBI, set by Jake Goebbert in 2010. Johnson shares the team lead in home runs, 15, with Mike Kvasnicka. In addition, Johnson is batting .246 with 57 runs, 62 walks, 193 total bases, a .338 on-base percentage, .423 slugging and .762 OPS. Selected by the Astros in the 15th round of the 2011 draft, out of Oklahoma State University, he played for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League last year. Over 72 games, Johnson batted .262 with five homers, 40 RBI and 31 runs. A mid-season all-star for the Legends, he is hitting .255 versus right-handers, .222 against lefties.

William Beckwith

Brave to watch: 1B William Beckwith (6-1, 235, B/T L/R, turns 22 Sunday, from Crawford, Miss.) leads Rome with 13 homers, 65 RBI and 96 hits. Batting .296 with a .363 on-base percentage, .485 slugging and .847 OPS, he is high on the team rankings with 44 runs, 22 doubles, 157 total bases and 14 stolen bases. Selected by Atlanta in the 21st round of the 2010 draft, out of George C. Wallace (Ala.) Community College, Beckwith played 21 games with the Gulf Coast League Braves that year, batting .243 with two homers, 18 RBI and eight runs. He played for Danville (Va.) last year, batting .282 with 11 homers, 45 RBI and 41 runs. He has been consistent throughout this season, reaching a high point in July when he batted .324 with six homers and 29 RBI over 28 games.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Rome Braves

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7:05 Thursday through Saturday nights, 1:35 p.m. Sunday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

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

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Jonas Dufek (1-1, 5.56) vs. RH Ryan Weber (1-1, 6.30); Friday, RH Nick Tropeano (3-3, 3.05) vs. RH Navery Moore (3-1, 3.28); Saturday, LH Evan Grills (1-0, 3.80) vs. RH Greg Ross (0-3, 5.93); Sunday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (6-1, 2.27) vs. RH Ernesto Silva (0-4, 6.47). 

Kyle Kubitza

Brave to watch: 3B Kyle Kubitza (6-foot-3, 190 pounds, from Arlington, Texas) leads Rome in runs (32), triples (4), homers (7), RBI (23), walks (31) and total bases (79), while batting .247. Selected by Atlanta in the third round of the 2011 draft, out of Texas State, Kubitza is the highest-drafted position player in Bocats history and third-highest overall. He set school a record for walks (125) and ranked second in homers (27). He signed for $261,000 and  is rated by Baseball America as the 17th-best prospect in the Braves’ system. Last summer, with Danville of the Appalachian League, Kubitza batted .321 with a homer, 34 RBI and 36 runs over 44 games. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Jason Chowning

Legend to watch: RHP Jason Chowning (6-2, 178, from Louisville) leads Lexington with nine saves and an 0.75 ERA. He has made 17 appearances, all in relief, spanning 24 innings. With a 1-2 record, he has held opponents to a .133 batting average, while striking out 36 and walking eight. Out of Eastern High School, Chowning briefly attended the University of Kentucky before moving to Texarkana Community College. The Astros selected him in the 28th round of the 2010 draft, out of the University of Oklahoma. That summer, pitching for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League, Chowning went 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA. Last year, with the Legends, he finished 4-4, with two saves and a 2.45 ERA.

Radio: WLXG-AM 1300