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Monday, Aug. 31, 2009

Legends' rotation going wire-to-wire

The Lexington Legends go into their final home game of the season Monday night knowing they must win that game and seven road games to finish with a .500 season (70-70).

But while this is far from the best Legends team — the 2001 championship club went 92-48 — the pitching staff has arguably the franchise's most promising rotation ever.

The starters have carried this club. The addition of David Duncan in July gave Lexington a sixth starter and a "modified five-man rotation."

The other five, though, have spent all season here.

Robert Bono, Brad Dydalewicz, Kyle Greenwalt, Jordan Lyles and Ross Seaton all have pitched in excess of 100 innings, matching a club record. All have made at least 20 starts.

"We're pretty young, but experience wasn't a factor," Lyles said. "We came out and threw strikes and got people out."

The win-loss totals are modest — Bono's 8-8 is the best — but that's more of a reflection on Lexington's league-worst batting average.

"I've been tickled to death with what (the starters have) accomplished this year," said former big-league All-Star Britt Burns, now minor-league pitching coordinator for Lexington's parent club, the Houston Astros. "I'm really looking forward to next year, (seeing) them progress and, hopefully, finding their way to the big leagues sooner rather than later."

In the first full season of pro ball for each of the five, there was only a blip on the health radar. Dydalewicz missed four starts due to a strained oblique in April.

"They're all 20 and under, and they've all performed in a league where most of the guys are probably either college kids or have at least three or four years of pro experience," said Travis Driskill, Lexington's pitching coach. "They've all done well, and all of them have thrown one game that you can say, 'Wow, that was a really good game!'"

Said Manager Tom Lawless: "They're a special group."

Robert Bono: He says the quintet has been close since meeting last year in Instructional League.

"We just always hang out, play video games," the right-hander said. "Competitive off the field, too."

Bono has made advances this season with a changeup and improved breaking ball, according to Driskill. The pitcher cites movement and location.

"The biggest stride is probably keeping the ball down. And going in and out," Bono said. "Command of my fastball, that's been the biggest jump."

Brad Dydalewicz: The lone lefty among the five attests to the group bond.

"They're great guys. We go golf together, all five of us," he said. "Hang out off the field, on the field, whatever. Just a cool group of guys."

He says his pitch location improved this season.

"And my changeup," he said. "My changeup has been a great pitch for me this year, so I've pretty well mastered that pitch. I really feel comfortable throwing it in any count. My ball is moving a lot and I've got a lot of sink on my two-seam (fastball)."

Kyle Greenwalt: "My competitiveness on the mound," he said when asked how he has improved this season. "I just became more willing to allow guys to hit the ball and I just learned a lot.

"That's what our pitching philosophy has been all year: just pitch to contact. You don't need to strike guys out."

He also has established his changeup and sharpened his curveball.

Jordan Lyles: Mike Nannini's club record of 151 strikeouts, set in the inaugural 2001 season, has been surpassed by Lyles. With a start to come, he already has fanned 161.

Driskill says Lyles, after dominating with ease in high school, has learned how to "dial it up and be able to get going" against tougher competition.

Lyles says his secondary pitches have improved.

"Midway through the season I came away with a pretty decent curveball from Travis helping me, and our pitching coordinators," Lyles said. "I've really grown to like it and I expect big things from it in the future."

Ross Seaton: Fresh out of high school in Texas, "just learning how the game works" has been his most meaningful lesson this season, he said.

"The game's faster. I know everybody says that, but I didn't understand it until I got here," Seaton said." Everything just moves faster and you have to learn how to slow it down and keep it at your own pace."

Lack of run support did not fluster him.

"We can't control whether we score runs or not," he said. "And it's not in our control how many runs we give up, either. ... You can have great suff and get killed, and you can have awful stuff and throw a shutout. It's the way it is, and we're learning from it, and you 'just pitch' no matter what."