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Flyers Weekly, Volume XXIV, Issue 18 - July 19, 1971

The Flyers lose ground in the East despite a short week. After splitting four games with Nashville, the club now finds itself two games behind Jacksonville. After an off day today, the team finishes its Western trip with three at Memphis and three at New Orleans.


Last Week's Results

July 12 - OFF

July 13 - ALL-STAR GAME

July 14 - OFF

The Flyers make a deal with the Hounds just before their trip to Nashville, sending top prospect starter Walt Russell and OF Lloyd Mitchell out West for RF Dale Francis [7/7/6] (.250, 11 HR, 39 RBI) and $2 million. Francis has not shown the same pop this season as he did the previous two; he drove in 101 runs while hitting .292 with twenty-seven doubles and nineteen homers last year.

July 15 - at NSH - W 5-3

Mike Weber hits a two-run homer in the 1st and scores again in the 5th after one of his three walks in the game, while Matt Kirk hits 3 of 4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base in a solid victory for Bill Morgan (5 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 K). Francis goes 0 for 4 with three whiffs in his Flyers debut; his former manager, Blake Dotson, is ejected in the 8th for arguing balls and strikes.

W - Morgan (10-3)
SV - Hodgkins (21)
HR - Weber (11)

July 16 - at NSH - W 8-1

Kirk goes 4 for 6 with a triple, a run and an RBI, while Steven Robinson and Dave Powell both hit 3 of 5 with two RBIs. Every Flyers starter has at least one of the team's eighteen hits; even Matt Halstead (6 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 3 K) knocked his first double in three years.

W - Halstead (7-3)

July 17 - at NSH - L 2-4

The Flyers cannot solve Hounds southpaw Ron McKissick (W, 5-6, 8 1/3 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K), and Keith Becker (7 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 9 H, 5 K) gives up a pair of solo shots that comprise the margin of victory. Not all goes well for Nashville, though, as this year's #3 overall pick CF Adrian "Spooky" Johnson breaks his wrist diving for a ball. Johnson is out for at least two months and possibly the rest of the season after hitting .259 in 112 at-bats.

L - Becker (6-6)

July 18 - at NSH - L 3-6

Nashville starter Tom Autry (W, 4-7, 7 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 9 K) stymies the Flyers in front of 37,805 on Batting Glove Day at Capitol Field. Francis hits a two-run single in the 8th, but it is not enough to keep Bud Fox (5 IP, 4 R, 10 H, 1 K) from his second straight loss.

L - Fox (2-3)

After the game, SP Calvin Thayer's [6/6/3] (5-4 in 14 GS for Norfolk, 4.70, WHIP 1.72) contract is purchased from Winston-Salem, while C Gary Armitage (.310 in 29 AB) is demoted to open a slot on the roster.

Last week: 2 - 2
This month: 9 - 6
Overall: 53 - 40, 2nd, -2 of Jacksonville


Who's Hot

Matt Kirk
Last 5 games: 9-19 (.474), 0 HR, 2 RBI

Russ Roderick
Last 5 games: 7-19 (.368), 0 HR, 2 RBI

Matt Halstead
Last 3 games: 2-0, 0.98 ERA, 18 1/3 IP

Who's Not

Mike Sutton
Last 8 games: 1-22 (.045), 0 HR, 0 RBI

Bud Fox
Last 3 games; 1-2, 6.19 ERA, 16 IP


A Closer Look - Carolina's All-Stars

The Flyers had seven players named to the All-Star Game, the most since eight were tapped from Carolina in 1956.

Bill Morgan did not make an appearance in his third All-Star Game. Combining last year and this year, Morgan has struck out 302 batters in 308 innings. Bill has already equalled last season's nine wins with only three losses and a 3.72 ERA.

In his first All-Star Game, George Thorn allowed one hit in an uneventful 8th inning. After spending most of last season at AAA Greenville in the Atlanta organization, Thorn was picked up off waivers during the offseason and has gone on to post a 1.70 ERA in 47 2/3 innings of relief, including three wins. George has pitched in 57 games so far, leading the club in appearances.

Mike Weber, named to his first All-Star Game as a catcher, made the start at first base instead but committed his first error of the year, leading to an unearned run. However, Weber did redeem himself, drawing a walk and scoring in the 9th. In 61 starts behind the plate and 15 starts at first, Mike has been perfect defensively and has thrown out 22 of 71 base stealers. With the bat, he has hit .323 with twenty-one doubles, three triples and ten homers, scoring sixty-two runs and driving in forty-three. His fifty-eight walks mean an on-base percentage of .444, tops in the Eastern Division and third in the CBA.

Russ Roderick hit an RBI-single in the 9th inning of his first All-Star Game. Roderick has hit .305 this year, a twenty-point improvement on last season, but after hitting forty-nine extra base hits a year ago, he has just fifteen so far: ten doubles, two triples and three homers.

His sixth All-Star appearance, Dave Powell also singled in a run during the final frame. At age 37, Powell has hit .306 this season, scoring forty-two times and driving in forty-four.

Steven Robinson, in a pinch-hitting opportunity, grounded out to second for his first All-Star Game at-bat. Robinson had just 397 big league at-bats in his eleven-year career before this season but has hit .310 with nine doubles, two triples, seven homers, forty-nine runs and thirty-seven walks. His fifty-eight RBIs rank third in the Eastern Division.

Matt Kirk hit into a fielders' choice to end his first All-Star Game. At age 38, Kirk has hit .311 with seven doubles, six triples, eight homers, thirty-seven RBIs and fifty-one runs, along with outstanding defense in center this season after being acquired from Atlanta for 2B Elliott Suggs (.228 in 149 AB).


The View From The Top (The Manager's Column)

The editors told me to keep it short this week... too many column inches needed for all our All-Stars, I guess...

Dale Francis did not get off to the best start with us last week, hitting 3 of 14 with six strikeouts... but I think it has something to do with Capitol Field. He hit .195 at home this year, compared to .287 on the road, so I'm hoping a change of scenery will be just what the doctor ordered.

Gary Armitage is not the player I really wanted to send down to AAA, but Clark Davidson is my only backup in center, Darrel Robinson is my backup first baseman, and Jeff Harvey refused a minor-league assignment... not that I blame him. All I ask of him is to start at second twice a month and get on base a little bit as a pinch hitter, and while his pinch-hit on-base is just .270, overall he has a .371 OBP. It's not his fault he's the #3 second baseman at the moment. Armitage was probably going down anyway when Wayman returns in three weeks and Weber becomes a full-time catcher again.

Hopefully we'll do better than split the remainder of this road trip... see you back in Charlotte next week!