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Flyers Weekly, Volume XXV, Issue 19 - July 24, 1972

A .500 week is enough for the Flyers to add another game to their Eastern Division lead, now 10 1/2 ahead of Tampa. The club visits the Tomahawks for three to end this road trip before returning to Charlotte to host four games against Jacksonville (including Retro Game Day on Friday).


Last Week's Results

July 17 - at HOU - W 10-6

Mike Weber hits 3 of 4 with a homer, scoring three and driving in three, while Bill Frazier (5 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K) rebounds somewhat from his 1/3 inning start ten days ago. Everett Putman goes 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI, Rick Roberts hits 2 for 6 with two runs and two RBIs, and John Hoyle (1 for 2) hits an RBI-double and scores in his Flyers debut.

W - Frazier (6-3)
SV - Bingham (26)
HR - Weber (11)

July 18 - at HOU - L 2-7

Errors by Alan Bruns at short and Dave Snow at second lead to two unearned runs off Bill Morgan (5 2/3 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB) in the 2nd, thanks to a two-run single by Houston starter Ronnie Simpson (W, 9-5, 8 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 K). Meanwhile, John Jahnke (1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 BB) allows four singles in the 8th for three more Buffaloes runs to put the game out of reach. Snow (2 for 3, R, RBI), Paul LaFontaine (2 for 4, RBI) and Putman (1 for 3, 2B, R) collect all five Flyers hits on the night, with Roberts, Weber, Francis and Schaaf all going 0 for 4.

L - Morgan (6-2)

Elsewhere, former Carolina first-round pick SP Walt Russell, sent to Nashville as part of the Dale Francis deal last July, earned his first win: a one-hit shutout at Norfolk, striking out eight and walking four on 100 pitches.

July 19 - at HOU - L 2-3

Keith Becker (8 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K) takes a bit of a tough loss, throwing the fourth complete game by a Flyers starter this season. While LaFontaine goes 4 for 5 with a double, he only scores once, on a single by Weber (2 for 4, RBI). Francis adds a solo shot in the 4th, but Rick Roberts goes 0 for 5, making him 2 of 15 on the series.

L - Becker (10-5)
HR - Francis (11)

July 20 - OFF

July 21 - at DAL - L 1-5

Justin Randolph (5 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 7 BB, 3 K) cannot find the plate, while Thorn (2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H) and Elliot (1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 K) do not fare much better against the Buffaloes. The Flyers, on the other hand, manage just one run on eight hits, with Francis hitting 2 of 4.

L - Randolph (11-3)

July 22 - at DAL - W 8-5

Roberts goes 2 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs and one of five Flyers doubles on the night, while LaFontaine (2 for 6, 2 R) adds a solo shot in the 6th. While Ken Green (6 IP, 5 R, 9 H, 4 BB, 5 K) struggles, the top of the lineup does not: Weber (2 for 2, R, RBI), Francis (R, 2 RBI), Schaaf (2 RBI) and Putman (3 for 4) all collect a two-bagger at Mercury Field today.

W - Green (6-4)
SV - Bingham (27)
HR - LaFontaine (7)

July 23 - at DAL - W 9-3

Roberts leads the hit parade again, going 2 for 5 with a double, a run and three RBIs, but even Morgan (6 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K) gets in on the action, hitting an RBI-double and scoring in the six-run Flyers 6th. Another five double day for Carolina, including two-baggers by Weber (2 for 4, R, RBI) and Dave Snow (2 R), is not all good news, however. Putman limps into second after a double in the 2nd; a sore knee will put him on the shelf for 1-2 weeks. Then in the bottom half of the inning, LaFontaine makes a tough catch but leaves the game with a bruised hand. Paul is listed as day-to-day.

W - Morgan (7-2)
HR - Francis (12)

After the game, 1B Everett Putman is placed on the disabled list, and 1B Steve "The Sheriff" Brown [5/7/7] (.191 in 68 AB; .333 in 201 AAA AB, 23 HR, 55 RBI) is purchased from Winston-Salem.

Last week: 3 - 3
This month: 10 - 9
Overall: 66 - 32, 1st, +10 1/2 on Tampa


Who's Hot

Paul LaFontaine
Last 5 games: 10-20 (.500), 1 HR, 3 RBI

Mike Weber
Last 6 games: 10-21 (.476), 1 HR, 6 RBI
Named Eastern Division Player of the Week!

Who's Not

Alan Bruns
Last 5 games: 3-21 (.143), 0 HR, 0 RBI

Mike Schaaf
Last 5 games: 3-19 (.158), 0 HR, 4 RBI

Ken Green
Last 6 games: 1-4, 11.72 ERA, 25 1/3 IP


A Closer Look - AA Hickory

Hickory leads all of Double-A with a 60-38 mark. 3B Mike King (age 23, .316 in 79 AB, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 7 2Bs) has hit well since a call-up from Columbus last month, and the catching duo of Ed Setzer (age 24, .319 in 216 AB, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 21 2Bs) and Ron Ayers (age 32, .281 in 114 AB, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 33 BB, 10 2Bs) continues to impress. Other notable hitters include OF Trey Martin (age 29, .223, 21 HR, 51 RBI, 73 BB, 15 2Bs) and LF Clement Bodine (age 32, .284, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 64 BB, 14 2Bs, 2 3Bs).

On the pitching side of the ledger, Bryant Hamilton (age 31, 12-2, 2.74 ERA, WHIP 0.99) has compiled some impressive numbers, while Chase Nelson (age 25, 10-3, 2.68, WHIP 1.33) has shown some improvement. Tim Pauly (age 35, 19 SV, 3.00 in 36 IP, WHIP 1.33) tops a thin relief corps.


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

It seems as if our bats have gone into a bit of a funk... Of our nine July losses, we've scored two runs or less in five of them...

I think the only problem with the offense that's actually fixable is at the leadoff spot... Rick Roberts started off strong, with an on-base well over .400 through May... but his OBP fell to .333 for June and .307 so far in July... I'm not sure we have anybody better, though, and Roberts did hit the ball well over the weekend, so we'll have to wait and see...

As for pitching, it still feels like we're one quality starter short, but I don't see any help on the horizon anytime soon... Nobody at AAA looks a lot better than Frazier...

There might be some changes in the pen very soon, though, so stay tuned...

Hopefully, this is just the "long road trip" blues and we'll get back to our winning ways in Charlotte next week... so c'mon down and cheer us on!