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Flyers Weekly, Volume XXV, Issue 24 - August 28, 1972

A six-game winning streak adds a couple games to the Flyers' Eastern Division lead, now twelve games ahead of Tampa with five weeks to play. The club continues their final Western swing of the year this week with three at New Orleans and four at Nashville.


Last Week's Results

Aug 21 - vs NSH - W 7-4

Tom VanWinkle hits 3 for 3, scoring two and driving in one, while Frank Thomas goes 2 for 3 with a double, a run and two RBIs as the Flyers come back to beat the Hounds. Four Carolina errors lead to three unearned runs for Justin Randolph (5 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K), but Bob Lamb (1 IP, 1 K) gets the win after the club scores four runs off ex-Flyer George Thorn (2/3 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 4 H) in the 6th.

W - Lamb (5-3)
SV - Matthews (7)
HR - Davidson (3)

Aug 22 - vs NSH - W 6-5

Ken Green (8 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K) hurls a gem aside from two solo shots, while John Trull (2 for 3, 2B, R) drives in three to help the Flyers win their third straight game. Mike Schaaf (2 R) adds a two-run homer in the 6th. After Carolina pinch-hitter Rick Roberts and skipper Jeremy McGrath are ejected in the 6th, the bench coaches nearly give the game away, letting Lamb (1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H) bring the tying run to the plate before Terry Bingham (2/3 IP, 1 H) earns his league-leading thirty-third save.

W - Green (10-6)
SV - Bingham (33)
HR - Schaaf (9)

Aug 23 - vs NSH - W 5-0

Bill Morgan (6 IP, 1 H, 4 BB, 3 K) combines with Lamb (2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 K), Hodgkins (1 1/3 IP) and Matthews (1 IP, 1 K) to three-hit the Hounds for Carolina's fourth straight victory. Subbing at third for Mike Schaaf after both he and manager Jeremy McGrath are ejected in the 3rd, Dave Snow hits a two-run single and scores in the 5th, while Paul LaFontaine goes 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI.

W - Morgan (9-4)
HR - Bruns (4)

Aug 24 - OFF

Aug 25 - at SAN - W 8-4

Schaaf hits a three-run homer in the 1st, and the Flyers never look back, winning their fifth straight. Darrel Robinson (2 for 4, 2 R) and VanWinkle (2 RBI) also hit taters for Carolina, while LaFontaine goes 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI. While Keith Becker (6 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K) pitches well, not all the news is good as the Flyers lose Frank Thomas for the remainder after he is hit by a pitch in the 7th, breaking his wrist.

W - Becker (12-8)
HR - Schaaf (10), Robinson (3), VanWinkle (1)

Before the next game, LF Frank Thomas (.286 in 185 AB) is put on the disabled list, and RF John Swanson [4/6/8] (.269 in 361 AAA AB, 18 HR, 80 RBI, 67 R, 66 BB, 29 2Bs, 6 3Bs) is purchased from Winston-Salem.

Aug 26 - at SAN - W 9-7

Robinson goes 4 for 5 with a double, driving in four, and LaFontaine (2 for 5, R, 3 RBI) adds a pair of two-baggers as the Flyers win a sixth straight game. Alan Bruns scores three times, while John Swanson (2 for 4, 2 R, RBI) triples in his Flyers debut. Randolph (5 IP, 7 R, 9 H, 1 BB, 3 K) is pounded but ties the league lead with his sixteenth win.

W - Randolph (16-4)
SV - Bingham (34)

Aug 27 - at SAN - L 7-9

It takes a seven-run Missions 6th off Green (5 1/3 IP, 9 R, 12 H, 4 BB, 3 K) to snap the Flyers' winning streak at six. Weber (2 for 6, 2 RBI) goes deep twice, and Swanson (2 for 5) also adds a two-run blast in the 4th. Ex-Flyers C Mark Johnson is named Player of the Game after a 4 for 4 night with a run, a stolen base and two RBIs.

L - Green (10-7)
HR - Weber 2 (15,16), Swanson (1)

Last week: 5 - 1
This month: 15 - 9
Overall: 84 - 46, 1st, +12 on Tampa


Who's Hot

Paul LaFontaine
Last 5 games: 9-17 (.529), 0 HR, 6 RBI

Darrel Robinson
Last 10 games: 12-24 (.500), 1 HR, 7 RBI

John Swanson
Last 11 games: 5-14 (.357), 1 HR, 5 RBI

Who's Not

Dale Francis
Last 5 games: 1-11 (.091), 0 HR, 0 RBI

Mike Weber
Last 7 games: 4-25 (.160), 2 HR, 2 RBI

Ken Green
Last 3 games: 1-2, 5.31 ERA, 20 1/3 IP


A Closer Look - Single-A Columbus

At 71-59, Columbus is three games shy of the lead amongst Eastern Division A-ball affiliates with eight games remaining in the minor league season. While RF Don Fuson (age 27, .269 in 263 AB, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 43 R, 57 BB) was looking good until he broke his hand early this month, C James Rodgers (age 25, .294 in 204 AB, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 49 BB, 15 2Bs) has continues to impress, along with a pair of recent arrivals from AA Hickory: LF Dan Kile (age 29, .253 in 95 AB, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 19 BB) and RF Mike Slack (age 34, .345 in 29 AB). Herbert Baxley (age 21, 8-6, 2.98, WHIP 1.31) was starting to put things together when a pulled tricep ended his season two weeks ago, and reliever John Thompson (age 22, 1.73 in 26 IP, WHIP 0.88) has improved tremendously since some early struggles in Double-A (6.68 in 33 2/3 IP, WHIP 1.69).


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

All in all, a pretty good week, though that last game leaves a bad taste in your mouth... Everything's going fine, then Ken Green gives up a solo shot to begin the 6th... No problem, it's still 4 to 3... and then the wheels come off the bus: single, strikeout, single, double steal, single, walk, single, single, walk... and another single when Matthews comes in... and all of a sudden, we're down 9-4...

While I hated to see Frank Thomas get hurt, John Swanson has been a pleasant surprise so far... At the moment, he's starting in right and batting eighth... at least until we find out whether he's lucky or good!

It looks like San Antonio will likely be our opponent in the Confederate Series, so it was good to win a series in their park after they took one at our place last week... I'm a little concerned because they'll probably have two southpaws in their playoff rotation, and we don't matchup well against lefties... though we do have a 14-6 record v/s LHP so far this season...

Anyway, we'll be home again next week... so wish us luck and see you then!