West Race Tightens
Hot Toppers Make It a Three-Way Race
ATLANTA (Aug. 16) - The Atlanta Hilltoppers won 11 in a row and pulled within three games of first, joining slumping Chicago and Los Angeles in the quest for the West Division pennant.  Atlanta's bullpen is the hottest in the league, led by second-year closer Randy Moffit (the 17th overall pick in 1972), who has a 0.54 ERA and 14 saves in his last 16 games.  Frank Linzy, Grant Jackson, and Steve Dunning all have ERAs around 1.00 over their last 13-18 games.  The starting corps has been less dominant but has pitched well enough to keep the league's top-rated offense in games.

Oscar Gamble hit .341 in 13 games to move into 4th place in the batting race and join three other Atlanta hitters in the top seven in batting, echoing shades of 1957 when Brooklyn Superbas swept the top five positions in batting average.  Atlanta's streak began with a 4-2 win over San Francisco on July 25, and the Toppers beat the Spiders five times, and Detroit and Chicago three times each during the streak.  The 5-0, 1-0, and 4-2 wins over the Colts were particularly impressive and firmly positioned the Hilltoppers as legitimate contenders.  Atlanta's pitchers got stingier as the series went on: Bruce Dal Canton tossed a six-hitter, Tom Bradley a five-hitter, and Nelson Briles and two relievers combined for a four-hitter.  Sal Bando's ninth inning sac fly plated the only run in pitcher's duel with Wilbur Wood in the second game of the set.

The club suffered a setback on Aug. 4 when second baseman Joe Morgan suffered a career-ending injury after a bone-crunching collision at home plate.  Morgan was Atlanta's 1st overall pick in 1965 and played nine seasons with Atlanta and St. Louis, winning a World Series ring with the Maroons in 1969 and a Gold Glove in 1971.

Top 5 Breakout Players
1. Rick Reuschel, CLE (12-5, 2.59) -- The Barons' 1st overall pick from a year ago has put his 16-loss rookie campaign behind him, slicing his ERA by over a point to enter the top 10 in ERA and WHIP.
2. Cecil Cooper, CLE (.301-23-78) -- The young Barons first baseman has added a power stroke to his repertoire, boosting his slugging 80 points to .520, third in the league.
3. Doc Medich, STL (9-10, 2.63) -- Last year's 4th overall pick is having a stellar rookie campaign, leading all rookies in wins, ERA and WHIP.
4. Richie Zisk, SF (.286-14-49) -- Last year's IL Play of the Year earned an All-Star Game appearance and is second on the Spiders in batting and home runs.
5. Stan Bahnsen, CHI (11-1, 2.03) -- Not a breakout year, per se, considering the "Bahnsen Burner" won 19 games in 1969, but his league-leading 2.03 ERA is 1.27 better than any previous season.