The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-21
SICKNESS NOT FEICNED BY
ST. LOUIS BALI. PLAYERS.
Week Was One of Ups and Downs CubPOwe
Mattiews6n Are Battling for Supremacy Sudhof Shows
Signs of a Coming Pitcher Murphy's Illness Has
Interfered Somewhat With His Work.
WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Last week was one of many ups and
downs for the 81. Louis club. Thanks to
good fortune 1t was mostly one of ups and
at times very high. The week opened with
the longest game the Donovanites have
played this season. 1t took them twelve
innings 10 down the Giants and az that
made three straight from George Davis's
club enthusiasm ran high. The very next
day Christy Matthewson gave the tribe of
Donovan an awful setback By letting them
down without safe hit. This game was
the feature of the week, and, with many
who witnessed it. 1t will be the feature OF
the baseball season. That game has brought
up many arguments on the relative merits
OF pitchers, which grow interesting at times
when those In position to know something
about local twirlers choose to say word
or two on the subject.
1t was Sudhoff who opposed Matthewson.
as Powell was too i'll to take his turn on
the slab. He made up for it later in the
week by taking extra fling in the box
and winning from Boston. Sudhoff pitched
fair bail and has been doing so all season,
but he stood little chance against Mat
thewson last Monday. Yet Matthewson
went to Chicago and was batted all over the
field by the tail-enders. Every man has his
eff day and the wonder is that Matthewson
Is not caught out Of form oftener.
As between Matthewson and Powell there
seems to be little choice by competent
judges. Matthewson seems to have more
speed on account Of his motion. but that
is Just where Powell shines. His motion
IL exactly the same for every variety OF
ball he throws. This is expected OF all first
class pitchers, but none Of them have so
easy a motion as the crack Of the st. Louis
team Powelrs motion Is so easy that many
people will tell you he has no speed. Yet
one will often see good batters swinging on
his shoots when the ball Is In the catcher's
mitt
AS il, everything else. results are what
count in baseball. Powell has not won as
many games as several other twirlers. nota-
bly, Harper. But who can say that young
Harper is as good twirier as Jack powrfl?
1t Is said that the team always bats behind
Harper and does not hit back Of Powell.
The latter Is usually true. but why? Not
because the players have fallen Off In their
hitting temporarily. This was proven In
the double-header with Boston on Wednes-
day The st. Louis players could not bat a
lick on earth in the game Powell pitched.
II was not any "hoodoo' that put such
holes In their bats kid" Nichols was on
the slab for Boston. Before the game Man
ager Donovan said Powell would work in
the frSI game II NICHOLS uIu hhcW tiids
Powell was the man to oppose the best Bos-
ton could produce
1t is not failure to hit behind Powell that
has brought him defeat at times. 1t is the
fact that he always pitches against the best
twirlers the opposing clubs can put against
him. Powell has shown steadiness all sea-
son. II he pitches an inning or two in good
style he can be depended upon to finish out
nine or twenty OF them in that same cool,
deliberate manner.
Harper has won more games than Powell
and he has faced some good pitchers. hut
he does not show the steadinese Of Powell.
In the second game Of the double-header he
pitched great ball for six innings. not al
lowing the Beaneaters a single safety in
that time In the seventh. eighth and ninth
innings they made seven hits and five ruEs.
Powell had allowed the same team but two
runs on the same afternoon. Harper Is win
ming games pretty regularly, and It IL but
Just to give credit where 1t is due-that IL
why Powell should not be considered one
whit the inferior Of any man on the st.